Vlaam4ever

I tip my LBS when I ask them to do stuff out side the norm. I've looked at purchasing several used bikes. I generally have the seller meet met at the shop, I ask the wrench to look it over and tell me his thought and what it would cost to make the adjustments that I need. new tires, cassette, etc. Some times a $1000 road-bike may need $20 or $300 of adjustments to get correct fit and feel right. To me this earns my wrench 20 bucks whether I buy the bike or not. So far he's made 4-50 bucks off me and knows exactly what I need in a bike. I bought the bike that needs fewest adjustment and fits the best.

MEversbergII

I actually live really close to the only bike shop (that I know of) in the county (that isn't Dicks Sporting Goods). I've gone there a few times for simple parts (break pads, tubes), but I'm thinking it's time to bring it in for a tune up. Downside is, and as silly as it sounds, that guy I find intimidating.

Which is DOUBLE silly since his community efforts are laudable. He takes disenfranchised kids to BMX events and things like that. I've been told the various kids hanging about his shop from time to time are the same, and he looks after them since most come from broken homes.

M.

CenturionIM

Does that lawn mower bike really exist?

chriskmurray

As a bike mechanic, tipping is in no way expected but is certainly appreciated if we go over the top and out of our way to take care of you in cases like bringing a bike in just before closing and we turn it around for you on the spot anyways.

Oiling your chain every 100 miles also seems excessive to me unless you are using some of those super clean wax lubes but I generally am not a fan of those anyways.

Cleaning your bike is a good one to a point, I don't expect it to be spotless (although it is nice if it is) but I will likely charge you an extra cleaning fee if it is completely caked in mud, road grime is one thing but I should not have to stop and sweep the floor after cleaning your bike because it had so much mud on it. Also, please don't use a pressure washer on it, yes it will look good but chances are I will be selling you a number of parts much much sooner than I should have to.

Another thing, if possible it will make our life much easier if you pull off any accessory that is easily removed like panniers and water bottles. It is not fun hanging a bike waiting for service and getting few week old liquid food dripping on your face from your leaky bottle.

Also, we know we are higher priced than the mail order guys, not only do we have much higher overhead to be able to have stuff on the shelves and offer our advise on things like fit and compatibility but most of the "ridiculous" mark up people complain about online is because many mail order sites are selling products at the same price we pay for it, trust us, we are not laughing the whole way to the bank every time you pay a little more for a cassette, we ARE relieved knowing we are one step closer to having bills paid for that month. Remember the saying, "If you want to have a million dollars in the bike industry, start with two".

One thing I wish more wrenches would do, PLEASE, if you do not know something ASK. Trying to fake your way through dealings with customers or repairs is making the rest of us look bad.

tarwheel 

I already do all of the stuff on this list, but not sure about the tipping as a regular matter. It seems like more and more businesses/employees in the USA are expecting tips for services that used to be considered the just the job. I understand paying tips for a waitress, but now you see tip jars are restaurants that don't even use servers. You pay at the counter, carry your food to the table, and clear the table when your done eating -- so why are they asking for a tip?

Bike shops are another matter. I may be wrong, but it seems that they are charging prices adequate to compensate them for the services they provide. I don't get tips at my job and could probably be fired for accepting them. However, I have on occasion "tipped" my mechanic with a 6-pack or beer after a bike build or other involved services.

Baytree

That's not how the tip system works. With tips, the customer is able to pay however much or little they think your service is worth. So they have an incentive to do their best, because it is directly rewarded. You have the option of not leaving a tip at all if you think they did a poor job. They'd have no reason to churn through as many as possible, because then they do sloppy work on everybody's stuff and nobody will tip well, whereas doing a great job on fewer bikes would make more happy customers and thus more tips.

With department store employees, they're paid an hourly wage and possibly a commission. That means they get paid to be there and maybe a set percentage of each item they sell. This often does lower quality, because employees will try to sell things to people who may not need that item just to get the commission.

Personally I don't ask for or accept tips at my business. I would much rather charge a fair price and stick to it, for consistency's sake, and because I know better than the customer how difficult a particular task is. Now something like cookies is another matter, that's just a sweet thing to do for anyone you appreciate!

acidfast7

I find that people "working for tips" tend to try and serve as many people as possible because that will result in the greatest amount of money (at least in US).

kookaburra1701

Farriers still do. I used to make $10-20 every time the farrier came to a barn where I boarded my horse. The pasture was all clay, and it formed this horrible sticky mess on the lower legs and hooves of the horses. Their owners would pay me $1 each to hose them off and pick their hooves before the horseshoer showed up. Pretty decent wage for <2 min worth of work per horse.

Re tipping bike mechanics: I tend towards overtipping because I used to wait tables, but the only time I've "tipped" at a bike shop is when I've stopped in because something went wrong mid-ride, and they fixed it right then and there and didn't charge me. I'm willing to toss $5-$10 into their beer fund for that.

I-Like-To-Bike

Isn't that also the business model at the local bike shop for new bicycle sales, as well as accessories? With the exception that the salesman may be the owner who is working 100% off a percentage of the sales.

PatrickGSR94

That's sales, though. Not mechanics working on bikes. Tipping mechanics who are doing their usual job just seems out of place IMHO.

genec

Dude, I was in a boat shop the other day and the guy behind the counter GAVE me a section of exhaust hose. He got a tip. He did something nice and I returned the favor in kind.

But generally I don't favor tips... especially not for professional work.

debit

I tip at my local co-op. I also bring them homemade cookies and bars every now and again. Here's one of the reasons why: I built a wheel with a roller brake. Awesome right? Except being a newbie to wheel building I didn't check my fork first and discovered, with much dismay, that there was no way it would work. The fork needed some custom welding, beyond what they could do. So, they called up a local frame builder, and he did this:


My mechanic brought it to him, paid for it, and fetched it back. Didn't charge me a dime more than what the builder charged him. Maybe it doesn't seem much to anyone else, but that wheel was the starting point of the build for my first winter commuter and it meant the world to me. So yes, I tip and am happy to do so.

I-Like-To-Bike

I'll keep that in mind next time I take my bike in for service at a boat shop.