Office based bike repairs...advice please

JeRkY

JeRkY

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We are now settled into our new offices at work, much smaller, much less architecturally impressive but much cheaper and in a much cooler area at the same time.

The office is in a complex of commercial/residential property with a secure underground car park. The block caters really well for cycle commuters, a huge range of locking points to secure you bike including a keycode entry only caged area. The showers on each floor also make it a pleasant place to work for those cycling any distance. (not me...it is literally 2 mins on the regents canal towpath for me!)

Now my question. I had the idea of putting a notice up on the board in the communal entrance, offering lunch time bike repairs, essentially they call me I go down to the carpark and do any minor repairs they require, or direct them to what the problem is if I cant handle it. This would be a pocket money exercise.

Any one have any advice? any one any views? any concerns (I have a few but I'll see what happens here before voicing them)
 
Go for it.

Be very competent and confident in your repairs but be prepared for things to go wrong.

Buy in baulk - cassettes, chains, cables and innertubes.

Have plenty of quality gear cable inner and outer on hand as most sticky commuter gearing systems cannot simply be flushed out. New outer/ inner works wonders.

Changing the innertube is way quicker and more cost effective than repairing a tube and have it fail again later.

Check out the local competition, see how much they charge for innertubes, repairs etc.

Dont offer to service shocks or forks.

Dont offer your own opinion, offer what is your (cycle repairer) business's opinion.

Have plenty of Finnigans, its great lube and degreaser but dont get carried away!

Be prepared to get very very very dirty.
 
like LGF says, prepare to get dirty. remember, most commuters bikes will be unkempt, unwashed, unserviced BSOs. So grubby hands and fingernails may not be what your boss/clients want to see.

and remember the first rule of bike maintenance - the job you estimate to take 10 minutes turns into 2 hours, so you when lunchtime ends, you need to make sure you dont turn it into an overnight work in progress.

have you thought about investing in tools & overalls and where they will be kept.

and watch out for your cycling work "buddies" who will want to borrow your tools FOC to effect a DIY job and leave you with a butchered extractor.

sorry, if its all negatives, its actually quite a good idea, just pointing out some pitfalls
 
A job unexpectedly taking more than your lunch allows mught leave you with very unhappy client that is forced to take the public transport home.

I do this at my work but it is a small company where I know everyone and I don't charge unless it is for parts, in fact most of the guys now know how to do the stuff themselves so I am rarely asked now. (possibly not the business model you were after :) )
 
legrandefromage":9vxay8tx said:
Be prepared to get very very very dirty.
Click to expand...

Nitrile gloves for the win, washing hands after working on commuter/hack bikes will really eat into your work-time.

pigman":9vxay8tx said:
and remember the first rule of bike maintenance - the job you estimate to take 10 minutes turns into 2 hours, so you when lunchtime ends, you need to make sure you dont turn it into an overnight work in progress.
Click to expand...

So true, especially as we try to deal with high-end/quality kit with our own bikes, right? Imagine that £99 BSO from Asda after a few years of gentle abuse.

And insurance...
 
Insurance was my big concern. And to get insurance I guess I would have to be listed as a company (not the end of the world, I have done sole trading before as an engineer, but would rather avoid if possible).

Would I also need to be Cytech approved in order to gain the public liabillity insurance?

I am interested in doing this as a hobby/pocket money raiser in my spare time rather than a career (I have one of those already).

As for the other points raised.
1- Tools, not a problem we have a full workshop of general tools upstairs in the office, these can be easily supplemented with my personal bike specific tools.
2- Keeping clean, shouldnt present an issue. Have nitrile gloves and mad scientist white coats in the office.
3- Jobs taking longer than expected...could be an issue but something I can try to look out for. Also being central London, public transport isn't as hellish as the rest of the country and people are generally not adverse to using it now and then. So so long as I can estimate a jobs time I should be alright.

The only other problem I can see may be with the buildings managing company, who may take objection to me (my company if it comes to that) trading out of its car park on a lunch time. But that is only really something I can find the answer to.

Cheers all for the help, and just to reiterate this isnt a plan to make my fortune, simply earn a little spending money from whilst doing something I enjoy.
 
I used to do a lot of repairs on vehicles whilst at work, and cycles when needed. (When not actually being involved in the trade, so basically 'homers'.)

You can size a job up pretty well if you are experienced, and if it is a job that takes longer than lunch they weren't riding it home that day anyway...

Being as you live so close to your work you could give those unlucky folks a loaner for a night.

Insurance is another matter. Personally I would consider it too much hassle to do this on anything more than a word of mouth basis, but with things the way they are these days you would still run the risk...

Bearing that in mind, I ended up doing hundreds of cars on just such a 'casual' basis, so much so that I palmed most of the work off onto friends in the trade, before realising there was money in it and setting myself up. At one time I think everyone in Islington Social Services had my card, I would arrive at some units for a shift and find myself out under the bonnet of a car with unnerving regularity.

Many people do homers whatever business they run. I still fit kitchens and bathrooms, fix roofs, build sheds, fix walls, lay paths. It keeps life interesting.

I don't work on other people's cars nowadays as the variety and complexity are beyond me or my tools.

So in summary because I am waffling, try it on a casual basis, suck it and see. If you enjoy it it is somewhat of a 'no brainer'.
 
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