Dear LBS

owenreed thank you for fitting two cranks bolts discovered missing on my commute this morning.. :)

In future, please make a list of what you think needs doing, in addition to what you were asked to do, and have it agreed with the customer before doing it.

At the very least, if you are going to do remedial work, get it right.

PSA: The quality of mechanics in Condor is now at Evans Cycles levels.

str8 with a banger! 🔥

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I wondered where Ed was working now...

Dear LBS. Have the guts to buy stuff from outside Madison and add your bit. Hose can be loose, not in a packet. If a groupset is 30% cheaper than you can buy it then split the difference. Etc. Etc. Etc.

What does this collection of words even mean?
Hose can be loose?

hahaha

Maybe they mean a reel of hoses (Elvedes-style?) :D I’m slightly confused about the rest as well tbh.

Not in a bloody packet ffs! Hose by the meter, barbs separate, not in an overpriced packet.
It was an example happy knickers, based on my lbs saying they can't compete but still buying everything from Madison instead of using the hugely discounted stuff online and just adding a bit. I have a friend with a repair business, he buys spares in bulk, charges for stuff loose. I appreciate there are those who want a shimano packet. Whatever.

Sounds ideal in principle but doesn't necessarily play out that way. Searching for discounted kit online is time consuming and the supplier isn't going to give you the 30,60 or 90 day account that your Madison or Chicken wholesaler is. There may also be warranty issues if it isn't supplied in OE packaging and is punted on to customers. LBS's know where they stand with their wholesalers and if discounting suppliers were feeling that generous to LBS's they'd be offering the kit through B2B.
My LBS (Lloyds cycles in Swadlincote) are happy for me to supply the parts and just do the work. I started using them because I didn't have the tools for fitting headset races or chasing BB shells but Sean does such a good job I just gave him my last two track bikes to build up.

Most workshops buy bulk rolls of hose/cables/housing anyway though, no?

Although, I agree with you that some shops really don't help themselves sometimes. I once tried to buy a cassette spacer from my nearest LBS, and they said they "only really come with a set of wheels, you can't buy them separately" but sold me one anyway and made it out like they'd done me a favour. Same shop also once claimed to be unable to tap a pedal thread for me, and "I'd need to contact the manufacturer for them to CNC a new crank" before admitting they didn't own a pedal tap.

Honestly.

Cool. I’ll play. A roll for what brand? Shimano? Shimano what? Half of Shimano is Banjo based. Which era SRAM? Cos there’s internal banjo and then there’s flexihose stuff? But aftermarket? Sure, but which fittings kit are you buying? What about hose bore to work with the MC specifics? Shimano barbs and olives don’t fit on Elvedes hoses, you have to get their fittings. So what about Campag, that’s basically Magura no? Do Magura do rolls of the stuff? Let’s do a deep search of aftermarket 50/100m rolls, their aftermarket fittings, and then charge the equivalent.
Awesome, now you’re however much grand deep in your hoses.
You service bike, you quote cost. Oh no too expensive, Person buys online instead and gives you packet.

Now do this for most components, cross compatibility, changes over the years, and account for all sorts of mish mash bikes that come your way.

Happy Knickers indeed.

If a groupset is 30% cheaper than you can buy it then split the difference.

How does that make it any better though? The answer from the customer is still "but I can get it cheaper online" and then they've made even less margin

Oh be quiet with your sensible logic and awareness of the different standards. My LBS should service my bike on my terms.

They should be rolling out a clean red carpet when I arrive on my filthy bike, and doesn’t a puncture repair come with a detailed clean, and why are they firing a new inner tube when I brought a stick on puncture patch with me that I bought off Ali express?

🤣

This is all true but surely Shimano, who only have two types of hoses, account for 90% of customers?

(Bike shops can obviously run their businesses how they want)

A bit of Shimano hose in both flavours is useful, but gets used less often than the right kit on most things because of all the reasons ranted.

Another reason for sticking with your supplier is that you order it, it arrives exactly when you expect it, before the customer drops their bike off on the specified day for the work to be done at the allotted time. Rather than on a random day, at which point you book the bike in for the work. This can mean the difference of getting it done a week before or maybe the day after that ride you wanted to do.