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Working in a bike shop made me realise I know nothing
I've recently got a job in a bike shop and its made me realise how little I know. I have been on and off cycling for the last 5 years, lower end mountain bikes and mid/low road bikes but I don't know things like different expensive wheels, helmets, or even which expensive bike is what. Obviously I can see the brand on the frame but knowing which specific bike it is I'd be totally lost.
Should I just quit or should I see what I can learn and go with it?
If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.
Latest Forum Topics
Latest Comments
- Bungle_52 12 min 43 sec ago
I have no sympathy I'm afraid. Drivers have come to expect to proceed at maximum speed rather than maximum safety and this attitude needs to change...
- OnYerBike 55 min 56 sec ago
Meh, he said "about" 75psi which is fair enough - ETRTO use 5 bar (72.5psi) as the limit, so 75psi is well within the error margin of the gauge on...
- HLaB 1 hour 1 min ago
Yip, a bus lane may make it slightly better for the existing " brave and bold cyclist" (I quite liked ones in Dublin and Edinburgh when I was young...
- stonojnr 1 hour 26 min ago
Norwich Airport is best part of 5miles from Norwich station, it's on a bypass/ringroad I wouldn't cycle it, though it's attempts at cycle infra...
- ravenbait 1 hour 39 min ago
Loads of cycling content on mastodon. Just need to follow the BikeTooter hashtag. I'm on Bluesky as well. Do not miss xitter one bit.
- Beatnik69 1 hour 42 min ago
I quite like some of these and already have a few. I like the cactus holder and the build-your-own bike. Maybe even the cushion. I have a bicycle...
- stonojnr 2 hours 9 min ago
So close to a hole in one and they didnt find a short cut https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx2pg1qyqd0o
- james-o 2 hours 48 min ago
"some smoky black accents and fading on the arms and the bottom of the jersey." Reminds me of an oil-stained bird
- chrisonabike 3 hours 41 min ago
Did you go out the back of the wardrobe you found them in perhaps? https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lion,_the_Witch_and_the_Wardrobe
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38 comments
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WTF-Is-This-Shit-600x378.jpg
I apologize if Im rambling on and on....
If you like your job (love it), then you are a winner from my point of view!!!
I had the weirdest day, I received a picture of my girlfriend, I had a hard start to the day, not getting much sleep, pissing in the dry shower yet staying up nearly 7 hours, my pb. I figured my legs improving due to cycling, just cycling the crank, no rush. Then grandpa died. Diagnosis clinically dead. Currently revived in a coma. Morning will tell. I've died twice, a cousin that granddad saved has been dead, chances were better then while young of age, granddad 90+.
Then I was thinking.... Displacement theory is a beautiful basic principle. Displacement theory hydraulic makes towards some excellent brakes, d.t. pneumatic makes towards some very easy to ride fast handle bars, wheel sets and frames, d.t. light can make towards some very powerful, efficient and environmentally clear propulsion systems. Please avoid d.t. solids; that not nice unless fun is riding a bicycle at 100kmph into a brick wall is deemed reasonable and responsible and then multiple that with mass.
The best thing to know might be a job you like doing. I admire mechanics, I guess some of you guys are up there with watch makers.
I'm out of here, gone riding...
God bless you
Just tired, stoked, happy to spin cranks.
No pro bike mechanic yet dosed up on smiling juice because I've been riding cheap bikes and cost is well below car fuel and much lesser when months without registration.
So stoked that LBSs are around, happy learning, being a worker and a longtime cyclist (on/off) I'm happy to know what I want and recognize that leaving the bike with a mechanic for an hour costs the same that I earn per hour yet they do the job twice as quick AND PROPERLY.
I fitted my own brake pads;) bike stops in less than 400metres now, I like the local hill.
Bikes and kayaks the same. Brace hands, push leg, go stronger, go faster, go longer, legs provide majority muscle. As a human, tension with right leg will open energy channel that torso twists right. Left right left
"I am playing all the right notes, but not necessarily in the right order"
Am I the only one who doesn’t understand a word Boatsie has just posted?
PP
I understand every individual word, just not the particular purpose they are intended to serve in combination with each other.
To be fair, the cut-up technique (to which Boatsie subscribes) has somewhat fallen out of favour. Can't all you hepcats just dig it?
Nope, I'm clueless too.
Too many drinks, perhaps?
I keep giggling. .. Having no idea what a Boardman is, when my bike was stolen 10 years ago I replaced it with my brand newie at $199. Usually hangs around a couple of years a few times. Been sitting on a 2nd hand component set yet just keep smiling cos me ain't wearing the strong, cheap heavy stuff out, have never even trued the 36 spoke rims although laughing that the walls exist. Usually hangs
Replaced pads last week at $15 a set.
You guys are pretty gifted if you can understand the mechanisms.
PS. I admire your Boardman. I like GT and can't figure out if the small triangle helps bite in due to less compression upon metal lengths. Had 1, think it was also stolen or I gave it away, glad to ride a cheapy. Too much effort to the lazy idiots.;)
Figured out how to check sti shifter. Donor has cracked headstem, either a double or a triple cog when look occurs.
I have worked in bike shops for years, as a mech, then a manager and finally running my own bike maintenance business, so I have a bit of insight.
Firstly I would say, don't bullshit people. If you don't know something, say so and go and find out. There are a lot of very knowledgeable customers, and nothing turns them off more than someone pretending to know more than they do.
If you don't love bikes and everything about them, get out of the industry. It pays very poorly and expects quite a lot of time commitment, so if you don't just love it, find something else. I was told once by a long time bike industry guy that the only way to come out with a million pounds in the bike industry is to start off with two!
Talk to your customers and be interested in what they say, don't just try and sell. You can learn a lot from your customers.
Finally, don't get swayed by the new shiny bits that come into the shop, be critical, see how long things last, how easily they can be repaired and what the back-up is like from the manufacturer etc, this helps to inform what you recommend to customers.
I loved my time in the bike industry, you meet lots of like minded people and can have a proper laugh too.
Front or rear mech???
I started out as a rear mech, but time served and experience gained, I was allowed to progress to a front mech.
I admire your posture DaSy.
I know not much, I wonder. I converted my flatbar to a dropbar. Booked it into LBS. No work was done because I was told the shifters weren't compatible being from an 8 speed as I run a 9 speed.
Retrieved bike, bought new shifters then played with the old ones. They feel alright, clicks 8 times (9 speed), now I am wondering how to check if front mech is double or triple. I'd rather ride too. Just servicing own garage which makes me laugh because on the wall from many years ago is a rusty metal sign, ' bicycle repair shop. '
Lol
Nowadays I think along the lines of now's the best time to learn or relearn how to ride.
Was it shift work?
Oh dear, future looks grim for you then, what with the insidious advance of 1x drive trains, you'll be out of a job soon. Can you retrain as a clutch or a disc brake?
Not sure what the moan earlier about Boardman's was. I still ride my 10 year old Boardman MTB, it's served me very well. We can't all stretch to £3000 plus for a bike...
As for working in the bike shop, try and get your head round the hierarchies. Groupsets all come in different levels, probably easiest to understand Shimano's and what makes Ultegra cost more and work better than 105 or Claris.
I worked in an Evans part-time (I'm a stay-at-home-Dad) for a few months before I realised that I was being used as a Supervisor/Assistant Manager because I was the only member of staff who both knew plenty about actual bikes, and had worked in retail before!!
You should have some sort of induction procedure? Evans have one, which seemed quite comprehensive.
Read magazines and websites, join a club, speak to people. Find someone who knows what they're doing and talk to them, ask questions. If you like your job, you could really make a difference at somewhere like Halfords. I tend to sneak in and out if I go there and try and avoid the long queue of people asking about lights and mudguards and getting punctures fixed!!
There's plenty of labels that tell you plenty, start with frame materials and learn the pros and cons of Ti, Steel, Alu, Carbon. Then onto the group sets, a downward quality from Di2, Ultegra, 105, Tiagra and Claris on Shimano's.
Factor price in, as an example you can't get Ultegra and Carbon for a grand (probably £1500) so what's important. One approach is buy the best frame as you can upgrade kit later, on the other hand if the customer is 3 stone overweight why do they want carbon, the drive train is where they'll feel the benefit.
The most important thing you can do is ask questions, exactly what do they want the bike for. A low fronted super aero frame makes sense if they are racers expecting to sit in a pack at 25mph. Most of the customers through your doors are likely to be newbies (or relatively so), look for something comfy, ability to fit wider tyres etc.
Oh and stop convincing everyone to ride tiny bikes, boils my piss seeing 6ft plus on a 53" frame with 2ft of seatpost!
And finally, make sure they have disc brakes, hi viz clothes and a helmet!!
Don't fail the Eskimos ice cube nor the 160psi portable with the new wide tyre MtB.
I find LBS will always have lube, why use lube is.... A cheap bike that doesn't lube air with a tapered edge . lol
Man, that LSD is good. More helium anyone?
Lol
Because air on air is less resistance than air on solid, hence creating a wall of air to lead a path creates a lead of ball bearings made of air.
Displacement theory shows the need to replace what was taken hence the tapered edge now assists due to returning air and associated pressure to push the wall harder, faster, like no other aero has been pushed before.
Anyway, happy 'ere with my round tubes.. Probably steel too aye. Lol.
My mate recons if I wash my chain with petrol it'll wash the bearing juice/grease away. ??
A 53" frame - that must be a Giant
Don't be put of by muppets who will want to tell you how to do your job, they've probably just read a brochure or been a member here for a couple of weeks.
Go for it, learn from it, enjoy it. If it's not for you, don't sweat it.
Don't those things you mention, being specific consumer goods, constantly change in any case, so even if you did know all of that you'd soon have to learn it all again anyway?
Just google the shit out of everything you sell. Won't take long to get bike differences down, its mostly group sets and wheels that people are interested in from bike to bike.
Stick with it, those sort of skills would get you to manager level in Halfords
Seriously though, watch and learn, it's a rewarding career if you like bikes. You'll get to ride all the latest gear and have access to the best tools to fix your own bike. Learn spannering, I've really enjoyed starting from scratch and learning how to build up a bare frame.
hahaha, I work for a bike shop owned by halfords. This is part of the problem, I don't have any brand confidence selling anybody a Boardman because they're simply disgusting.
Thank you to all who have commented, I suppose you're right, I should stick at it
Boardman bikes are disgusting ? In what way ?
I see what you mean. You really do have a lot to learn.
Exactly. I wouldn't lead with that sales patter if I were you.
Boardman Team Carbon won road.cc 'road bike of the year' 17/18, and the Boardman Road Pro Carbon SLR won 'Bike of the Year' 16/17. Not bad for disgusting.
I presume when you say the shop is owned by Halfords, it's a Cycle Republic?
Or Tredz/Wheelies
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