how fast should I be assembling bikes?
 

Hello,
I work as a bike assembler building Specialized, Cannondale, Schwinn and Giant Bikes - My question is, How many should I be building in a typical 8 hour day? These bikes range from children's bikes with training wheels all the way up to Specialized secteurs and Cannondale Caad 8s (the more experienced mechanics build anything nicer). Any idea for an amount?
thanks

What's the starting point? Thrown together and flat-packed?

What sort of standard is expected? Perfection, or good enough?

the bikes are in their boxes as shipped to the store - it's hard to say for the standard - these bikes are shown on the floor of the store, but they are inspected and test rided after I have assembled them and before they are put on the showroom floor. So I guess I would say good enough so that only very minor adjustments are needed, if that makes sense.

thanks

*shipped from the manufacturer

The question is not "how fast" but "how well" and the answer is "very."

Seriously though, this is an answer that would best be answered by your employer, not us.

Assembled and ready to ride are two different things.

100% adjusted, torque/tightness checked, true checked and air pressure to spec should average about 40 minutes a bike- 12 a day.

Just assembled with the wheels attached, bars aligned and cables run should average about 15 minutes, so like 32 a day.

So you only need to fit a few parts and check everything? I dunno, something like one an hour I guess, including wheel tensioning.

But then I've never worked in a shop, so I'm just pulling that out of my arse while you wait for someone with a clue.

what are you required to do to the bikes? grease post and seat collar bolt, strip the bike of packing, grease and install pedals. torque crank, install bars, grease stem hardware, adj hubs, true wheels, stretch cables/seat ferules, brakes and derailer adj, headset adj, bb adj if necessary. bikes were ready to ride was doing about 9-10 bikes a day. also had to sweep and take out the trash 2x a day. 9-10 bikes a day was 90-100% efficiency for us. they gave us 45 mins per bike but other duties were also needed to be done. thus bikes were finished in 35-40 mins leaving enough time to do other duties assigned(trash, sweep, and entering bikes in inventory). i was a top performer, most guys were at about 80% efficiency

45 minutes/bike, give or take, depending on quirks of the particular bike -- 7sp kids' 24" bike or single speed bike, less time; commuter with fenders and rack, more time, same with higher end bikes which arrive in a more disassembled state and technology that's new to you like Di2.

How many you get done per day depends on whether you're also dealing with repairs and/or working the sales floor on top of just assembly.

Boss gets annoyed with me if I take an hour to get everything perfect.
Expectation is to take 30-40mins and just make it workable.
Not unreasonable once you get used to it.

Key point that helps, don't use a truing stand on wheels; ignore radial trueness; just make sure it doesnt rub the brake pads.

Just get everything bolted down so its 'safe' to ride.
Remember that the 3month period of free adjustments is there for a reason.
the squeaky wheel gets the oil; literally

20 minutes dedicated to fine-tuning gears, brakes, lubing cables etc at the time of the build, will save the mechanic 60 minutes of work over the course of the 3 month free servicing period, and customer service staff 30 minutes of time talking with the bike owner.

- Joel

That is only true if the customer is adept enough to notice fine tuning issues in the first place and thus come back for help.
The policy where I work is based on the observation that most of our audience does not notice or seem to care. These are sub $500 bikes being sold to college students in a college town; high volume reduced (but rideable) quality.
At higher end shops different strategies may be relevant.

Personally, I hate the whole "bike assembler" model. It rewards speed, not safety, quality, and reliability.

I have worked for shops that had the "fill the floor, and fast" mentality, where 30-45 minutes was the norm for a safe and rideable build. I have worked for shops where the expectation, even on basic mountain bikes, was a complete disassembly, repacking of bearings, detension/retension wheels, checking frame alignment, etc. You could usually do 2-3 bikes per day.

Bikes at the former shop, we usually had repairs stretching out the door. Not necessarily from slapping them together, but I'm sure it played a part.

Bikes at the latter shop, we would often not see again apart from a quick tune-up once the cables stretched.

Personally, I think there's a happy medium, but I was much happier working at the latter shop.

Pete

This explains some things. My feeling with my wife's bike which we bought at a local Performance Bikes was: if they didn't get it right in the first place I didn't trust them with any free adjustments. Which kind of begs the question of why buy from the shop at all.

So does anyone have a standard breakdown of time involved for each separate task in building for OP?

If this is going where I think it is, don't agree to be paid based solely on how many bikes you can build. Agree on an hourly rate.

There are far too many incidentals in a bike shop- customers, trash, shenanigans- to make this any kind of metric for productivity and pay. Unless you can agree on a stupid low number like 6 bikes a day, and make that work out to $10/hour somehow while negotiating pay, there is pretty much no way you'll come out ahead.

I'll address the specifics above and some of the other points in the thread as well

1. Expectations are the responsiblity of the person who has them, not the person who is fulfilling them. Expectations of an employee need to be coupled properly with the tools, training and feedback needed to fulfill them.
2. "Key points that help..." There needs to be a written list of assembly standards, not some general "ignore ___, just make sure..." On the other hand I find assembly checklists to be silly - a check-mark is no guarantee that an item was done at all, let alone properly. The service manager should insure that every assembly can be tracked to the assembler and that random checks are done.
3. "Just get everything bolted down..." will not sell the bike as well as everything working well and a consistent, clean appearance.
4. "The 3 month period...the squeaky wheel..". You are making the customer responsible for finding problems instead of the shop for preventing them. In 3 months a too-tight rear wheel bearing can be ruined.
5. The time an assembly "should" take is primarily under the control of the service manager by means of the specific assembly criteria, tools and resources, training and employee selection/retention.

As others have pointed out it is impossible to give even a reasonable range of time for an assembly - too many variations due to style of bike, quality, assembly standards in general, and shop facilities, assembler responsibilities (dedicated to assemblies or subject to interruptions for flats, 30 day checks, etc).

That being said I would not find it credible for one to expect all of the components of a proper assembly to take less than 40 minutes per bike. The reason becomes apparent when one looks at the tasks involved in an assembly, which extend far beyond "put together and adjust." Here is an quick example:

[TABLE="width: 337"]
[TR]
[TD]TASK
[/TD]
[TD]TIME
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]retrieval of the crated bike
[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]2
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]uncrating/unwrapping bike/components
[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]5
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]full lubrication/adustment/check of all items
[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]shift
[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]4
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]brake
[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]5
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]bearing (rear wheel removal required)
[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]4
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]and attached component items
[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]3
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]wheel truing
[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]5
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]inflation
[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]1
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]wipe down
[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]2
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]disposal of box/ packing
[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]2
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]moving the bike to floor or storage
[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]2
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]completing paperwork
[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]2
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]and restoring the work area
[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]2
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD][/TD]
[TD="align: right"]39
[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

The list is one I just dashed off and the times off-the-cuff as well, and is assuming a typical front wheel, pedals, seat/post and handlebar unmounted boxed 12-24 speed bike, with handlebar already lever equipped. Some shops may prefer a short test ride, more extensive paperwork (labeling/signage, update of computerized inventory, etc.). And of course this is time for a dedicated assembly without interruptions. Any task that requires multiple interdependent steps will suffer at least a significant interruption penalty if one has to break rhythm and concentration to do something else. "Let's see, where was I, where is that tool..."

i was paid per bike and made good money for such cake walk work. i would also do all the new custom builds, which paid extra. in the summer i was pulling check bigger than i get now(salary) but in the winter its less. pay structure was an hourly base rate then a per piece bonus. i am on the retail side now though. my main duties were to assemble bikes. worked in the warehouse with no customer distractions

Exactly. Do it right or don't do it at all.

I have been a service manager at two shops and held a contract for assembly and maintenance contract work at a Sears store when I owned a moble repair service. What makes the largest impact on assembly time and end quality under a given standard is:

• Written standards - Criteria to be met for every assembled bike, with inclusion of every part of the process (as above, but detail for each task)
• Training - not just how to do each task, but how to order and flow them for maximum efficiency. Ideally the best assembler demo's a full assembly, explaining what/why as s/he proceeds.
• Tools and resources - An organized, dedicated assembly station can make a huge difference. I set up an assembly station with a peg board with basic assembly and adjustment tools (or center them if only one board is used for assembly and repairs), a gauge-equipped inflation chuck and pneumatic torque wrench on coiled hoses coming down from the ceiling, and the assembly task list posted in a sheet protector. A dry erase marker allowed the assembler to mark the last step completed in case of interruptions or breaks.
• Monitoring and feedbackj- Slow assembly times need to be approached first by asking the assembler if s/he is having frustrations with a particular aspect of the task. Sometimes that frustration may indicate a need for training, sometimes the need to raise shop standards. If not then monitor an assembly (take notes rather than interrupt) and give feedback about areas for improvement.
  Fast assembly times should be addressed by Q/C checks of bikes and warrantee returns to make sure quality is being maintained, and if so then by finding out what the assembler is doing that may help the shop improve it's processes.

Obviously the bikes at Sears were low-end and relatively simple (1983-1986) but my assembler could complete the entire process in wellunder 30 minutes, and I included proper cable housing sizing and lubrication (unlined). We had about 10% of the maintenance contract warranty work as they had with the previous service, which made both customers and the sales manager happy (and the riders much safer).

Chances are the first store is still in business but not the second store. An experienced sales rep once told me that the people who open bike stores are usually either bike enthusiasts or businessmen or -women. The ones run by the bike enthusiasts usually don't last long.

This has been a great discussion. It takes me about 4 hours to build a bike from the frame up, including replacing/repacking all bearing surfaces and truing rims on frame with brakes but without tires. I take my time and often re-adjust after test rides. Older cup and cone bottom brackets take some riding torque to make certain the spindle has settled properly. My bikes come out working properly. This model wouldnt work in a retail environment.

Removing the packing material plastic sheet,foam, cardboard , and zip ties rubber bands,
takes a significant amount of time.

piece work jobbers for the chain stores don't go out to sell/talk to customers.

The former shop suffered from the failure of many businesses of all sizes to focus on visible, up-front cost and ignore the less visible but ultimately more costly impact of poor quality, warranty work, refunds, and finally the negative publicity and departure of dissatisfied customers. The latter shop would have a hard time surviving with that model unless they are able to exact a premium price for the bike or value-added maintenance contract, as all but high-end bikes are relatively low markup.

I think I would go for a happy medium:
Most bikes these days have adequate bearing lubrication and are much better sealed from the elements, but every bearing should be checked for adjustment and securing of locknuts.
Frame quality control is pretty good as well, but I would agree with checking hanger alignment because it can cause vexing problems if incorrect and is quick to do.
Basic tension check with a guage and truing (lateral and radial) should be fine in most cases.
All cable housing should be properly lubricated, sized and routed.
Torque standards should be followed.
A test ride should be done whenever possible, with all non-mechanical noises eliminated.
Each bike should be tracked for assembler and non-routine follow-up maintenance required.

^+1. Tracking individual bikes by assembler and non-routine problems is key here. You can't improve what you don't measure.