markz said:
What LBS' charge its crazy.
http://images.mec.ca/media/Images/pdf/BikeShopRatesCard_en_v1_m56577569830783276.pdf
https://thebikeshop.com/about/service-tune-ups-pg435.htm
https://thebikeshop.com/about/a-la-carte-services-pg315.htm
Don't forget this:
http://www.rideyourbike.com/tuneup.shtml
Aaron Goss is an old hand at this, who pays his people a living wage and gives them benefits. It sounds funny to some of us in the industry, but why not? We do stuff people need to make our living, so it seems sort of fair to make a living doing it.
It's not crazy. In fact, it's not enough to keep most bike shops afloat.
Consider this: Plumbing is easier than half-decent cycle mechanics. Doing a good job on a bike is similar to doing a good job on a musical instrument.
Now compare hourly rates for plumbers or musical instrument techs against what cycle mechanics charge.
Compare what an auto mechanic charges. Compare what an exterminator charges. Massage therapist. Accountant. Computer programmer.
Is it crazy, really? Being a capable cycle mechanic takes as much time and commitment to master as any of the above. That's why almost none of the above can do it worth a damn.
Yes, you can do a passable job of your own plumbing repair, or spraying for bugs, or changing out your water pump-- just like you can do a passable job of fixing your bike. But do you really think you are as capable as someone who's been fixing bikes for decades? If "pretty okay" and "not busted" are the measure of what you want, go for it.
I hear "it's like a whole different/new bike!" often enough that it might as well be "see you later." And I sort of almost make enough money to live where I live.
Cycle mechanics are pretty much the least valued tradesmen around, paid less than lawn mowers but expected to understand more than electricians. Why, I just don't know-- probably because big-box BSOs have folks convinced that bicycles should cost $100, so therefore fixing them should be almost free.
But I hope it won't always be that way.