calstar 

Latest(3/13) issue of Bicycle Retailer highlights SF bike shops in the article "Service by the Bay" and lists the hourly shop rates for a few. Here they are in sequence as in the articles: $60, $70, $90, $60, $100(City Cycle), $65. SF is a densely populated city with year round riding weather and horrendous parking, lots of riders. What do some shops in your area charge?

Thanks, Brian

rootboy 

Good question, Calstar. But I have no idea here. Never asked. Wouldn't let those guys at my LBS, nice as they are, touch any of my bikes.

miamijim

In the mid 90's in the middle of nowhere upstate NY our rate as calculated by our accountant was $38/hr.

What shop charges by the hour to work on bikes? Don't most charge a flat rate per service?

balindamood

Shop rates in Anchor-town run from $50-85 last time I looked (a couple years ago).

that_guy_zach

I got a chart when I was at UBI where they called several shops. Most rates are 55-80 and that sounds about right.

repechage

Way back (1975) the shop rate where I worked was $25 per hour.
They paid the mechanics between $4.00 and $5.50 per hour. No benefits. No overtime, no vacation, no holiday pay. A modest Christmas bonus. (they had an interesting excuse for the no overtime) No breaks, but you were paid during "lunch", you worked while you wrenched. 9 hours per day.

The shop normally grossed $120 to 200 in labor per mechanic, the flux was due to assembling bikes and shop upkeep.

In general most of the work was "flat rate"

calstar 

Thats what I was thinking, maybe those rates are used to figure out the flat rate charges.

Oregon Southpaw

Most places I've worked have had interesting reasons to not pay overtime.

Interesting.

Shp4man

I'm an automobile service technician (car mechanic)- our rate is $102 per hour.

dbakl

In my entire life I can't remember ever paying a bike store for any labor, EXCEPT threading forks (only because I don't have the tools). My stepfather taught me bikes rebuilding a 3 speed on the kitchen floor when I was 12. The friend in college that got me into fine 10-speeds taught me more. I've done everything myself since.

I have friends that can't even put air in their tires, they go to the shop to have it done. I was always taught to be self-sufficient.

EdgewaterDude

Interestingly, a couple shops around here pulled their hourly rate off of their sites. Weird.

I looked at City Cycle's packages, and they seem pretty comparable to ours in Chicago. I had always assumed that a full blown overhaul was always $225 or so? What is it in much smaller, less urban locales?

zukahn1 

Most of the shopes where I'm at in Denver seem reluctant to give specfic hourly rate. Best I can figure most are around $45 I know the official rate for Performance chain shops is $39.

fietsbob

High Cost of living there [SFO] had me Move away.

shop overhead reflects the cost of doing business, there , Wages for the worker's only a fraction of that.


Up here there are job rates, but they are not clocked.

RaleighSport

I'm up in the north day aka the wine country, and it's about the same as SF proper for shop hour costs.

RobbieTunes

Were those SF prices before or after the operation?

toytech

I am sure they all charge by the job not hour much as we auto technicians do. The book rate where I work is not posted, but is about 175.00hr. The actual rate however is much less than that. Either way book rate has little to do with how long a job really takes.

jon c. 

I think my guys charge $40/hr, but they don't use 'book rates' and often don't even charge for labor if there is a purchase of parts involved.

kaydub

The two local shops that I've used charge a flat rate per service, plus parts.

Italuminium

don't even dare to inquire what it costs here in the socialist unionised paradise

kroozer 

Around here if you give 'em $30 they'll work on your bike all day.

Barchettaman

I have two guys I use.
One runs on organic apple juice & white wine, and cash for parts.
The other is an opera fanatic so runs on opera tickets & the odd € in the Kaffekasse.
Gotta love Frankfurt.

curbtender

My dad laughed when I was a kid and told him that the neighbor must be a good mechanic, he was working on his cars all the time... My buddie goes to get an overhaul everyyear. He spends $300, includes cables/ housing, cassette and chain. Everything else is cleaned and lubed. I clean and lube regular and replace worn items. He's happy, I'm happy.

seedsbelize 

I pay $5 to have a headset installed and adjusted. $2 for the odd wheel lacing that I don't have the time for. The rest I do myself. It's a losing proposition to buy my own tools, but I do it anyway.

Wil Davis

The garage where I pumped gas as a kid (in the UK), had a sign hanging in the reception area which read: "Our rates are £20/hour for labour, £25/hour if you watch and £30/hour if you help)



- Wil

CardiacKid

In the last 6 years, the only time I remember using an LBS for work was removing a cotter pin from a Raleigh Sport crank. They only charged me for the new pin, I think is was $3. I stopped letting a shop work on my bike when I ordered a freewheel. When the freewheel arrived, they called and told me to bring the bike in and they would replace it for free. When I got there, they told me I could pick up my bike in a week. I attempted to just leave the rear wheel. They said for some reason they needed the whole bike. I have done all my own wrenching from that point on.