The shape of things to come....

[bikeworkshop]

Sadly Too true.

However, in defence of a new bike shop, it could be that he genuinely doesn't have that bit of kit. To be frank, i doubt it would be high on my list of purchases when starting out. Nice to have but.......

Then again he could just be an "open box..bolt it on" merchant too.

To do the maths:

An inch thread cutter for the job would probably cost £100
So you'd need to do 5x thread chasing or extra few mm cutting to get the money for the tool back, before you start earning.

The tool needs storage space,
and an occasional resharpen,
so it's probably fair to add another £10-20 year for the actual cost of maintenance.

We have 3 mechanics in the shop every day, but maybe only use the 1" thread cutter a few times a year, so if you're a one-man-band, you can't afford to buy stuff that will struggle to earn its keep.

 

[Jake1]

There was a new bike shop that opened locally to me a few years back. At the time I thought they will need all the custom they can get.

So, as is the modern way, I contacted them via email about a stuck seatpost I had going on - painful it was too.

The answer was that they were too busy servicing bikes to help me.

In the end I got the post out - painful it was too - but I was hoping they had better tools, technique, knowledge etc

Then, I asked for their help again, to replace some bearings in a campag hub. I didn't even get a response.

The bike shop has since closed down but I think the guy is still doing mobile / work from his garage type of thing.

I just think, how are these places ever going to survive if they don't take on these kind of jobs which build the customer relationships?

Exactly! That shop (had they done, or attempted to do the work) would gotten your business multiple times and you would have told others. Unfortunately, you could only tell others, as you just did here, that the shop cannot or will not do the work..
The fact that the shop could not assist you due to being too busy (business must be good so hire a helper; or shop is inept at their trade); and then would not even reply to work that even an apprentice could perform is a clear indicator of unprofessionalism and further fuels the negative impression of the business which kills word of mouth advertising.

My first car was an old Jag XJ6 that as a young punk I was still learning to tinker with, I but needed assistance with work needing to be done on a lift, and easy work at that for any repair shop. I found a service shop near me that advertised on their sign "we work on all import models". I drove in and was immediately told that they did not work on MY car model (apparently Jaguars of that time ('70s) utilized atomic fusion for propulsion requiring a doctoral degree to work on them). I ended up repairing that vehicle myself (to include dropping a tranny on my chest) and drove it for many years w/o any service shop help since I figured no one would work on it. It made me an XJ6 genius who was then able to help others.

 

[widowmaker]

First car a Jaguar XJ6

 

[Boron]

Exactly like the motor industry. At present, we still have traditional mechanics and older models in use. But ... new cars have sealed engines, no local disassembly and repairs. It's returned to the factory and often a new engine is recommended. Tooling is becoming manufacturer specific so that only franchaised dealers have the kit
It's the way of the world. If a component can't be repaired (read replaced) for maximum profit then renew the whole product be that car, bike, stereo etc. And if it needs a spanner instead of a computer to fix, then it's old tat

Apple are the masters of the hermetically sealed unit and proprietary tooling.

Had some bent pins in the end of a monitor cable many years ago. Apple tech quoted £260 for repair — because the plug, cable and monitor were all sealed in together. Upon quizzing they admitted they wouldn't actually fit a new plug, but that was the cost for a refurbished replacement monitor.

The age of the tinkerer is over... the time of the orc has come...

 

[Glug]

And humanity will rise up and begin the fight back,
on their 1960's racing bikes.

edit, think they made a movie, Mad Bert or something.

 

[bikeworkshop]

And humanity will rise up and begin the fight back,
on their 1960's racing bikes.

edit, think they made a movie, Mad Bert or something.

And they will all have Mullets

 

[Glug]

Where did you put the camera ?
I've been cutting my own hair since lockdown, so a mullet.

 

[jim haseltine]

I fix things myself if I can and will continue to do so while I'm able. If a job requires a special tool I weigh up it's cost against how much I'll be charged by a professional, so that means I've got a garage bench covered with specialist tools, mostly for use on VAG vehicles.