Originally Posted by
solveg
I always wondered about this. I keep reading posts of guys sauntering into their bike shops loaded with beer, and all my bike techs look more like herbal tea drinkers! I thought of bringing cookies, but I'm not even sure those would be welcome. So I've stuck to paying them (or offering to, or buying something) every time I bother them.
Removing a freewheel from a wheel is a perfectly standard minor repair job, I would expect it to cost between $2-5 in a shop, assuming you just bring in the wheel, so they don't have to deal with the whole bike. If you're a good customer, this is the sort of thing that
might be a freebie.
The thing with tips, either cash or comestibles is kinda tricky. Sometimes a tip will get your job bumped up out of turn in the rotation, which isn't particularly fair to whoever gets bumped so the wrench can fix your problem. However, sometimes there's some slack time and this can be reasonable, if the job pushed aside is not also time-sensitive.
If it's done as a freebie and then you give the mechanic money, that can create an ethical issue. The mechanic may be justified in doing a freebie for the sake of good will for the shop, but if you wind up paying the mechanic and he/she pockets the money, it means, in a sense, that the mechanic is ripping off his/her employer, because the employer is paying for the mechanic's time.
This is not to say that tips or goodies are never appropriate, just to express appreciation for a job well done, or for service above and beyond the call of duty.
Although bike mechanics are chronically underpaid, they never
expect tips, so you should never feel under any obligation to offer one.
Sheldon "Not Like Cab Drivers" Brown