Self service bike service?

[William]

I just posted this in the "Setting up a new bike shop" thread but thought I might break it out on it's own as well....


Just out of curiosity,

Has anyone ever tried having a few self service bays in a bike shop where folks that are mechanically inclined but do not have all the tools available to them could work on their own bikes? Rent tools for a nominal fee and have parts available to buy if needed? Rent the bay with the stand, and compressed air line.

What about offering service 101 class/seminars? I know it seems counter intuitive, but folks who want to work on their own bikes...are going to work on their own bikes. They might be interested in such a course to take the mystery out of some aspects of bike service. It's an exchange of info for money that you otherwise would not get. Oh, and for things like pulling BB's and other parts that require special tools...if they don't want to buy the tool, "we have the service bays where you can rent the tool and do it yourself".

What do you think? Yeah or nay?



William

[AngryScientist]

i think places do this. i know REI runs bike repair clinics all the time, and i've heard of shops and co-ops renting repair bays. good concept, especially for out-of-towners who need to get repair work done but dont have the gear along on the trip, etc.

[daker13]

Legend cycle in Providence, on Brook street, actually has a stand for customer use. I'm sure they'd lend you tools, too, but you probably have to be a regular.

[roguedog]

I know a few years back there were a few of these in SF and they seemed pretty popular.

I think one of them even had something like a monthly membership fee so that you wouldn't have to pay the drop in fees.

I think these are pretty cool because they can accommodate any level of skill; folks that just want to wash the bike and clean "her" up or people who want to do the full on strip the bike down and do everything from the BB up :)

Makes sense because not everyone wants to invest in or has the space to have all the tools. It's also a "safe" place because hopefully there's an expert on hand to help if you're not sure bout something.

I think it's a cool concept which may become more popular as gas prices go up and more people are biking.

[vsefiream]

I for one would use a rental bench. I worked in a shop for 6+ years and miss having all the tools and convenience of a shop at my disposal. I would be more than willing to pay a monthly fee or something of the like. The only hitch here is bench time, how do you schedule or alot time to renters/users??

[fourflys]

I think there might be insurance issues with this... imagine if someone was using one of your tools/space and hurt themselves... unfortunately there is always someone who is all too happy to sue somebody... I'd be really leery to have a "rental" bench... REI can probably get away with doing classes because they're big enough to have a LOT of insurance...

if I had a shop and regular came in, well that might be a different story...

what say you, oldpotatoe?

[William]

I remember a place in Portland where you could go in and brew your own beer. They had a bunch of stations set so that quite a few folks could be in working on the different stages of their brew.

Cross that to benches, a place that had multiple benches in a larger suburban area would likely have to schedule them out. Unscheduled openings could be open for drop-ins. A phone call before hand should be able to tell you if there are openings or to reserve a bench.

Liability would certainly be a concern. But it is a concern for just about any business.



William

[biker.caliente]

Bicycle Kitchen in SF is just like that. You can get a place (with a bike repair stand) for under $10 for a whole day. You can use whatever tools they have and there are mechanics going around to give advice. However, you have to do most of your own work.

There are abundant used parts to purchase from. I got a pair of Speedplay X2 for $10, in good condition, too.

[oldpotatoe]

I think there might be insurance issues with this... imagine if someone was using one of your tools/space and hurt themselves... unfortunately there is always someone who is all too happy to sue somebody... I'd be really leery to have a "rental" bench... REI can probably get away with doing classes because they're big enough to have a LOT of insurance...

if I had a shop and regular came in, well that might be a different story...

what say you, oldpotatoe?

You mean a 'regular' and borrowing a bench and tools? Doesn't ever happen.

No loaning of bench or tools.

FullCycle here in Boulder used to be a co-op. Rental of bench and tools. They stopped because the 'manager' was needed constantly to tell the 'knowledgable' people what to do, how to use the tools, etc. AND they broke so many tools because of above, it turned out to be a money pit. Look, even here in the republic, there are only about 6 really good wrenches even working in shops..and 2 work with me.

[old fat man]

there's a very successful shop in Cambridge, MA called Broadway Bicycle School that does what William is describing. They focus on classes and renting space, not so much on retail like a "normal" shop might.

It would seem that this model, if in the right area (heavy bike commuter traffic) would be a great success if done with a full commitment by (a portion of) staff. a word of caution, they have to keep early morning hours to catch that commuter business.

as the oldpotatoe said, if you're trying to be a retail manager and an instructor at the same time, you're less likely to do great at either of them.

[jh_on_the_cape]

missing link in berkeley, CA did this at least when I lived there. You gave them your license while using the full tool shop. They sort of looked at it before and after to make sure you did not steal stuff. there were 2 or 3 separate work spaces with bike stand, tools on the wall peg board with outlines.

If you needed a tool that was not there, you could buy it at shop price (wholesale) and then leave it there. an incentive to not steal stuff. or buy it at retail and bring it home. lots of the little tools did walk so i would bring them in with me. like my own spoke wrench when using their truing stand.

the whole thing was free.

they did a lot of business (with me at least) of people messing up stuff then leaving it there to be fixed properly! or buying parts right then and there. it was awesome when replacing a busted spoke!

go for it. in this day and age a bike shop needs a group of people willing to use the shop despite the prices being higher than the web: SERVICE. NO ATTITUDE!!! NICE PEOPLE!!!

[dekindy]

http://www.indycyclespecialist.com/

I replied in the other thread but here also. This LBS offered this but I found no current reference to it on their website so they must have discontinued it. Good indication that it must not be a very good idea.

[pitcrew]

[QUOTE=oldpotatoe] the 'manager' was needed constantly to tell the 'knowledgable' people what to do, how to use the tools, etc. AND they broke so many tools because of above, it turned out to be a money pit.QUOTE]

What? Like someone using your Felco cable cutters to cut the spokes out of a wheel? Your good screw driver being converted to a chisel or prybar? Stuff like that?

I imagine that in addition to needing guidance regarding the tools and usage, you'd probably get asked to "check over" the work the person had done.

[dvs cycles]

I read about this place last year in our paper but have not visited due to no need as I have tools.
http://orangecountybicycleservicegarage.com/about.html

[BengeBoy]

Wright Bros. Cycles, Seattle, Fremont neighborhood.

[oldpotatoe]

[QUOTE=oldpotatoe] the 'manager' was needed constantly to tell the 'knowledgable' people what to do, how to use the tools, etc. AND they broke so many tools because of above, it turned out to be a money pit.QUOTE]

What? Like someone using your Felco cable cutters to cut the spokes out of a wheel? Your good screw driver being converted to a chisel or prybar? Stuff like that?

I imagine that in addition to needing guidance regarding the tools and usage, you'd probably get asked to "check over" the work the person had done.

Yep....or my favorite, using a $200 torque wrench as a hammer...