One of my LBS

[tintin40]

Cheeky S*N of a B****H tried doing for an extra £10 Friday collected a built wheel £25 which is the cheapest round me (plus they do a good job) Saturday i go to collect anther. And a different guy asked for £35 :shock: To which i replied that it was tenner less yesterday He was sorry we normally charge 35 (F**k u do) Now this a cycle chain named after a medical procedure. Right near the Arsenal football club (again) So i was going through Camden. I try not too stop (what a crap hole) But the very same branch of the same chain (medical procedure) Charge me £25 with no problems plus a good wheel build. Pictures to follow of the wheels soon.
You just have watch them :twisted: The others charge £35 or £40 to build a wheel and they are crap at it. Most certainly that shop named after the flying insect. :twisted:
I feel better now

 

[Mattythemod]

do u mean Cycle Surgery in Highbury ????

they were recently bough out by Snow & Rock for 6 million quid ....

 

[tintin40]

Yes. I wouldn't give them 6p for that branch. Camden branch are a good lot. I get the feeling one doesn't like my Trimble, each to their own. Other wise the rest are friendly and the wheel builder knows his stuff

 

[jonnyboy666]

jeeezuuzz!!! i only charge £17.50 a wheel build and nothing if all parts are purchased from us for a pair! i'll put it up!!! we build wheels properly but so many don't, makes me laugh when i see mailorder wheels built with the spoke pattern backwards or the spokes 1 out so you have hardley any space to get the pump head in!

we build wheels for the british tri team, all our local racers, spinergy wheels, mavic service centre etc, even motorbike wheels for 3 local shops, it's something we're known for in our area!


£35 a wheel, few of those and i could retire!! . . . . . to morcombe. well, my boss could anyway!

£35, like a lottery win per wheel!

 

[tintin40]

I'll move to Southampton. Property prices are lower there too

 

[cannondale king]

god i thought i was step at my shop at £23.50 an hour for my time plus spokes at 50p each if they provide the rim and spokes :shock: at £35-£40 thats madness

 

[tintin40]

god i thought i was step at my shop at £23.50 an hour for my time plus spokes at 50p each if they provide the rim and spokes :shock: at £35-£40 thats madness

That's living in F**king London for your. And i'm a long way from being highly paid. To afford this sport/hobby i have go with out other luxuries and sell things that i wont need. I sold all my U brakes/986 kit and now i've seen two people looking for 986 kit/parts. Life :roll: :cry:

 

[jonnyboy666]

i'm not surpised by the london prices though, friend of mine works in an evans store as assistant manager, we have arguments all the time about labour prices, trade problems etc and we never seem to agree but wheelbuilding is an art that you have to practise and spoke sizes are very important. we decide to keep our prices lower on wheelbuilds to compete with mail order wheelsets but if the parts are brought to us blatently from mail order we do charge 25 for the build per wheel, if your not making a bit on the parts, as a business you have to make more than normal on the labour. but if you find a builder your happy with, stick with him and pay his price, and try not to throw to much mail order at them, they won't appreciate it unless it's the "unobtainium" parts we're all after otherwise it always seems like someones rubbing you face in the mailorder pages of a magazine.
besides, i quoted a guy 30 quid (labour) for a service on his marin and he thought this was expensive, i asked him how much he charges per hour for his job, he said 120! he is a computer programmer or something and he gets 120 an hour! and he moans about 30 to the shop! he has a huge amount of knowledge for his job but i have been in this trade longer than he has in his, does that mean i know more about my job than he does about his? and all my guys are qualified cytec etc, it's just unfortunate that most people don't see our job as worth the money, but yet he couldn't do it himself or couldn't be bothered.

didn't mean to moan but i just had to sit through the most shit film at the cinema and it's put me in a poo mood. . . . vince vaughn xmas bollox. just don't do it, even if she tries to make you . . . be strong!!

 

[cannondale king]

johnnyboy's right most people talk and trat you like a thicket when you work in a bike shop and moan like f*** if the estimate for repais goes over a £10. they expect the work to be done for free because they brought a cable inner from you they want it fitted the wheels truing and gears indexing all for that £1.50 :? :? :? people suck

 

[tintin40]

didn't mean to moan but i just had to sit through the most shit film at the cinema and it's put me in a poo mood. . . . vince vaughn xmas bollox. just don't do it, even if she tries to make you . . . be strong!!

johnnyboy's right most people talk and trat you like a thicket when you work in a bike shop and moan like f*** if the estimate for repais goes over a £10. they expect the work to be done for free because they brought a cable inner from you they want it fitted the wheels truing and gears indexing all for that £1.50 people suck

Got agree with you both their. But isn't it 'customers' take the piss some times. And wheel building is a skill that not many can do really well. In fact a really well built wheel is the difference between a good bike and a great bike. I have bought a 'CRC' wheel and it was a really good wheel not a problem with it. The only time i bought mail order for a wheel.