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working at a bike shop tips??

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working at a bike shop tips??
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flag jamiejamiejam
Posted: Feb 6, 2008 at 14:00 Quote
Im gonna try and work at my lbs for my 2 week work placement/experience the 2 weeks before summer. its at a good local shop for 2 weeks getting wednesdays off ans working saturdays and the description is of the work is:

'Duties include observing & assisting in workshop, assembling bicycles, mending punctures, observing customer service and tidying up.'

Ive been riding frequent for about 6 months now and know a bit about bikes and biking. has anyone got any tips about stuff i should know and things i should do/not do?

any info helpfull
thanks
flag ricar
Posted: Feb 6, 2008 at 16:37 Quote
DO NOT ACT LIKE YOU KNOW EVERYTHING. There will be people who walk into the shop that know more than you. I think that is about the most anoying thing when some punk thinks they know it all because they work in a shop.
flag curlxupxandxdle
Posted: Feb 6, 2008 at 16:39 Quote
ricar wrote:
DO NOT ACT LIKE YOU KNOW EVERYTHING. There will be people who walk into the shop that know more than you. I think that is about the most anoying thing when some punk thinks they know it all because they work in a shop.

very well put, and if you have any questions ASK dont be affraid to ask
flag willbikeforbeer
Posted: Feb 6, 2008 at 16:39 Quote
ricar wrote:
DO NOT ACT LIKE YOU KNOW EVERYTHING. There will be people who walk into the shop that know more than you. I think that is about the most anoying thing when some punk thinks they know it all because they work in a shop.

True, but what's even worse is when you work in a shop and some jackass who doesn't know shit tries to act like he knows more then you! As for what to do when you're working. Have a good attitude. Listen, and ask lots of questions. You'll love it I promise.
flag Cyclist-Abuse
Posted: Feb 6, 2008 at 16:43 Quote
willbikeforbeer wrote:
ricar wrote:
DO NOT ACT LIKE YOU KNOW EVERYTHING. There will be people who walk into the shop that know more than you. I think that is about the most anoying thing when some punk thinks they know it all because they work in a shop.

True, but what's even worse is when you work in a shop and some jackass who doesn't know shit tries to act like he knows more then you! As for what to do when you're working. Have a good attitude. Listen, and ask lots of questions. You'll love it I promise.

Sounds about right to me, Try to learn as much about bikes as possible, it could help you sometime in the future.
flag emubritish
Posted: Feb 6, 2008 at 20:14 Quote
those two weeks will teach you a lot, but some of the more complex things (wheel truing, hub adjustment, fork rebuilding, ect take time to master, and there are many things you may not experience, like frame aligning, that are not all too common... some of the most useful things you will learn are the tricks of the trade, like pushing tire beads down into the rim in order to mount tires without levers, or using a compressor to get grips on and off... the little things are some of the most useful, and although truing wheels is very useful, you cant expect to learn it to perfection in a week or two.

i have been working at a shop for 9-10 months now, and i knew a lot about bikes and repair going into the job, but i still learn new things pretty much every day.
flag Cyclist-Abuse
Posted: Feb 6, 2008 at 20:22 Quote
emubritish wrote:
those two weeks will teach you a lot, but some of the more complex things (wheel truing, hub adjustment, fork rebuilding, ect take time to master, and there are many things you may not experience, like frame aligning, that are not all too common... some of the most useful things you will learn are the tricks of the trade, like pushing tire beads down into the rim in order to mount tires without levers, or using a compressor to get grips on and off... the little things are some of the most useful, and although truing wheels is very useful, you cant expect to learn it to perfection in a week or two.

i have been working at a shop for 9-10 months now, and i knew a lot about bikes and repair going into the job, but i still learn new things pretty much every day.

Im really thinking of trying to get a job at the local bike shop. I know how to true rims (To some extent), Fix Flats, Repack Cup and Cone Bearings, Lubricate stuff, Adjust V-Brakes, Remove and Replace Chains, Remove and Replace Cassetts, Remove and Replace Some Cranks, and a few other things. Do you thyink this is good enough to apply? Ive been riding for a couple years, and am 15.

Hehe.. ive got to get my Deraileur Adjustment to par... heh... thanks.
flag nightsy
O+
Posted: Feb 6, 2008 at 21:52 Quote
Be able to do flat repairs very good and very fast, especially since spring is coming up, dont let customers weight around in the shop go up to them start conversation and dont start with something they can say yes or no too, umm what else.... try and memorize some of the codes to items that are commonly bought, it will save you tons of time and always be friendly and nice even when customers are dicks
flag veet-88
O+
Posted: Feb 6, 2008 at 21:56 Quote
flats will be 90% of your work load for the first few months if you get on try to present yourself that you work well with people thats just about more important than your fixing ability show great intresty in the sport and never argue the head tech of the shop no matter how sure you are i learnt that the hard way good luck getting in i enjoyed working in the past 2 shops iv been in hreat experience learnt alot over time
flag fatninja
Posted: Feb 6, 2008 at 21:59 Quote
everything above and be prepared to
- work on alot of questionable bikes
- work when the senior mechanics are out shreding on the nice days
- blow a few tubes up
(even though you may have changed you own tubes many times when theres a customer waiting and youre rushing it can happen all to easily if your not careful)
- get sweet hook ups
- and work on every bike that comes through your stand as though its you own
flag fatninja
Posted: Feb 6, 2008 at 22:10 Quote
oh yeah and try to be as helpful to the senior guys as possible. learn to anticipate what going, like if their really busy and you've got a moment, if theres tools all over the place take a minute to put the tools back in their respective place's. they might be bleeding a brake or working on a fork and spill some oil. grab a rag and wipe it up for them. it makes things run smoother and you show that you're aware of your surroundings. thus ending in you earning some respect and making yourself a valuable employee.
flag veet-88
O+
Posted: Feb 6, 2008 at 22:11 Quote
fatninja wrote:
oh yeah and try to be as helpful to the senior guys as possible. learn to anticipate what going, like if their really busy and you've got a moment, if theres tools all over the place take a minute to put the tools back in their respective place's. they might be bleeding a brake or working on a fork and spill some oil. grab a rag and wipe it up for them. it makes things run smoother and you show that you're aware of your surroundings. thus ending in you earning some respect and making yourself a valuable employee.
Guy knows his stuff tup do exactly what hes been sayin and your in
flag bikebreaker
Posted: Feb 7, 2008 at 3:10 Quote
In my experience (and yes, I did a year in a bike shop), work somewhere else!!
There is NO money in bike shops.

BUT if you do, go that little bit further.Always wipe the bike down when your done and if you can, give the chain a lube.

If there was 2 bike shops next to each other, and you take your bike into 1 for a puncture and it comes back dirty still, yet the other it comes out clean, which one you gonna go back to?
flag dkidd
O+
Posted: Feb 7, 2008 at 11:09 Quote
bikebreaker wrote:
In my experience (and yes, I did a year in a bike shop), work somewhere else!!
There is NO money in bike shops.

BUT if you do, go that little bit further.Always wipe the bike down when your done and if you can, give the chain a lube.

If there was 2 bike shops next to each other, and you take your bike into 1 for a puncture and it comes back dirty still, yet the other it comes out clean, which one you gonna go back to?

Ther's no money in bike shops, true, but there's camaraderie that you get nowhere else, and it's a ton of fun, too! Keep it up!
flag jamiejamiejam
Posted: Feb 7, 2008 at 13:49 Quote
thanks guys ive got to go to an interview first but i hope ill get it.
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