Going rate for a mechanic

Anyone know a rough rate for a bike shop mechanic, per hour?

I know there is a bike mech qualification (but know nothing about it). Does this make a difference?

most high end bike shops wont touch you without a cytech certificate, but a friend wanted to get his new headset put in and they said it would be £15
so he bought his bike and headset to me and i fitted in five minutes for nowt, cheeky git even asked for a cup of tea

£15? Bargain. I was quoted £55 by Evans in London :shock:

This is just out of interest really - I'm not looking for a job

£55, was a hope headset included?

and was it purple....

my LBS charged £10 to fit my chris King with the logo exactly where I wanted it, he said I was a fussy bugger.

a headset removing tool is dead simple to make if you have an old pair of forks lying around

On the other hand.....

What is the going rate for...

A car mechanic?
An electrician?
A bricklayer?
A .... lawyer?

The perception is often that a shop mechanic is just a bloke with a spanner...

In Denmark it's nigh on impossible to get a job as a shop mechanic (unless you have contacts and solid references) without having completed a 3 year apprenticeship. And that costs ....

Hourly rate in a danish bike shop is approx £35. Bear in mind that shop owner has to pay VAT, rent, wear and tear on tools, the mechanic's wage which is typically between £10 - £14 per hour, tax, rates etc... etc...

Fitting a headset should not take more than 5 minutes and most shops in Denmark will fit a £25 headset for free if bought in the shop and you show up with a stripped frame as it takes longer to get the tools out than it does to use them...

but correct removal of stubborn headsets... without risking damage to the frame requires a tool that is actually very expensive and prone to breakage (no you can't use an old fork steerer!). We wore 2 out every year....

dbmtb":12oxcqu9 said:

(no you can't use an old fork steerer!). We wore 2 out every year....

but correct removal of stubborn headsets... without risking damage to the frame requires a tool that is actually very expensive

Click to expand...

i have done and it works very well, if not better than the original tool :roll:

you would think it was the original tool, it has four cuts going up it that are about 6" long and the end is flared out, so you just squeeze the end and push it into the headstock.

ive also been building and stripping bikes for over 15 years

on the second part, i can get a proper headset removal tool for around £25, but why bother, it just looks like a modified steerer tube off a pair of forks

Dar Kuma":naiwnqqt said:

you would think it was the original tool, it has four cuts going up it that are about 6" long and the end is flared out, so you just squeeze the end and push it into the headstock.

Click to expand...

Well why didn't you say that all along?

Basically, it IS the original tool just home made...

Still, it must be a hassle to make.... And time is money.

took about 10 minutes to make