[JM714]

Do you guys ever tip your bike shop mechanic? Beer, food, money? If you do what do you usually tip them for? And if you are a mechanic what do you think about tipping; appreciate it, expect it or surprised by the idea?

 

[spade2you]

Beer.

 

[homebrew]

We call it chain lube but it's beer

 

[Argentius]

Beer, yes.

Donuts, for the shops in Utah.

 

[St.Zu]

beer, depending on the size of the job, case for total rebuild, and I adjust beers for the seriousness of the job.

 

[JetSpeed]

Usually beer, coffee, sometimes bring em' a pizza on a slow, cold, dead of winter's day.

 

[Rider5200]

My wife's ultimate oatmeal cookies, enough for the entire shop. Provided as a thank-you for some no-charge fixes and adjustments to my bike. Good LBS guys are awesome.

 

[Touch0Gray]

usually cash for service above and beyond....pretty much universal EVEN for non drinkers!

 

[Oxtox]

when I needed help with my first frame-up build, my mech told me to bring in all the parts after he had closed up shop for the day.

I brought the frame, parts, good beer, and a pizza...

once we were finished, I took the bike out in the parking lot, ran thru the gears, tried the brakes. everything was perfect.

he absolutely refused to take any money for his time. said he had fun working on something 'nice' and that wasn't covered in dirt and grease.

I dropped off another six pack of beer the next day, he was pleased with the 'tip'...

 

[Mr. Versatile]

IME establishing a good relationship with your LBS is a very smart thing. I stop in just to chat if they're not busy. LOL! In fact there's an ongoing joke between the owner and me that goes, if a week goes by & they haven't seen me they call my house to see if I'm all right. Every Christmas I walk in with a 12 pack of the owner's favorite beer. What do I get out of this?

If I have a weekend ride & something breaks on Thurs. afternoon I can take my bike in & they'll have it ready by Friday night even during their busiest season. They give me a price break on some items. I get expert advice free. When I needed a new seat they let me try a couple for a week or so. No charge if I didn't like them & returned them. Sometimes when I go in to get something I might not have enough money. Once I forgot my wallet at home. They gave it to me anyway & said they knew I was good for it & to bring in the $$ the next time I happened to be in the area. No hurry. Last weekend I decided to change the front fork back to the original threaded model that came with the bike. I bought the headset there. The owner asked me how I was going to install it, and I told him that my home made headset press was a threaded rod with fender washers on either end. He told me that wasn't the best idea, walked back to the service dept. and gave me his Park Shop Tool press. He insisted that I take it saying bring it back Mon. or Tues. I asked him what if he needed it> He said< If I do, whoever needs it will just have to wait a day or so.

 

[frmrench]

As I was a shop mechanic in my college days and still own a complete set of tools (always modernizing), I am still my own mechanic. And yes, I regularly tip myself well with beer, etc., especially when I finish a more tedious or dirty job. On completion of the few hand built wheels I still assemble (just to keep the skill set intact), I'll spring for pizza and a good Belgian like Corsendonk. Keeps me very loyal to me.

 

[filtersweep]

No. I pay the shop money.