Good point on professional training Tom. I am promoting even a higher level of service where mechanics are both highly trained in mechanical processes and Efficiency processes. SLOW does not pay DA bills. There is a lot of wasted time in service centers. Some processes can be done in a 10th of the time. Most can be done in a quarter of the time at a higher quality level. This is the generation of education today.

Christopher Wallace
Holistic Cycles
140 Harrison St
Oak Park, IL. 60304


-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: [TheThinkTank] What level of repairs at Farmers Market
From: Thomas Martin <thomas.martin6@pcc.edu>
Date: Wed, February 25, 2015 10:51 pm
To: The Think Tank <thethinktank@lists.bikecollectives.org>

Re: Quality standards of service work: 

Level of quality with service provided must be maintained so wheels don't go out of true or adjustments of brakes and other components after it leaves the shop int he first place. It's basic bike shop customer service. If there are boomerang repairs, I think an investment in training of mechanics and service writers needs to happen before service time is given away. And I'd be really surprised that other local non-coop bike shops would allow a climate of boomerang repairs to be present. It's good business to make sure that happens, no matter how the shop is structured or modeled. 

Co-ops, DIY skillshare, and non-profit shops really can't afford low service quality levels. In Portland, the Co-ops and non profit street level shops often do a HIGHER quality repair and tune up than the bro-shops filled with SRAM Red and Dura Ace.  Unfamiliarity of high end components is an entirely different issue i my mind; there's a lot of expertise to execute on cotter pin boom bikes and old Schwinns. The people with those bikes will pay for good work done; they will be more pissed off when they pay any amount of money on a crappy repair that doesn't address their problem, or makes it worse. 

Tom Martin
Bike Program Coordinator
Portland Community College- Cascade
Room SC-03
705 N Killingsworth St
Portland, OR 97217


On Wed, Feb 25, 2015 at 5:47 PM, <christopher@holisticcycles.com> wrote:
Has anyone thought of doing better labor than a bike shop can provide? Upping the game of quality. True a wheel and two weeks later it is out of true; True, Round and tension the wheel and it will stay true for months if not a year or two. True with a guarantee is upping the game of Quality with a focus on improving the ride experience of cyclist. What do you all think 

Christopher Wallace
Holistic Cycles
140 Harrison St
Oak Park, IL. 60304


-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: [TheThinkTank] What level of repairs at Farmers Market
From: Joshua Goran <josh@ohiocitycycles.org>
Date: Wed, February 25, 2015 2:32 pm
To: thethinktank@lists.bikecollectives.org

For a now defunct start-up project I had a few years ago, we would do chain and cable/housing replacements and true wheels on the bike when I did repairs at a local Farmers Market, and I charged $30/hour + parts at that time, but that is very cheap in hindsight. Basically we'd do up to what a typical shop includes in their 'basic tune up' plus cable and minor accessory installation and flat repairs.
----------
Joshua Goran
Administrator, Ohio City Bicycle Co-op
1840 Columbus Rd
Cleveland, Ohio 44113
216 830 2667
OhioCityCycles.org
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