I think that's a great idea. We have a local bike shop owner who only works on mechanical stuff and won't work on your bike unless you're already in his system... and he hasn't added anyone except by introduction by an existing customer since about 2015. He has all the work he will ever need because he found his niche.
This isn’t a bad idea but I’m wondering if people where he’s at might equate “vintage” with only bikes that are older and exclusive or otherwise special and collectible. I do think you are on to something here though!
I'm 70 years old now and my only advice to you is this. Keep doing you. You've got the right idea. I would like to see more younger people realize it's not about how rich one can get but it's about how much satisfaction one gets from what they do.
Being 45 year old, I would agree. Having wasted few decades on careers that were not made for me cleared my vision. My guess is that the younger you are, the more you are influenced by others, and as you get older, it's easier to let go of ego and things you "think" you have to be doing.
Could not agree more! Once I got canned from a "job" I hated but paid well, I never looked back...only working "jobs" between gigs doing what I loved. I lucked out being able to make it doing what I loved until I could retire comfortably outside of the USA in a place where they have national healthcare. "Shop Class as Soulcraft" is my favorite book!
@@Elohim100 But a job that doesn't pay the bills is a job that doesn't pay your bills. Luckily the BikeFarmer is the BikeFarmer but he is absolutely right. A bicycle repair shop being run as a passion is not a sustainable business in most of the cases.
TV shows and UA-cam often glorify how easy running a business is. Ie create a fantasy. The reality is in repairs you are going to spend 5 to 100 times the time on total jackassery. Ie say 95 percent want a quote to do something and they do not know the make model year or anything to rationally give a rough quote. Instead they say the bike or car or mower is green or maybe red.. So the time wasted is often more than your repair time. If you are in a non home ie an actual commercial address your Base utility costs will be 1.5 to 2X higher. So you natural gas base bill is 42 bucks and not 15 like at a house. Your business might just have a cable TV coaxial internet and no fiber . So your base bill might be 100 per month. Ie not 50 like at the house. Your electric bill base cost might be 55 bucks at your business and 14 at your house. In some areas the local tax man taxes you a yearly cost of say 2 to 3 percent on tools signage chairs benches computers . That Taiwanese drill press from 1970 that cost 100 new might be on the tax rolls as worth 200 today. So you get a yearly tax of 5 bucks to pay. Write check to chaps personal name for 2000 bucks every year. Tax on 20ft of counter exposed to the public. Tax on drapes you just replaced. Tax you on stupid typewriters and adding machines bought 4 decades ago. So better to destroy or scrap unused items since tax guys want raw cash.
this is not a space .... it is a marketing device by google/youtube you being punked giving up real space like a bike shop to do this (create needless superfluous videos for google to monetize) is pure pathos
Yep, I agree with your take on modern bikes. Recently purchased a steel frame bike with cantilever brakes, and 36 spoke hand-built wheels with tubes. I got sick of hours and hours fussing with tubeless tape, sealant, valve cores, even getting a tubeless tire to seat correctly drives me nuts. Then disc brake rotors, pads, pistons, and the close tolerances needed to make it all smoothly. My new bike can hang in the garage during winter when the temps are in the teens. When a warm day hits, just air up the tires, lube chain, and ride. Thing is, I've biked across the U.S. three times and once across the EU; during those trips I've had two flats. Along with many other tours on dirt trails and roads with one flat, or no flats. 10 minutes to fix a tube, or replace it, vs what can be hours for one tubeless tire issue. That's my rant, thanks for listening. ☮
My fav channel, you’ve taught me a bunch of tips and tricks and I’ve been entertaining the idea of to starting my own shop one day thanks to your videos. I hope to shake your hand one of these days!
You are by far the most DIYer friendly youtube channel. After watching many of your videos and seeing my go to shops shut down, I went out and got myself a 30 yo Park Tool bike Stand, generic lemon polish, and some good lubes to start maintaining my own bike (plus a long Wish list for tools). Don't listen to the elite aero folks, they are the ones gatekeeping biking and bike maintenance. Blessings.
Over the years are got so good at just turning a bike on it's head on some support block for the steerer that I don't see the point of any kind of bike stand at all. Maybe it is making adjusting a derailleur slightly more convenient.
@@rosomak8244 I used to do the same. But a stand has made a difference with everything that has to do with shifters and brakes. I also don’t need to take off the phone holder and other accessories I have attached to the bike when I need to service it. It is just more convenient.
I absolutely agree with your stance on modern bikes. I am a mechanic at one of those big national chains down the road in Madison and I am so burned out on checking component compatibility, internal cables, disc brakes, E-BIKES! ARG! I wish I had had this job 20 years ago instead of today. I've only been at this for 5 or 6 years myself but doing a tune-up on an early 2000's hybrid or an old 10 speed road bike from the 80's is just a more enjoyable experience than having to update the firmware on a dang electronic road shifter.
Mate, I’ve been a mechanic for 20 years and I’m getting pretty fed up with how much you have to keep on top of. I miss the old days. What’s worse is people that wrench in high end shops couldn’t work on the average commuter or stop cantilever brakes squealing but act like they’re they bees knees. You can’t beat time on the tool working on ALL bikes to be able to say you’re a half decent mechanic
I started wrenching in 92 at shops. Gloriously simply, and in a meditative way. Getting cantilever brakes dialed was literally an art form,, if you were into it. Same with truing wheels. The best was when the frame alignment tool was busted out by the shop elder, and we all gathered to learn. I loved the challenge of the bent derailleur hanger and getting it back to perfect. Simple, good, two wheeled love. At 50 and doing fine, I sometimes think it would be cool to work at the lbs a day a week just for the fun of it,,, but nope, doesn't sound amazing.
Thank you for the great content and for your hard work. As someone who dreams of running a bike shop but knows that’s not feasible, I appreciate your perspective. Have a taco on me.
Interesting. I feel like peak bike was about 10-12 years ago. Give me a Sachs with SR11 and some Shamal Ultras and I'll never need anything else. 17 lbs of perfection. And I don't need a shop to fix any of it.
I have an old 26" with and V-Brakes from 1995/6, pain in the ass to get it right especially the brakes and derailleur. Bought another 26" in 2008 with disk brakes, cup-and-cone shimano wheel hub, hydraulic brakes and an Acera 3x8 speed system. In 2022 started to MTB (more in correspondence with its true name!) and the chain slap, the punctures, the exposed cables, the cup-and-cone system, the front suspension all took a hell of a beating with mud, dust and rocky trails. Because I'm methodical, every time I rode for 4 to 5 hours, the same day or the morning of the very next day, about 2h are dedicated to clean the bike and lub parts. I then invested on cable supports in order to not have the shifter exposed to the elements, an SLX 12s, new fork and 4 piston brakes, and new wheels with tubeless system. It rode excellently (it even had a dropper post, which I decided to invest because of a fall I had because I could not maneuver correctly on a descent, this gave me confidence and improved my technical skills) and the only downsize was the ascents with high gradients (20%+ was impossible for me on that frame). Invested on a new frame from Banshee in 2023 and created my new hardtail, the shenanigans of cleaning it continues, but I can say that it is an awesome 29er I that I have made a big step up in performance and comfort. My road bike is a carbon fiber frame with an Ultegra system (not electric), and I reserve this material only for road bikes as MTB gives a hell of a beating on the frame especially when you fall.
Nothing wrong with that! I absolutely love my custom steel roadie with electronic Ultegra and hydro disc brakes, tubeless 32mm tires. Absolutely a better riding experience in every way than the 1970s era Trek I used to ride. But I’m not an a-hole to ppl who don’t spend a couple months’ salary for their whip and just like going out for a ride. There’s room on the road for all of us!
As a mountain biker. Mountain bikes are continuing to get better. Geometry peaked 5 years ago but the rest of the tech is making it way nicer to ride. Unfortunately its not getting any cheaper yet
New to cycling. Bought a $200 road bike at Play it Again Sports on my birthday. I love it, and like you say, “it’s good enough for who it’s for.” My brother-in-law frequently tells me I need a carbon fiber bike with disc breaks. Took me a while to realize me dropping 15 pounds would be more weight saving than a new bike. Andy you’ve inspired me to realize that I will never NEED a brand new bike. I’ve even convinced my barber that he can make due with his old Rock Hopper after taking it in to our local bike shop and having them tune it up and make it look better than it looked 25 years ago.
I’m nice you get to a certain level you’ll be able to appreciate the new tech. I love my electronic shifting, but I wouldn’t want to deal with it professionally.
I've been wrenching as a professional for 15 years now, and the one thing I ask people generally comes to mind: "Are you in love with this bike?" If the answer is yes, it's worth putting money into. New doesn't always mean better, and making your old companion like new again can't be comapred.
Road biker here since 1971. I’ve never owned a new road bike. I’ve never taken my bike to anyone for repair. That’s also a part of what I love about cycling is building or repairing my bike. I’ve owned nine high end road bikes and still have seven of them. I love riding them all. I don’t race but was fast enough at one time. I love riding century rides. Something special about them to me. Teaching people to fix their own bikes is valuable. Sponsoring bike rides that anyone could enjoy is valuable. It’s all about the ride.
Well done. What you and others have inspired me to do is fix up, maintain, modify, repurpose and McGiver my existing steel and Aluminum bikes. Keep up the good work.
Love your channel! You’re a much needed, sanity inducing voice in a culture that forgets that most people want a bike to ride for casual and utility purposes!
I opened my own shop 3 months ago after working 5 years on a high end shop,I quited because it got so annoying all the rich people with their fancy bikes always talking about weight and all the "new" stuff,also the pretentious attitude always asking if that little scratch was there before and always breathing down your neck because they don't trust you I had enough! Its so nice to finally get to do what I want when I want to do it,luckily my shop doesn't look high end so the rich kids won't even get close some even told me my shop isn't good enough for their bikes lol which I appreciate because I don't want high end bikes to begin with I enjoy basically restoring old bikes the problem is even though I have the lowest prices in the whole city people still complain because they bring a bike that's been sitting on the backyard for 15 years and they think restoring it would cost 5 dollars lol but its slowly growing and I hope one day I can live from this 😊
I guess the worst are those who think the 5Nm written along some screws are the ultimate wisdom, and who just don't understand that the number was written there to fend off lawyers....
I actually always follow the torque measures specially in carbon parts and specially if the customer is watching me so they won't have anything against me if something breaks 😅 it was so annoying tightening carbon parts 🥲
@@takocat9618 Yeah. Glue it in baby. Never once in my life I had a carbon seat-post that wouldn't slip when the advised torque was applied to it :-). People don't understand for example that the 40Nm on a cassette ring just translates to fasten it is as tight as you can with a regular wrench. And it is not 40Nm per se. It is 40Nm + or - 20. People don't know that good allen keys start to visibly bend at the moment you reach the torque for which the screw is designed and that the screw is chosen according to applicable technical requirements. Real engineers know that. I'm not even starting to talk about what happens to those numbers when you start to properly copper grease the screws as you should on any kind of carbon frame... It is so much nonsense. Really good mechanics don't faff around with a torque wrench all day long, unless it is a motor block or some truly high precision machine. Bikes aren't ones. Bikes are as simply as a flail mechanically.
I've found a happy spot running a shop working on older bikes almost exclusively, and yeah, margins can be tight, but it is a lot better. I don't know if Gib's has the square footage to do it, but I have an area in my shop called "the pit" that has 2 double stands and 3 work benches of tools. Folks can come in and wrench on their bikes for no labor cost, but they buy all the parts they need while they're there, so it works out pretty well. I bet you could establish a "Bike Farmer" membership that opens this up to folks in your neighborhood. It's surprising how often I have folks in the shop just stopping in to work on their newest bike project- that somehow needs every single part except a frame. Just something to noodle on.
I love bikes but am not a cyclist. I was the kid who would strip their bike down once a month and clean and regrease all the wheel and crank bearings. I loved going to the dump with dad and finding parts and pieces of bikes and building Frankenstein bikes. I would much rather ride a rescue bike than the latest and greatest tech bike. All this to say it’s why I like your channel. I could watch you polish, lube, and floss all day, but I think I’ll go for a ride instead. Thanks for sharing your day.
Best wishes from the UK. I absolutely agree with your views on the bike world. Cycling is such simple healthy enjoyment for all ages and has become far too complicated for no good reason. Thanks for the videos.
Reason is obvious. Sell useless stuff. If you want ideal bike you can start riding e-bike and enjoy speed increase or pass motorcycle licence. It would be cheaper in both cases
Ok so we should all ride 1990s bikes because progress is so overrated. Pfft.. The increased complexity of modern bicycles is due to a combination of technological advancements, the pursuit of higher performance, customization options, and the incorporation of electronics and smart systems. While these innovations enhance the rider's experience, they also make bikes more difficult to repair and maintain compared to their simpler predecessors. And surprise, surprise.. bike mechanics need to continually train themselves to keep up with modern bicycle technology. The rapid advancements in materials, electronic components, and specialized systems mean that the skill set required to service bikes today is far more complex than it used to be.
Why bikes should be the only thing stuck in time, when everything around us is moving forward? Most people wouldn't want to drive a 20-year-old car. Most people wouldn't want to fly a 40-year-old plane. Most people wouldn't want to work a 60-year-old job description. I don't think the argument is about bikes. It's about society, its values, our lifestyles. Bikes are actually easier to work on those days because they require less subtlety. Mechanical shifting and braking requires subtlety is the set-up or tune-up. Electronic shifting and hydraulic braking, not really. Most bike shops do average jobs because the business model is about spending as little time on each bike as possible. Technology is helping mechanics do a much more reliable job.
@Mikolaj_u Unnecessary complexity is not advancement. You DON'T need hydraulic disc brakes on what's essentially a city bike. You don't need 33 gears either. And why would you want a non adjustable stem because it weighs .2lbs less, when you got three water bottles on your frame at the same time?
You could try marketing your videos in the mindfulness world. It's very meditative watching you work on analogue bikes with your soundtrack in the background and a philosophy lesson at the same time. Pure gold.
Ex Bike shop owner and new subscriber, you have it so right and are calling out the madness. As a trek dealer I could never get my head round the need for such a massive range of bikes with tiny differences in spec but endless compatibility issues. Having to do some huge pre season order to still not have the right size/colour for the customer who wants to buy there and then. You are living my dream right now, all power to you 😊
I'm also an ex-Trek dealer. They were the best of the big brands for quality and service, but the entire industry got into an unavoidable but unsustainable arms race. And, high-end customers were often a nightmare. Project One was both a gift and a curse. And, from 2011, when smartphones really hit, we became a showroom and workshop for the internet discount retailers. Then some of our brands started selling D2C, over our heads after we'd done the sales work with the customer. I'm really glad to have got out of it in 2016, before the Covid problems and internal hydraulic lines became common. Older mechanical bikes are the future!
@@davidpalk5010 I owned a small town bike shop 1977 to 2017. Did Trek from about 1982 to the end. I have similar sentiments. Loved what I was doing but love retirement more.
I will give you my life experience in short form. Electrical Engineer and Project Manager qualifications. I love photography and I thought I can make money doing weddings, so I started doing weddings and made some good money. But, after encountering a lot of difficult customers I thought, this really takes the fun out of my hobby and I was beginning to hate it. So, I stopped doing weddings and went back to managing projects and now enjoy my photography again. Cheers and I hope you get my drift.
Fellow EE/CE Computer Guy here, who's also a photo nut (film will never die.) I'd love to monetize some of my work, but much like my computer consulting biz, it's the people that are the problem. My shit NEVER breaks, as long as no one TOUCHES it. :D
I drug out my old Trek 4300 and slapped some comfortable Hybrid tire on her, and did a quick tune and a "Behold rubdown" to get me back on the road after a 2 year break from riding because of this channel. The tweaking and adjusting reminded me how much I love having a bike in the stand as much as I love riding them. BikeFarmer has become my new "must watch" on YT, and I also find it pleasing "background music" while I am at work as I enjoy listing to your rants and reasoning as much as I like watching you wrench on an ATB. Keep the content coming and dont change a thing! Looking forward to a new "Ope!" Tshirt and a "Good enogh for who its for" bike sticker!
This was a great eye opener, as someone soon to hit 30 was over the last year thinking if it would be fun and interesting to open my own little backyard bike shop, but being now in a shop for the season and seeing the perspective of seasoned techs like you really shows that it really isn’t worth ruining the hobby for myself considering all the things that come into play in this industry. My area would be quite rough as I live in a city that has mostly elitist racer types.
At 63 and nearing retirement, I can relate to your "people contact woes." I was a practicing graphic designer for 17 years. I liked working at a business rather than for myself because of the horrible experiences with unscrupulous clients. In my early 40s, I heard the rumors of business owners thinking, "as a creative, you're dried up by your 40s." What this means is they don't want to pay for expertise. I went back to school, got a masters degree and am now teaching my craft. All ended up well. I wish you as much success.
Personally, I think your “rants” are some of the best stuff on UA-cam, and I never fail to learn something watching your repair videos. Well worth the random taco money I’ve sent your way. Might make sense to have somebody else handle the bike shop while you concentrate on the videos. Keep up the good work!
I’m right there with you. The “industry” is out of control. I’m looking at moving to the southern part of Wisconsin someday soon. I swear, if the shop is still running I’d work there a couple days a week just to get hands on the old bikes I worked on all through the 90s and 00s.
Andy... please do not quit. I've been following your channel for the past few month and I still need to finish my 3 projects in the barn. Made it up to the wood polish phase by now :-)
Great video Andy! Loved seeing you quickly cherry out the mechanicals on that Schwinn. I’m in my late sixties and that bike was the one and only one my parents bought me. Thought ‘I died and went to heaven’. I’m absolutely loving the service bike you sold me and my carbon road bike is collecting dust😉. Love flying over those acorns with my 2” cruiser tires. On the road bike that became dangerous for a codger like me in the fall. I was tickled yesterday when I used my bike to pick up my car at the mechanic shop a few miles away. I took a 2 gallon jug of old oil from my oil changes, threw it my saddle bag and flew to the shop. Totally an all around cruiser bike. Thank you again Any and keep up the great work. I love your content!
Congratulations on your anniversary! I just fixed up a 75 schwinn traveler I pulled out of the dump. Great fun. Just like the old beat up varsity I bought for $50 dollars on Gorham St in 1968. In 73 I was a bike messenger in mid-town Manhattan . That bike had soul. AND I scared the daylights out of Howard Cosell as he tried to jay walk across 6th Avenue as I whizzed by him. That bike had soul!
I’ve been a mechanic for the last ~12 years and feel like I was there first hand to experience the change in bike technology. You sum it up perfectly by saying it’s more “technical expertise than mechanical aptitude” nowadays. I believe I was in the industry at the right time to get a good mix of both.
Great Video! I was in the bicycle shop business in the mid 80s and I love it that you brought up becoming a plumber because I left the bike shop at age 24 and became a plumber. The shop I started with my Dad is called Cross Country Cycle in Holland Michigan. My dad has since retired from the bike shop and my sister Laura runs the bike shop now. My sister has brought their bike shop up to one of the largest in Michigan and yes they sell incredibly expensive bikes. I don't really understand how bicycles now can cost as much as a Harley Davidson Motorcycle. I appreciate your simplistic and cost effective view on cycling and yes all jobs have there challenges. I own a plumbing company now and yes I make considerably more than a bike shop owner does but being in the bike business was fun and most of our customers were not a pain in the ass. Keep it up, your videos are always entertaining.
I worked as a plumber for 20 years and run a small bikeshop in my 7. season in Rostock, Germany. I deal with used bikes and offer repair on ,, normal" bikes. No carbon frames, no electronic shifting, no tubeless tyres please. I repair E-bikes, but not all brands. Customers may ask me befor they deliver that f.....g moped thing. Even if you commuting every day to work around maybe 5 kilometer to work you dont need a 1000,- € or more bike. This 3 speed bike from the video with battery- or dynamo ligts and maintenance if needet works very well. Like your videos, allways👍 Good luck and just move on!
I've been in that shop. I asked why they had limited brands. It turns out they are a Specialized bike shop and Specialized won't let them carry stuff if Specialized makes a similar product. So, they sell high priced Specialized stuff and lose the market for lower priced bikes. These big companies are not doing their bike shops any favors.
Thank gawd for Giant and local bike shops! My wife and I walked into Tom's Bike Shop in Tulsa, Oklahoma many years ago and purchased two Giant Cyprus STs for $218 apiece. We were total newbies to cycling, but the staff at Tom's helped us get exactly the bikes we needed. We, and our Giants, still riding great, ended up on Cape Cod. Best money we ever spent. Thanks, Tom's.
By far one of your best... Years ago I took a job as a service manager at a H-D dealership. Turned my passion into a J.O.B. I loved it, mostly. About 2% of the customers ruined it. Keep doing what you're doing. You fill a niche and it's needed. You'll never know how much you are needed and appreciated until you are gone and then everyone comes out of the woodwork and let's you know.
You are the main reason I am riding my bicycles with confidence now. I am your customer base "dad, who wants a comfort bike, doesnt want to spend $1000 on a bicyle, doesnt wear lycra, just rides for excerise, transportation and fun." Your videos has helped me find older Trek bicyles and get them road ready. I wish we had a store like yours in our area.
"just rides for exercise". This is what I don't understand about modern bikes - you want me to pay ten grand for a bike that goes a few miles an hour faster ... so I'll get less of a workout.
@@rutabega2039no, riding a modern bike is not only about the speed, its also about the feeling. my roadbike is a 2023 cube agree with disc brakes, 105 DI2 and hollowgram carbon rims and let me tell you, it feels devine riding this bike and it should, since i spend about 8-12 hours each week on it. its not the fastest and not the best equiped bike, but it is the bike i want ro ride and for that reason i own it. but for my everyday commuting i stil use the 40 year old retro steel mountainbike from my uncle and i love it as much as my roadbike, but for completely different reasons.
@@sirclemeni1 I dunno, maybe I'm just particularly insensitive to bike quality, but after a few minutes of a long ride I'm not really even aware of whether I'm on my $1800 road bike (which I still kinda regret paying for 12 years ago) or my $100 hybrid from Craiglist. The only thing I'm really aware of is the seat - the one thing I don't really scrimp on.
@@sirclemeni1I’m with you. My first custom steel was a revelation-first bike I’d ever had that actually fit me (I’m 6’6”). I couldn’t WAIT to ride it, and yeah, it went faster (fun), but that meant I rode farther. And then I wanted to go farther still. I have no problem with folks who love their classic Treks or whatever, there’s room on two wheels for all of us. For me, having a really nice, well-fitting bike makes me want to ride more. And I am lucky enough I can afford it, so why not?
I find it funny that you put spending 1000$ on a bike and wearing Lycra in one example, because people that do wear it spend three times that amount on their bike, easily. If you buy a new bike, what you will need to do if there is no real market for used bikes in your area, you will guaranteed spend one grand. I just bought a simple new bike with V brakes, steel frame and a simple internal gear hub for 1000€. It was the cheapest available.
Former bicycle mechanic here, I like a lot of the sentiment you shared. All too often I was faced with one of two customers. It was either the guy who needed every possible marginal gain to finish midpack in his gravel race the next day or the dad who dropped off all 5 of his the rusty walmart bikes his kids had been leaving in the rain for the last decade, balking at the price I quoted just to put on chains that would move and get the wheels round again. Cycling enthusiasts can certainly be a special bunch to serve as a customer. I do wonder though if working in bicycle repair can be viewed through the lens of some artistic fields. I once heard a photographer, who was most passionate about taking photos of live music performances, talk about how he still shoots weddings because you "take the jobs that pay so you can afford to do the jobs you like". That always stuck with me and I remembered it whenever I was mindlessly setting up another 29er wheelset tubeless. It helped keep the shop running and kept the place open for the guy who would bring in a 70s bianchi with all of it's original components on it and hoping to keep it original. I say this to say that maybe a useful strategy could be adding a young aspiring bike tech to your shop who may well already know how to do all of the trendy stuff but be eager to learn the finer details of repairing bikes. It would create an opportunity for someone to become a great mechanic like yourself without going through the traditional bike shop route of assembling $600 piece of shit mountain bikes 5 at a time for 8 hours a day. Obviously what you choose to do with your business is your prerogative and I mean that with all respect. I think you do great work and I'd love to see your care and knowledge enter the next generation of mechanics since the most important things I learned came from mechanics who viewed things a lot like you do.
I think you have a good plan. Find someone you trust to keep the shop running and you take care of the UA-cam channel, merchandising website, cycling events, etc. You are a good man. Good luck!
@@MotoAtheist the extra cash could come from merchandising, both on cycling events and website. Plus, having an employee means a person who does services you don't, like modern bikes, e-bikes, full restorations, etc...
I watch this channel because of the shop. That you are a shop owner doing something for a local community is what makes me willing to listen to you talk about yourself.
I appreciate what you do. My personal rule, "Don't read the comments". My GF also has her dream job, her own hair salon, and constantly questions whether or not it's worth it. I keep encouraging her to stick with it. Don't let "Big Industry" squash the dreams of the "Independent". Make the Best of what you are doing, and continue to find new ways to keep it interesting. After watching you, for just a few weeks, I've got new joy in working on my bike, and have taken in a few to try to flip. Keep up the great work.Thanks!
I found your channel through doing a dive into the Hodag Ramble and I like your style. A subscription to the chanel happened immediately. Being an old bike mechanic from the 90's I get your frustration about all of the compatibility issues. Being authentic to who you are and what you like will pay dividends to your happiness and eventually a community of like minded cyclists will follow your lead. I wish you the best as you figure out your path, and I will be here to support your ride.
Thank you for doses of bike reality. General bike consciousness waxes and wanes with the years, but the work of maintaining them goes on. Yes, modern bikes can be frustrating, but no more frustrating than maintaining the grip shifter on my '98 Trek, lol.
This video speaks to me! Like you, we’re rapping up our 7th year in operation. I started the shop with the expectation that’s I could run a one-man operation and keep me busy enough so I could pay the shop bills and maybe pocket a little for myself. I worked/managed shops through the entire 90’s and into the early 2000’s. Started the shop with a few grand and the tools I had from my early days in a 500sqft shop. Our local community went nuts and now we own a 5,000sqft, building where we sell a few hundred bikes a year and we do over a thousand work orders. The part I enjoy most is fixing mobility devices, like wheelchairs, knee scooters and walkers. New bikes, particularly higher end or e-bikes, are fun to sell, but often a nightmare to work on. The vendors really don’t seem to care what shops like ours are asking for. Prices continue to rise and margins get smaller. I love bikes. I love talking bikes. I really enjoy repairing bikes from the 90’s or earlier. But as you’ve pointed out here, there is a segment of the cycling population that are just not fun to deal with.
Well said. I'm glad I found you and have learned to get back on the saddle and ride. I used my bike throughout high school and through out my early college days. I'm not a serious rider and you have shown me a lot and then there more. I hate to see ya leave the bike shop world but know this. You are good and thorough and teach and show how easy it is to keep your ride clean, lube d and tuned up. Thank you and keep on tricking Tee hee!
Good for you guy. I've been at it 30 years & wouldn't dream of doing anything else. We purchased the repair stand & 60 pr. of skis from Jerry Stelske & his partner,1994 Lake MIlls . W/ the e-bikes we service now,we use an electric stand w/the base plate & arm from that old stand. I think those guys called it -the home of the flying carp.? Personally, i'm constantly intrigued by the new technologies & enjoy learning & staying up w/all certifications. But i formerly owned a speed-shop & set a national record drag racing, so working on bikes is pretty simple, compared to internal combustion engines & a LOT lighter also. lol .I couldn't believe the prima-donna attitudes of some of those cats back then.Rock on & best of luck .
You’ve got a great channel! It’s inspired me to restore my 1973 Schwinn Sports Tourer, my 1972 Schwinn Super Sport and my 1987 Schwinn World. Keep up the good work. Now on to 100k subs!
I recently left the cycling industry after almost a decade and dont miss it. Especially after the whole covid bike surge. In the end i found myself rebuilding suspension, rear triangles and fishing hoses and wires thru handlebars and frames more then anything. I felt like i was no longer working on bicycles and more like building robots. Especially with ebikes taking over the market. More then half of our new bike sales were ebikes. And yes they had alot of new issues even the manufacturer was still learning about. But we appreciate the videos and great comedy. Keep it up.
Converting dad bikes to ebikes is a market that is severely underserved. This can be done in winter on appointment. You can charge around $1,000-$1,200 for a good tune-up plus installing a battery+crank set. This way, people can still ride their perfectly good and servicable bikes.
But e-bikes are a big part of the marketing hype and relentless tech progression that's ruined what should be a cost effective vehicle and cheap passtime. There was no "problem of not having power assistance" before e-bikes were thought of. All-mechanical would be the best niche to serve and promote.
@@davidpalk5010 an ebike built out of a kit that's actually serviceable is better than a commercial one using a closed system behind some manufacturer specific tooling and software though
@@space_cowboy007 But they're both Chinese, plastic, unnecessary crap. Bicycles should never have anything electrical attached - except lights. No motors, no phone mounts, no Garmins, no power-meters, no smart mini-pumps. Smart fricking mini-pumps - WTAF?!!! All that stuff is so much marketing BS that's pretty much ruined bicycles and cycling. Metal, rubber, legs, brain. Stay proudly mechanical. Steel is the real deal, Neil. #savethebicycle
@@davidpalk5010 I agree with you (as long as I'm healthy) about all the crap you mentioned but the motors as i think ebikes fill the moped/motorbike/scooter need of transportation that is present in every city. There is a good way of making ebikes ensuring repairability and openness to user mods, and a bad way locked behind proprietary components and software
@@space_cowboy007 We have many of these conversions on the road already. The majority are cheap, shoddily fitted, and illegal due to being way too fast and throttle operated. We also have many e-scooters on our roads and footpaths - mostly totally illegal due to only the city-centre hire schemes being lawfully usable. The upshot of this is that the majority of electric vehicles on Britain's roads are being used unlawfully, and death and injury has been caused. This has given two wheeled EVs - as well as regular bicycles - a bad reputation. To top it all, everything "e" has environmentally destructive and highly poisonous batteries which can't be recycled. You'll say they can be recycled, but it's a marketing con to ease the conscience of the consumer and keep the legislature at bay. Collecting and separating the materials is not easily possible or commercially viable. Find me a properly audited (truthful) Li-Ion recycling scheme that's avaiable to all and I'll eat my words. I won't have to because you won't find one. Also, the cheap conversions have caused fatal fires, mostly due to being charged in hallways of communal housing. Nobody seems to care about any of this, but that may change if there are high profile deaths or fires which cause multiple fatalities. By comparison, the traditional bicycle is almost totally benign. The "e menace" needs sorting out soon. I used to work in marketing. My job was to con people into making major purchases which were totally unnecessary and seriously against their interests. It was fully legal and scarily easy. You are being conned!
I recently picked up a 1979 Schwinn Collegiate 3, looks exactly like this, and I need to do the same with it. And I agree with the rebrand for vintage bikes as some people have suggested, not enough people working on them.
Love your channel and the way you talk about bikes, been watching your vids for the past 6 months and they are a refreshing change from all other cycling content on UA-cam. Even if I am a devil cyclist with a Giant carbon frame with disc brakes.
This was amazing! I feel exactly like you when it comes to having no interest in learning the new shit. I have lots of 90s technology in my bikeshed and will ride it until I can't fix it. I wish you luck with your new pursuit and look forward to following your channel as it grows! Good luck!
After I retired, the fellow who owns the LBS here in town asked me to come to work for him. Assembling new bikes a couple of days a week. After 10 minutes, I had to resign. As Bike Farmer said so eloquently, I'm a mechanic, not a technician.
He doesn't like new stuff because new stuff doesn't mess up as much as old stuff so it needs less fixing which equals less business. That's the real truth.
@MotoAtheist if the goal is riding super hard and racing super hard you have a point on the performance/ reliability of highly technical modern bikes. People can do unimaginable things on bikes that were literally impossible in the 90s. However, his argument is that the technical feats have become the focus and the rest of the market has been ignored. Riding casually or utilitarian. Why force the average rider to abandon proven, simple technology that is cheap and easy to fix. 7-8 speed cassettes and a triple upfront gets me all of the range I need. I can't afford to replace a 1x pie plate cassette or the chain for the matter when it wears out. I'm not talking about reliability, just regular wear and tear. Multiple $1000 of dollars bikes have become the norm and for most riders are a complete waste and when they do break have to be taken to a mechanic because they need proprietary tools or are too complex for the average person.
@@Brackcycle Modern bikes don't break near as often under casual use, that's the point. I'm not talking about expensive ones either. You can get decent bikes for $500 that will last a person a lifetime if they are casual riders. My previous mountain bike lasted from 2009 to 2022 and would have lasted longer if I didn't ride certain trails that were excessively chunky and brutal on hard tails. I was going to rebuild it, but it has a bunch of old tech that is simply crap compared to new tech and just not worth the money or effort. The bike was $900 and it was one of the first gen 29rs that specialized came out with. Had I not ridden those crappy trails, it would have lasted another 4 to 5 years easy. Trails are hard on any bike. Cassettes also don't wear out very fast if road ridden and many can be had in the $15/$20 range. Chains are about the same. Dirt is what wears a chain out the quickest, so if not riding trails, the stuff lasts forever. I doubt any casual road user would have to replace any aspect of their drive train ever unless they crash or something. Modern ones can go 3,000+ miles no problem.
So good to see a new video from you. Because of your videos, I've built the confidence to ask the proper questions at bike shops/stores so I don't get upsold on stuff I don't need, and to remind the salesperson that I am just looking to have fun, I don't want to race/compete. I've also gotten my love for riding bikes again after being disenfranchised from it when every store or shop I went to near me was saying I need to spend $2K minimum so I don't get left behind. It's what turned me off from the fun of riding bikes. I recently got a Niner frame from 2012, it's carbon fiber, with nothing on it. Now I want to build it up for the fun of it and use what I learned from your channel to properly tune my bike for my fun on riding on trails with my family. :) I wish you a ton of success in your future endeavors and look forward to more videos!
Good for you. I sometimes get the same feeling when I show up with my triple 9 speed steel bike and everyone else tells me I need disk brakes, tubeless tires and carbon.
I love that my self build "aliexpress" carbon road bike is precisely what I think makes sense: caliper brakes. 2x8 gearing with nice integrated brifters. Narrow aluminium rims of course. I love to show those guys the back-wheel in esp. at my age. It makes them quickly explain how recently they got in to cycling...
You are truly a teacher and communicator , I can’t learn from someone that makes something that can be relatively simple make it sound and seem like rocket science , you on the other hand are funny and don’t really tell people how to do things , you just do what you do and do it with ease over and over , we can’t do otherwise than learn a few tricks here and there , I feel like I’m hanging out in your shop and shooting the shit with a good friend , if that makes any sense at all .
I recently sold my 2014 Surly Disc Trucker to a guy at a bike swap. It was in excellent shape, no issues whatsoever, other than some scuffed paint. The first thing the guy asked me after paying was "do you think I could install hydraulics on this?" I had no idea how to answer other than to say, "well, it's your bike now, so you can try whatever you want. personally, I wouldn't do it." The bike industry is totally frying peoples' brains with marketing that urges folks to buy crap that they don't need. Thanks for bringing some sanity to this industry! Best of luck
I don’t know, I’ve got hydro disc brakes on my road bike and on the long tail kid hauler. They’re pretty great brakes! Hands-down the best I’ve ever used. But I ride in a lot of rainy days and am heavy (really heavy with the kids on), so maybe my braking needs are greater than most.
Love your BIKE repair channel BIKE FARMER your a honest hard working buisness man with ethics and professional skills fixing and maintaining bikes sir I am a 20 year retired aircraft mechanic and watch your shows to maintain my own bikes thanks and ignore the haters and snipers and have fun.
I love bikefarmer and old timer attitude, but I'm gonna give my 2cents. Every trade and profession evolves with technology and market, whether it's education, car manufacturing, bike industry etc and if you're an old timer in the industry and you're not keen on learning new ways you're better off doing something else or keeping yourself to a small niche. Just like you have done. I mean if you're a typical bike shop mechanic and curse that every year bike industry comes up with a new tool and a standard, it's your job to learn and adapt and grow your skillset just like every other profession or trade. I'm a teacher and my country's high school education changed from pen and paper to computers and I just have to deal with it. And to all shop owners who get annoyed when customers breath down your neck, I got my bike back from a shop once and stem bolts were very loose. My handlebars twisted sideways on my way home and I lost my balance and I fell face first into ground. There aren't many safety features on bicycles apart from helmet so nowadays I do my own maintenance thanks to that one shop.
The way I see it there's a new trend of grouchy bike mechanics on youtube who are stuck in their old ways and too lazy to learn and adapt, read about standards and do a proper professional job. Won't even use a torque wrench or have a glance at the manual before setting up Shimano cues. Then they cover up their incompetence in a rant about the "bike industry". I'm not saying what comes out of the bike industry is always right, but stuff like thru axles, 1x and disc brakes have lots of positives and once you get the right tools, understand the systems and LEARN how to work on it it's not rocket science. I find these kind of people exist in all fields, and while they might be "good enough for who they're for", they'll never be for me. I want to engage with knowledgeable people who are up to date and take pride in doing stuff the right way with the right tools. That's how I work. My biggest nightmare is ending up out of date and set in my ways. Actually "good enough for who it's for" is a very condescending and disrespectful attitude towards people who come to you for help. They're not worth it to do a proper job?
@@mountaindweller4514 which is exactly why we’re seeing a “trend” in bicycle retail employees getting sick of having to LEARN so much more and not getting paid more to deal with it. You say that my attitude is the one that’s condescending and disrespectful, but in reality, you’re the entitled rich kid who things everyone in retail should be honored to be given the opportunity to “help” you and be paid with pride in their work. How is that not disrespectful and condescending? I find that these “customers” exist in all fields. Nobody likes it.
You don't even KNOW how much i feel you man, i ride an older Pegasus Premio SL trekking bike from around 2014 midfield bike which rides like an absolute babe... only problem is when i go to any bike shop and ask for repairs they always tell me "nah, buy a new one" and a lot of times you get told "we only fix bikes that people purchased here" or they tell ya that they not fix outdated garbage like this... so i basically did the right thing and gave them all the finger and learned how to repair stuff myself and i am still learning thanks to a older guy who basically took the sensei role teaching me all that stuff.. but a bike mechanic like you i would absolute trust cause you are HONEST! I mean just to get that old FORK replaced from a suspension fork "that was shot" to a regular frickin rigid fork was an absolute pain in the arse and most bike shops told me without even checking "nah forget it" till i met that old guy and instantly opened up his browser and said "yup here it is... for rigid fork for an trekking bike of your kind for the right geometry" and he ordered it for me and told me how to install it and so i did... why is the world so idiotic these days?
@@bkefrmr, I am a 68-year-old cyclist, but I started as a teenager assembling bicycles for an LBS and blowing almost all the money I earned on Campag parts to stick on a second-hand Columbus road racing frame. I never raced other than in a few club sprints. From the start, I looked on my bicycles as transport that I could afford and maintain. My bikes are good enough for who rides 'em. From your videos, I continue to learn aspects of bicycle maintenance that I need to understand to help my friends and relations keep their bicycles operating. As for me, since I have hydraulic brakes on my gravel bike, I let my LBS do most of the work, while I will get about on my 52-year-old Columbus-framed bike that I built up at the age of 18.
Congrats on your first year of monetization! :) Found your channel a couple of months ago and it’s my new Car Talk. I’m not as mechanically savvy as you, so if I end up attempting to bike farm here in Estonia, and failing miserably (and predictably), I’m blaming you for delivering the sweet, addictive nectar of illusions and activating my latent Dunning-Kruger effect.
Ope! I watched another Bike Farmer Video! , as I have for the last year. Don't sugar coat it, tell it like it is, as you always do. Probably your best video yet.
I've been working as a mechanic for a couple years now, and a utility cyclist and commuter for decades. I keep saying if I could make a career out of working on just beaters and commuters for my community, I could be happy... It's nice to know I'm not alone in that.
Love these videos, work as a Bike mechanic in a second hand bike shop and it's the joy of fixing some beat up old bike that I love rather than sitting there with some "pro" cyclist who wants to shave off 70g's from their hyper bike. Steel is real!
Next time a "Cyclist" talks about shaving weight off his bike, tell him that if he eats a nice bowl of granola at night, he will take a nice dump in the morning before he rides. That will shave off a lot more than 70g's...
I’ve been watching since day one, love your view, my career at shops was very similar. Now at my recent shop, I constantly weigh the pros and cons of starting a shop or mobile setup. You are a beacon of reason and optimism, on the person who genuinely loves the mechanics of it, as well as the honest customer base that exists within it. I work at a partial Trek store in TX, and last year at a shop that primarily carried Trek, in FL. Neither have a great relationship with them, one of which they tried to stongarm, the other had a Trek super store, open across the street, only to lose in the long run. Thank you
My brother had a blue Schwinn Racer, the first geared bike I rode. Thanks for the memory! My roadie is a 1971 Crescent, Reynolds 531, still mostly original Campy, the city steed is a hardtail old mtn bike with fenders and slicks and a Softride stem. Just rebuilt the full drive train at my LBS for less than $100. May it ride forever. May you also enjoy a good ride in the path you choose.
I grew up in Lake Mills, Gib fixed my Huffy 10-speed when I wrecked it almost immediately after getting it home from Shopko. So glad to see the shop open again, even though it sounds like the bloom is off the rose a bit. Really enjoy the documentary ride videos.
For some threads, sure. But there are certain creators that seem to attract a great commentariat who post insightful thoughts-Bike Farmer is one, but also the PartyPace guy, the Vlog Brothers, CityNerd, etc. I like comments!
It’s nice to see people who find themselves and the things that make them happy. I commented on another post earlier about how much I enjoy newer bike technology. Nothing to do with electric or hybrid bikes, they don’t interest me. Smooth shifting gears and disc brakes have made my experience better. I like to jump curbs and whatever I can find. Disc brakes allow me to keep on trekking with a bent rim. I still have a blast riding all of my old Bmx bikes. Unfortunately, I have to spend time trueing them after a good ride. Great channel. Keep it up..
I cannot even imagine attempting to run a bike shop in today's climate. I have long wanted to start a used bike shop, specializing in quality used and vintage bicycles and parts, but the problem with that is that what ends up happening is that people want to unload their junk big box store bicycle shaped objects onto you, because they don't have any understanding of what a decent quality bicycle looks like, let alone what it entails. Just as bad, they want to unload their obsolete bicycles onto you, and can't understand why modern (that is, say, post-1970s) parts just won't work on those old bicycles made to ancient thread and size standards, and/or demand that you stock absolutely everything under the sun, whether or not it's actually useful. IMO, the 1990s was the golden age for bicycle technology. High quality butted CrMo steel frames were still easily available at reasonable prices, we had indexed shifting, 3x7 drivetrains, and integrated shift/brake levers, and we never really needed anything more than that for the average recreational, touring, commuter, fitness, or casual cyclist. The Dura-Ace 7400/7700 era was the peak. That's not to say some new advances aren't useful, like disc brakes and ebikes (though that market needs to mature a lot first, because it's filled with a lot of junk right now), but that most people simply do not need the technology that makes a difference to the competitive bicycle racer, or the technology that exists solely to be profitable for the bicycle industry. The only way I'd want to really be involved in the bicycle business is if I had my own bicycle brand, where I could control everything that went into and on a bicycle, and I would sell only decent quality (not luxury quality) bicycles and components that would actually make people's lives better. There are a few brands out there that attempt to do this, but even they struggle. I noticed this past week that Surly finally removed the Steamroller, one of their most iconic models for over 30 years, from their website entirely. The Steamroller is my Holy Grail of bicycle frame/fork sets. It has everything I need and want in a bicycle, and nothing I don't. The SOMA Buena Vista mixte is another. These are the kinds of bicycles real people need.
I ride a 2 year old ebike for primary transportation/shopping, and a 32 year old Trek for fitness, that I bought at a charity shop for $25. I want to add a newer road bike-preferably a Surly Steamroller or Cross-Check-to replace the Trek for fitness, and keep the Trek as my emergency backup.
Dude! Amazing video. I don't even know how I came upon it. I'm a motorcycle guy, but your personality is on point. Love the love you have for old machines. We definitely have that in common. I wish you much luck in all your endeavors! If I am ever traveling in your parts I will be stopping by. Haha
I owned one in the 1990s, bought from an antique shop. They were shocked when I put tires and stuff on it and rode it thousands of miles. They thought it would be a restaurant decoration.
As a technician in a completely different field where the market is being consumed by new innovation that is only 10+ years old, it sucks. And I can tell you’re anxious and frustrated, I get it. But part of getting older and doing service is understanding that this happens and we need to adapt or move on. As one of those “roadies” you seem to not like, I’m sorry we’re frustrating you. I am in love with it and the new bikes like you are with the old stuff. I hope you see we are not all bad and it’s just different strokes for different folks. Wishing you the best from Minnesota.
Rebrand your shop as a Gib's Vintage Cycle Repair, that could moderate high-strung expectations. Love your stuff, man!
Not a bad idea. Plus, with the word vintage in the name, he can charge 50% more. lol That's how it works with collectibles. 😅
Absolutely a great idea 💡👍
I think that's a great idea. We have a local bike shop owner who only works on mechanical stuff and won't work on your bike unless you're already in his system... and he hasn't added anyone except by introduction by an existing customer since about 2015. He has all the work he will ever need because he found his niche.
@@HunterAtheist Vintage is good, everybody likes vintage these days.
This isn’t a bad idea but I’m wondering if people where he’s at might equate “vintage” with only bikes that are older and exclusive or otherwise special and collectible. I do think you are on to something here though!
I'm 70 years old now and my only advice to you is this. Keep doing you. You've got the right idea. I would like to see more younger people realize it's not about how rich one can get but it's about how much satisfaction one gets from what they do.
Hey, me too! Started in 1972 at Em's hobby and cycle in Port Angeles Wa. and still working on bikes.
Being 45 year old, I would agree. Having wasted few decades on careers that were not made for me cleared my vision. My guess is that the younger you are, the more you are influenced by others, and as you get older, it's easier to let go of ego and things you "think" you have to be doing.
Could not agree more! Once I got canned from a "job" I hated but paid well, I never looked back...only working "jobs" between gigs doing what I loved. I lucked out being able to make it doing what I loved until I could retire comfortably outside of the USA in a place where they have national healthcare. "Shop Class as Soulcraft" is my favorite book!
@@larryt.atcycleitalia5786 Hey thanks for the book tip! Found a used one for cheap on eBay and ordered it
Hard to do when most jobs suck and nobody wants to pay you enough to live 🤷🏻♂️
The quickest way to ruin a hobby is to turn it into a business.
HA!
Still better than a job that doesn’t interest or inspire you.
@@Elohim100 But a job that doesn't pay the bills is a job that doesn't pay your bills.
Luckily the BikeFarmer is the BikeFarmer but he is absolutely right. A bicycle repair shop being run as a passion is not a sustainable business in most of the cases.
@@Elohim100I don’t know about that. 🤔 If it takes the joy out of the thing you love.
TV shows and UA-cam often glorify how easy running a business is. Ie create a fantasy.
The reality is in repairs you are going to spend 5 to 100 times the time on total jackassery.
Ie say 95 percent want a quote to do something and they do not know the make model year or anything to rationally give a rough quote.
Instead they say the bike or car or mower is green or maybe red..
So the time wasted is often more than your repair time.
If you are in a non home ie an actual commercial address your Base utility costs will be 1.5 to 2X higher.
So you natural gas base bill is 42 bucks and not 15 like at a house.
Your business might just have a cable TV coaxial internet and no fiber . So your base bill might be 100 per month. Ie not 50 like at the house.
Your electric bill base cost might be 55 bucks at your business and 14 at your house.
In some areas the local tax man taxes you a yearly cost of say 2 to 3 percent on tools signage chairs benches computers . That Taiwanese drill press from 1970 that cost 100 new might be on the tax rolls as worth 200 today. So you get a yearly tax of 5 bucks to pay. Write check to chaps personal name for 2000 bucks every year.
Tax on 20ft of counter exposed to the public. Tax on drapes you just replaced.
Tax you on stupid typewriters and adding machines bought 4 decades ago.
So better to destroy or scrap unused items since tax guys want raw cash.
Thank you for creating a great space for bike enthusiasts. I love watching you work, and you deserve all the success you have achieved.
this is not a space .... it is a marketing device by google/youtube
you being punked
giving up real space like a bike shop to do this (create needless superfluous videos for google to monetize) is pure pathos
This video was good enough for who it's for.🎉😂
dont know what i like better watching working on bikes or Andrew's rants on lifes aggravations and frustraitions
Yep, I agree with your take on modern bikes. Recently purchased a steel frame bike with cantilever brakes, and 36 spoke hand-built wheels with tubes. I got sick of hours and hours fussing with tubeless tape, sealant, valve cores, even getting a tubeless tire to seat correctly drives me nuts. Then disc brake rotors, pads, pistons, and the close tolerances needed to make it all smoothly. My new bike can hang in the garage during winter when the temps are in the teens. When a warm day hits, just air up the tires, lube chain, and ride. Thing is, I've biked across the U.S. three times and once across the EU; during those trips I've had two flats. Along with many other tours on dirt trails and roads with one flat, or no flats. 10 minutes to fix a tube, or replace it, vs what can be hours for one tubeless tire issue. That's my rant, thanks for listening. ☮
My fav channel, you’ve taught me a bunch of tips and tricks and I’ve been entertaining the idea of to starting my own shop one day thanks to your videos. I hope to shake your hand one of these days!
You are by far the most DIYer friendly youtube channel. After watching many of your videos and seeing my go to shops shut down, I went out and got myself a 30 yo Park Tool bike Stand, generic lemon polish, and some good lubes to start maintaining my own bike (plus a long Wish list for tools). Don't listen to the elite aero folks, they are the ones gatekeeping biking and bike maintenance. Blessings.
But, but, but….i like my aero bike
Over the years are got so good at just turning a bike on it's head on some support block for the steerer that I don't see the point of any kind of bike stand at all. Maybe it is making adjusting a derailleur slightly more convenient.
@@rosomak8244 I used to do the same. But a stand has made a difference with everything that has to do with shifters and brakes. I also don’t need to take off the phone holder and other accessories I have attached to the bike when I need to service it. It is just more convenient.
Check out RJ the Bike Guy for specific how-to videos. He’s really excellent.
Thanks for the tip on hitting the spring to center brakes on old schwinns.
I absolutely agree with your stance on modern bikes. I am a mechanic at one of those big national chains down the road in Madison and I am so burned out on checking component compatibility, internal cables, disc brakes, E-BIKES! ARG! I wish I had had this job 20 years ago instead of today. I've only been at this for 5 or 6 years myself but doing a tune-up on an early 2000's hybrid or an old 10 speed road bike from the 80's is just a more enjoyable experience than having to update the firmware on a dang electronic road shifter.
I can relate to this. 26”ers always make my day when I get to work on them.
Mate, I’ve been a mechanic for 20 years and I’m getting pretty fed up with how much you have to keep on top of. I miss the old days. What’s worse is people that wrench in high end shops couldn’t work on the average commuter or stop cantilever brakes squealing but act like they’re they bees knees. You can’t beat time on the tool working on ALL bikes to be able to say you’re a half decent mechanic
I started wrenching in 92 at shops. Gloriously simply, and in a meditative way. Getting cantilever brakes dialed was literally an art form,, if you were into it. Same with truing wheels. The best was when the frame alignment tool was busted out by the shop elder, and we all gathered to learn. I loved the challenge of the bent derailleur hanger and getting it back to perfect. Simple, good, two wheeled love. At 50 and doing fine, I sometimes think it would be cool to work at the lbs a day a week just for the fun of it,,, but nope, doesn't sound amazing.
Thank you for the great content and for your hard work. As someone who dreams of running a bike shop but knows that’s not feasible, I appreciate your perspective. Have a taco on me.
I own a bike shop and am in my 50s. However, as much as I like looking at the old stuff, I like actually riding the new stuff.
Interesting. I feel like peak bike was about 10-12 years ago. Give me a Sachs with SR11 and some Shamal Ultras and I'll never need anything else. 17 lbs of perfection. And I don't need a shop to fix any of it.
I have an old 26" with and V-Brakes from 1995/6, pain in the ass to get it right especially the brakes and derailleur. Bought another 26" in 2008 with disk brakes, cup-and-cone shimano wheel hub, hydraulic brakes and an Acera 3x8 speed system. In 2022 started to MTB (more in correspondence with its true name!) and the chain slap, the punctures, the exposed cables, the cup-and-cone system, the front suspension all took a hell of a beating with mud, dust and rocky trails. Because I'm methodical, every time I rode for 4 to 5 hours, the same day or the morning of the very next day, about 2h are dedicated to clean the bike and lub parts. I then invested on cable supports in order to not have the shifter exposed to the elements, an SLX 12s, new fork and 4 piston brakes, and new wheels with tubeless system. It rode excellently (it even had a dropper post, which I decided to invest because of a fall I had because I could not maneuver correctly on a descent, this gave me confidence and improved my technical skills) and the only downsize was the ascents with high gradients (20%+ was impossible for me on that frame). Invested on a new frame from Banshee in 2023 and created my new hardtail, the shenanigans of cleaning it continues, but I can say that it is an awesome 29er I that I have made a big step up in performance and comfort.
My road bike is a carbon fiber frame with an Ultegra system (not electric), and I reserve this material only for road bikes as MTB gives a hell of a beating on the frame especially when you fall.
@@ScrapKing73 I will reluctantly admit to this too and I am someone with no ties to the industry.
Nothing wrong with that! I absolutely love my custom steel roadie with electronic Ultegra and hydro disc brakes, tubeless 32mm tires. Absolutely a better riding experience in every way than the 1970s era Trek I used to ride. But I’m not an a-hole to ppl who don’t spend a couple months’ salary for their whip and just like going out for a ride. There’s room on the road for all of us!
As a mountain biker. Mountain bikes are continuing to get better. Geometry peaked 5 years ago but the rest of the tech is making it way nicer to ride. Unfortunately its not getting any cheaper yet
Thank for sharing your tips and experience here, you’ve given me the courage to tackle a lot of general bike care myself! Keep up the great work :)
Thanks hey!
New to cycling. Bought a $200 road bike at Play it Again Sports on my birthday. I love it, and like you say, “it’s good enough for who it’s for.” My brother-in-law frequently tells me I need a carbon fiber bike with disc breaks. Took me a while to realize me dropping 15 pounds would be more weight saving than a new bike.
Andy you’ve inspired me to realize that I will never NEED a brand new bike. I’ve even convinced my barber that he can make due with his old Rock Hopper after taking it in to our local bike shop and having them tune it up and make it look better than it looked 25 years ago.
I’m nice you get to a certain level you’ll be able to appreciate the new tech. I love my electronic shifting, but I wouldn’t want to deal with it professionally.
What is your 200 dollar bike?
@@michaeldesrosier1068 Novara Carema
OH
I've been wrenching as a professional for 15 years now, and the one thing I ask people generally comes to mind:
"Are you in love with this bike?" If the answer is yes, it's worth putting money into. New doesn't always mean better, and making your old companion like new again can't be comapred.
Road biker here since 1971. I’ve never owned a new road bike. I’ve never taken my bike to anyone for repair. That’s also a part of what I love about cycling is building or repairing my bike. I’ve owned nine high end road bikes and still have seven of them. I love riding them all. I don’t race but was fast enough at one time. I love riding century rides. Something special about them to me.
Teaching people to fix their own bikes is valuable. Sponsoring bike rides that anyone could enjoy is valuable.
It’s all about the ride.
You've figured it out brother, I agree 100%! Nice post!
This is awesome
Beautiful, mate!
Well done. What you and others have inspired me to do is fix up, maintain, modify, repurpose and McGiver my existing steel and Aluminum bikes. Keep up the good work.
Love your channel! You’re a much needed, sanity inducing voice in a culture that forgets that most people want a bike to ride for casual and utility purposes!
I opened my own shop 3 months ago after working 5 years on a high end shop,I quited because it got so annoying all the rich people with their fancy bikes always talking about weight and all the "new" stuff,also the pretentious attitude always asking if that little scratch was there before and always breathing down your neck because they don't trust you I had enough! Its so nice to finally get to do what I want when I want to do it,luckily my shop doesn't look high end so the rich kids won't even get close some even told me my shop isn't good enough for their bikes lol which I appreciate because I don't want high end bikes to begin with I enjoy basically restoring old bikes the problem is even though I have the lowest prices in the whole city people still complain because they bring a bike that's been sitting on the backyard for 15 years and they think restoring it would cost 5 dollars lol but its slowly growing and I hope one day I can live from this 😊
I guess the worst are those who think the 5Nm written along some screws are the ultimate wisdom, and who just don't understand that the number was written there to fend off lawyers....
I actually always follow the torque measures specially in carbon parts and specially if the customer is watching me so they won't have anything against me if something breaks 😅 it was so annoying tightening carbon parts 🥲
@@takocat9618 Yeah. Glue it in baby. Never once in my life I had a carbon seat-post that wouldn't slip when the advised torque was applied to it :-). People don't understand for example that the 40Nm on a cassette ring just translates to fasten it is as tight as you can with a regular wrench. And it is not 40Nm per se. It is 40Nm + or - 20. People don't know that good allen keys start to visibly bend at the moment you reach the torque for which the screw is designed and that the screw is chosen according to applicable technical requirements. Real engineers know that. I'm not even starting to talk about what happens to those numbers when you start to properly copper grease the screws as you should on any kind of carbon frame... It is so much nonsense. Really good mechanics don't faff around with a torque wrench all day long, unless it is a motor block or some truly high precision machine. Bikes aren't ones. Bikes are as simply as a flail mechanically.
especially if it’s fake,it’s happened to me,was actually quite funny seeing the faces drop and a yeah I got it from fleabay .
Start your own channel 👍
Our local bike shop closed in 2020 because the owner was wrenc🔧ing on bikes for 30 years and just had enough. You obviously enjoy what you do🤘🤘
I've found a happy spot running a shop working on older bikes almost exclusively, and yeah, margins can be tight, but it is a lot better. I don't know if Gib's has the square footage to do it, but I have an area in my shop called "the pit" that has 2 double stands and 3 work benches of tools. Folks can come in and wrench on their bikes for no labor cost, but they buy all the parts they need while they're there, so it works out pretty well. I bet you could establish a "Bike Farmer" membership that opens this up to folks in your neighborhood. It's surprising how often I have folks in the shop just stopping in to work on their newest bike project- that somehow needs every single part except a frame.
Just something to noodle on.
Thanks! Keep up the good work and best of luck as you chart your path forward!
I love bikes but am not a cyclist. I was the kid who would strip their bike down once a month and clean and regrease all the wheel and crank bearings. I loved going to the dump with dad and finding parts and pieces of bikes and building Frankenstein bikes. I would much rather ride a rescue bike than the latest and greatest tech bike. All this to say it’s why I like your channel. I could watch you polish, lube, and floss all day, but I think I’ll go for a ride instead. Thanks for sharing your day.
Best wishes from the UK.
I absolutely agree with your views on the bike world. Cycling is such simple healthy enjoyment for all ages and has become far too complicated for no good reason.
Thanks for the videos.
Reason is obvious. Sell useless stuff. If you want ideal bike you can start riding e-bike and enjoy speed increase or pass motorcycle licence. It would be cheaper in both cases
Ok so we should all ride 1990s bikes because progress is so overrated. Pfft..
The increased complexity of modern bicycles is due to a combination of technological advancements, the pursuit of higher performance, customization options, and the incorporation of electronics and smart systems. While these innovations enhance the rider's experience, they also make bikes more difficult to repair and maintain compared to their simpler predecessors. And surprise, surprise.. bike mechanics need to continually train themselves to keep up with modern bicycle technology. The rapid advancements in materials, electronic components, and specialized systems mean that the skill set required to service bikes today is far more complex than it used to be.
@@Mikolaj_u Exactly. If you don't want to improve your skills and keep up with time, of course you will get obsolete. It's true for any industry.
Why bikes should be the only thing stuck in time, when everything around us is moving forward? Most people wouldn't want to drive a 20-year-old car. Most people wouldn't want to fly a 40-year-old plane. Most people wouldn't want to work a 60-year-old job description. I don't think the argument is about bikes. It's about society, its values, our lifestyles.
Bikes are actually easier to work on those days because they require less subtlety. Mechanical shifting and braking requires subtlety is the set-up or tune-up. Electronic shifting and hydraulic braking, not really. Most bike shops do average jobs because the business model is about spending as little time on each bike as possible. Technology is helping mechanics do a much more reliable job.
@Mikolaj_u
Unnecessary complexity is not advancement.
You DON'T need hydraulic disc brakes on what's essentially a city bike. You don't need 33 gears either. And why would you want a non adjustable stem because it weighs .2lbs less, when you got three water bottles on your frame at the same time?
You could try marketing your videos in the mindfulness world. It's very meditative watching you work on analogue bikes with your soundtrack in the background and a philosophy lesson at the same time. Pure gold.
Ex Bike shop owner and new subscriber, you have it so right and are calling out the madness. As a trek dealer I could never get my head round the need for such a massive range of bikes with tiny differences in spec but endless compatibility issues. Having to do some huge pre season order to still not have the right size/colour for the customer who wants to buy there and then. You are living my dream right now, all power to you 😊
I'm also an ex-Trek dealer. They were the best of the big brands for quality and service, but the entire industry got into an unavoidable but unsustainable arms race. And, high-end customers were often a nightmare. Project One was both a gift and a curse. And, from 2011, when smartphones really hit, we became a showroom and workshop for the internet discount retailers. Then some of our brands started selling D2C, over our heads after we'd done the sales work with the customer. I'm really glad to have got out of it in 2016, before the Covid problems and internal hydraulic lines became common. Older mechanical bikes are the future!
@@davidpalk5010 I owned a small town bike shop 1977 to 2017. Did Trek from about 1982 to the end. I have similar sentiments. Loved what I was doing but love retirement more.
I will give you my life experience in short form.
Electrical Engineer and Project Manager qualifications.
I love photography and I thought I can make money doing weddings, so I started doing weddings and made some good money. But, after encountering a lot of difficult customers I thought, this really takes the fun out of my hobby and I was beginning to hate it.
So, I stopped doing weddings and went back to managing projects and now enjoy my photography again.
Cheers and I hope you get my drift.
Yeah…custies are the problem! 🤣😂
Fellow EE/CE Computer Guy here, who's also a photo nut (film will never die.) I'd love to monetize some of my work, but much like my computer consulting biz, it's the people that are the problem. My shit NEVER breaks, as long as no one TOUCHES it. :D
People are always the problem. Every single time. 🤔😆
@@KeithHeinrich Try and deal with MILs during a photo shoot🤣
@@Βόρειο_Σέλας I photograph bicycles. They are always polite and easy to get along with.
I drug out my old Trek 4300 and slapped some comfortable Hybrid tire on her, and did a quick tune and a "Behold rubdown" to get me back on the road after a 2 year break from riding because of this channel. The tweaking and adjusting reminded me how much I love having a bike in the stand as much as I love riding them. BikeFarmer has become my new "must watch" on YT, and I also find it pleasing "background music" while I am at work as I enjoy listing to your rants and reasoning as much as I like watching you wrench on an ATB. Keep the content coming and dont change a thing! Looking forward to a new "Ope!" Tshirt and a "Good enogh for who its for" bike sticker!
Maybe your old Trek will need to go to rehab, since you drugged it out 😂
"her"
This was a great eye opener, as someone soon to hit 30 was over the last year thinking if it would be fun and interesting to open my own little backyard bike shop, but being now in a shop for the season and seeing the perspective of seasoned techs like you really shows that it really isn’t worth ruining the hobby for myself considering all the things that come into play in this industry. My area would be quite rough as I live in a city that has mostly elitist racer types.
At 63 and nearing retirement, I can relate to your "people contact woes." I was a practicing graphic designer for 17 years. I liked working at a business rather than for myself because of the horrible experiences with unscrupulous clients. In my early 40s, I heard the rumors of business owners thinking, "as a creative, you're dried up by your 40s." What this means is they don't want to pay for expertise. I went back to school, got a masters degree and am now teaching my craft. All ended up well. I wish you as much success.
Personally, I think your “rants” are some of the best stuff on UA-cam, and I never fail to learn something watching your repair videos. Well worth the random taco money I’ve sent your way. Might make sense to have somebody else handle the bike shop while you concentrate on the videos. Keep up the good work!
I’m right there with you. The “industry” is out of control. I’m looking at moving to the southern part of Wisconsin someday soon. I swear, if the shop is still running I’d work there a couple days a week just to get hands on the old bikes I worked on all through the 90s and 00s.
Andy... please do not quit. I've been following your channel for the past few month and I still need to finish my 3 projects in the barn. Made it up to the wood polish phase by now :-)
you're telling him not to quite despite him starting to hate what he's doin?
You're an inspiration man. Keep on doing what you do, and I'll keep watching. And planning how to open that record store I've always wanted.
Love you, Andy. Everyone struggles with the “why am I doing this?” Thanks for putting it out there.
Great video Andy! Loved seeing you quickly cherry out the mechanicals on that Schwinn. I’m in my late sixties and that bike was the one and only one my parents bought me. Thought ‘I died and went to heaven’. I’m absolutely loving the service bike you sold me and my carbon road bike is collecting dust😉. Love flying over those acorns with my 2” cruiser tires. On the road bike that became dangerous for a codger like me in the fall. I was tickled yesterday when I used my bike to pick up my car at the mechanic shop a few miles away. I took a 2 gallon jug of old oil from my oil changes, threw it my saddle bag and flew to the shop. Totally an all around cruiser bike. Thank you again Any and keep up the great work. I love your content!
I’ve played with going back to friction shifters I had on an old Rocky Mtn gravel ride. The ease of adjustments makes it very attractive.
Congratulations on your anniversary!
I just fixed up a 75 schwinn traveler I pulled out of the dump. Great fun. Just like the old beat up varsity I bought for $50 dollars on Gorham St in 1968. In 73 I was a bike messenger in mid-town Manhattan . That bike had soul.
AND I scared the daylights out of Howard Cosell as he tried to jay walk across 6th Avenue as I whizzed by him. That bike had soul!
I’ve been a mechanic for the last ~12 years and feel like I was there first hand to experience the change in bike technology. You sum it up perfectly by saying it’s more “technical expertise than mechanical aptitude” nowadays.
I believe I was in the industry at the right time to get a good mix of both.
Great Video! I was in the bicycle shop business in the mid 80s and I love it that you brought up becoming a plumber because I left the bike shop at age 24 and became a plumber. The shop I started with my Dad is called Cross Country Cycle in Holland Michigan. My dad has since retired from the bike shop and my sister Laura runs the bike shop now. My sister has brought their bike shop up to one of the largest in Michigan and yes they sell incredibly expensive bikes. I don't really understand how bicycles now can cost as much as a Harley Davidson Motorcycle. I appreciate your simplistic and cost effective view on cycling and yes all jobs have there challenges. I own a plumbing company now and yes I make considerably more than a bike shop owner does but being in the bike business was fun and most of our customers were not a pain in the ass. Keep it up, your videos are always entertaining.
I worked as a plumber for 20 years and run a small bikeshop in my 7. season in Rostock, Germany. I deal with used bikes and offer repair on ,, normal" bikes. No carbon frames, no electronic shifting, no tubeless tyres please. I repair E-bikes, but not all brands. Customers may ask me befor they deliver that f.....g moped thing. Even if you commuting every day to work around maybe 5 kilometer to work you dont need a 1000,- € or more bike. This 3 speed bike from the video with battery- or dynamo ligts and maintenance if needet works very well. Like your videos, allways👍 Good luck and just move on!
I've been in that shop. I asked why they had limited brands. It turns out they are a Specialized bike shop and Specialized won't let them carry stuff if Specialized makes a similar product. So, they sell high priced Specialized stuff and lose the market for lower priced bikes. These big companies are not doing their bike shops any favors.
Thank gawd for Giant and local bike shops! My wife and I walked into Tom's Bike Shop in Tulsa, Oklahoma many years ago and purchased two Giant Cyprus STs for $218 apiece. We were total newbies to cycling, but the staff at Tom's helped us get exactly the bikes we needed. We, and our Giants, still riding great, ended up on Cape Cod. Best money we ever spent. Thanks, Tom's.
That’s where I got my used bike last year! They’re still great ❤
It's been a pleasure following along with you for the last year, keep up the great content!
“Control the controllables” and keep pumpin. Like your style…🙏
By far one of your best... Years ago I took a job as a service manager at a H-D dealership. Turned my passion into a J.O.B. I loved it, mostly. About 2% of the customers ruined it. Keep doing what you're doing. You fill a niche and it's needed. You'll never know how much you are needed and appreciated until you are gone and then everyone comes out of the woodwork and let's you know.
You are the main reason I am riding my bicycles with confidence now. I am your customer base "dad, who wants a comfort bike, doesnt want to spend $1000 on a bicyle, doesnt wear lycra, just rides for excerise, transportation and fun." Your videos has helped me find older Trek bicyles and get them road ready. I wish we had a store like yours in our area.
"just rides for exercise". This is what I don't understand about modern bikes - you want me to pay ten grand for a bike that goes a few miles an hour faster ... so I'll get less of a workout.
@@rutabega2039no, riding a modern bike is not only about the speed, its also about the feeling. my roadbike is a 2023 cube agree with disc brakes, 105 DI2 and hollowgram carbon rims and let me tell you, it feels devine riding this bike and it should, since i spend about 8-12 hours each week on it. its not the fastest and not the best equiped bike, but it is the bike i want ro ride and for that reason i own it. but for my everyday commuting i stil use the 40 year old retro steel mountainbike from my uncle and i love it as much as my roadbike, but for completely different reasons.
@@sirclemeni1 I dunno, maybe I'm just particularly insensitive to bike quality, but after a few minutes of a long ride I'm not really even aware of whether I'm on my $1800 road bike (which I still kinda regret paying for 12 years ago) or my $100 hybrid from Craiglist. The only thing I'm really aware of is the seat - the one thing I don't really scrimp on.
@@sirclemeni1I’m with you. My first custom steel was a revelation-first bike I’d ever had that actually fit me (I’m 6’6”). I couldn’t WAIT to ride it, and yeah, it went faster (fun), but that meant I rode farther. And then I wanted to go farther still. I have no problem with folks who love their classic Treks or whatever, there’s room on two wheels for all of us. For me, having a really nice, well-fitting bike makes me want to ride more. And I am lucky enough I can afford it, so why not?
I find it funny that you put spending 1000$ on a bike and wearing Lycra in one example, because people that do wear it spend three times that amount on their bike, easily. If you buy a new bike, what you will need to do if there is no real market for used bikes in your area, you will guaranteed spend one grand.
I just bought a simple new bike with V brakes, steel frame and a simple internal gear hub for 1000€. It was the cheapest available.
Former bicycle mechanic here, I like a lot of the sentiment you shared. All too often I was faced with one of two customers. It was either the guy who needed every possible marginal gain to finish midpack in his gravel race the next day or the dad who dropped off all 5 of his the rusty walmart bikes his kids had been leaving in the rain for the last decade, balking at the price I quoted just to put on chains that would move and get the wheels round again. Cycling enthusiasts can certainly be a special bunch to serve as a customer.
I do wonder though if working in bicycle repair can be viewed through the lens of some artistic fields. I once heard a photographer, who was most passionate about taking photos of live music performances, talk about how he still shoots weddings because you "take the jobs that pay so you can afford to do the jobs you like". That always stuck with me and I remembered it whenever I was mindlessly setting up another 29er wheelset tubeless. It helped keep the shop running and kept the place open for the guy who would bring in a 70s bianchi with all of it's original components on it and hoping to keep it original. I say this to say that maybe a useful strategy could be adding a young aspiring bike tech to your shop who may well already know how to do all of the trendy stuff but be eager to learn the finer details of repairing bikes. It would create an opportunity for someone to become a great mechanic like yourself without going through the traditional bike shop route of assembling $600 piece of shit mountain bikes 5 at a time for 8 hours a day.
Obviously what you choose to do with your business is your prerogative and I mean that with all respect. I think you do great work and I'd love to see your care and knowledge enter the next generation of mechanics since the most important things I learned came from mechanics who viewed things a lot like you do.
I am a proud mail order bike customer. If I can't buy it and work on it, I don't want it.
I think you have a good plan. Find someone you trust to keep the shop running and you take care of the UA-cam channel, merchandising website, cycling events, etc. You are a good man. Good luck!
Which requires paying that person and tripling business in order to do so, which doesn't sound feasible.
@@MotoAtheist the extra cash could come from merchandising, both on cycling events and website. Plus, having an employee means a person who does services you don't, like modern bikes, e-bikes, full restorations, etc...
This is the best bike industry video ever. You're spot on on so many things. Keep up the good work!
I watch this channel because of the shop. That you are a shop owner doing something for a local community is what makes me willing to listen to you talk about yourself.
And with that comment, what I wanted to say was thank you for putting in the effort to be a small business owner and run a shop in a small town.
Omg this is just the type of channel I've been trying to find for a long time. Thank you.
Recently found you and love every one of your videos!! Thanks for sharing so much knowledge ! Keep it up!!!!
I appreciate what you do. My personal rule, "Don't read the comments". My GF also has her dream job, her own hair salon, and constantly questions whether or not it's worth it. I keep encouraging her to stick with it. Don't let "Big Industry" squash the dreams of the "Independent". Make the Best of what you are doing, and continue to find new ways to keep it interesting. After watching you, for just a few weeks, I've got new joy in working on my bike, and have taken in a few to try to flip. Keep up the great work.Thanks!
Please don't turn your rants to "Politics", I really wouldn't want to hear that here. Thanks again
Thanks hey!!
I’m not going to censor myself because people are so politically insecure these days. Just seems like I’d be letting them win.
@@bkefrmrNever let the bastards win😊
Been really happy to have been along to experience this journey with you! Looking forward to the future. Love your videos.
I found your channel through doing a dive into the Hodag Ramble and I like your style. A subscription to the chanel happened immediately. Being an old bike mechanic from the 90's I get your frustration about all of the compatibility issues. Being authentic to who you are and what you like will pay dividends to your happiness and eventually a community of like minded cyclists will follow your lead. I wish you the best as you figure out your path, and I will be here to support your ride.
My local bike shop closed a week ago so I totally understand what your thinking 😊
I find Bike Farmer hilarious and informative. I’m glad that he has been able to monetize his UA-cam channel. Keep it up!
Thank you for doses of bike reality. General bike consciousness waxes and wanes with the years, but the work of maintaining them goes on. Yes, modern bikes can be frustrating, but no more frustrating than maintaining the grip shifter on my '98 Trek, lol.
This video speaks to me! Like you, we’re rapping up our 7th year in operation. I started the shop with the expectation that’s I could run a one-man operation and keep me busy enough so I could pay the shop bills and maybe pocket a little for myself. I worked/managed shops through the entire 90’s and into the early 2000’s. Started the shop with a few grand and the tools I had from my early days in a 500sqft shop. Our local community went nuts and now we own a 5,000sqft, building where we sell a few hundred bikes a year and we do over a thousand work orders. The part I enjoy most is fixing mobility devices, like wheelchairs, knee scooters and walkers. New bikes, particularly higher end or e-bikes, are fun to sell, but often a nightmare to work on. The vendors really don’t seem to care what shops like ours are asking for. Prices continue to rise and margins get smaller. I love bikes. I love talking bikes. I really enjoy repairing bikes from the 90’s or earlier. But as you’ve pointed out here, there is a segment of the cycling population that are just not fun to deal with.
Don’t quit Andy! We love your content. I will come and work at Gibb’s for free.
Well said. I'm glad I found you and have learned to get back on the saddle and ride. I used my bike throughout high school and through out my early college days. I'm not a serious rider and you have shown me a lot and then there more. I hate to see ya leave the bike shop world but know this. You are good and thorough and teach and show how easy it is to keep your ride clean, lube d and tuned up. Thank you and keep on tricking
Tee hee!
Good for you guy. I've been at it 30 years & wouldn't dream of doing anything else. We purchased the repair stand & 60 pr. of skis from Jerry Stelske & his partner,1994 Lake MIlls . W/ the e-bikes we service now,we use an electric stand w/the base plate & arm from that old stand. I think those guys called it -the home of the flying carp.? Personally, i'm constantly intrigued by the new technologies & enjoy learning & staying up w/all certifications. But i formerly owned a speed-shop & set a national record drag racing, so working on bikes is pretty simple, compared to internal combustion engines & a LOT lighter also. lol .I couldn't believe the prima-donna attitudes of some of those cats back then.Rock on & best of luck .
You’ve got a great channel! It’s inspired me to restore my 1973 Schwinn Sports Tourer, my 1972 Schwinn Super Sport and my 1987 Schwinn World. Keep up the good work. Now on to 100k subs!
I recently left the cycling industry after almost a decade and dont miss it. Especially after the whole covid bike surge. In the end i found myself rebuilding suspension, rear triangles and fishing hoses and wires thru handlebars and frames more then anything. I felt like i was no longer working on bicycles and more like building robots. Especially with ebikes taking over the market. More then half of our new bike sales were ebikes. And yes they had alot of new issues even the manufacturer was still learning about. But we appreciate the videos and great comedy. Keep it up.
The worst part about modern bikes, especially ebikes is how absolutely proprietary everything is for no good reason other than greed.
Happy anniversary today Andy.
It's been very informative watching your channel. 🎉
Converting dad bikes to ebikes is a market that is severely underserved. This can be done in winter on appointment. You can charge around $1,000-$1,200 for a good tune-up plus installing a battery+crank set. This way, people can still ride their perfectly good and servicable bikes.
But e-bikes are a big part of the marketing hype and relentless tech progression that's ruined what should be a cost effective vehicle and cheap passtime. There was no "problem of not having power assistance" before e-bikes were thought of. All-mechanical would be the best niche to serve and promote.
@@davidpalk5010 an ebike built out of a kit that's actually serviceable is better than a commercial one using a closed system behind some manufacturer specific tooling and software though
@@space_cowboy007 But they're both Chinese, plastic, unnecessary crap. Bicycles should never have anything electrical attached - except lights. No motors, no phone mounts, no Garmins, no power-meters, no smart mini-pumps. Smart fricking mini-pumps - WTAF?!!! All that stuff is so much marketing BS that's pretty much ruined bicycles and cycling. Metal, rubber, legs, brain. Stay proudly mechanical. Steel is the real deal, Neil. #savethebicycle
@@davidpalk5010 I agree with you (as long as I'm healthy) about all the crap you mentioned but the motors as i think ebikes fill the moped/motorbike/scooter need of transportation that is present in every city. There is a good way of making ebikes ensuring repairability and openness to user mods, and a bad way locked behind proprietary components and software
@@space_cowboy007 We have many of these conversions on the road already. The majority are cheap, shoddily fitted, and illegal due to being way too fast and throttle operated. We also have many e-scooters on our roads and footpaths - mostly totally illegal due to only the city-centre hire schemes being lawfully usable. The upshot of this is that the majority of electric vehicles on Britain's roads are being used unlawfully, and death and injury has been caused. This has given two wheeled EVs - as well as regular bicycles - a bad reputation. To top it all, everything "e" has environmentally destructive and highly poisonous batteries which can't be recycled. You'll say they can be recycled, but it's a marketing con to ease the conscience of the consumer and keep the legislature at bay. Collecting and separating the materials is not easily possible or commercially viable. Find me a properly audited (truthful) Li-Ion recycling scheme that's avaiable to all and I'll eat my words. I won't have to because you won't find one. Also, the cheap conversions have caused fatal fires, mostly due to being charged in hallways of communal housing. Nobody seems to care about any of this, but that may change if there are high profile deaths or fires which cause multiple fatalities. By comparison, the traditional bicycle is almost totally benign. The "e menace" needs sorting out soon. I used to work in marketing. My job was to con people into making major purchases which were totally unnecessary and seriously against their interests. It was fully legal and scarily easy. You are being conned!
I recently picked up a 1979 Schwinn Collegiate 3, looks exactly like this, and I need to do the same with it. And I agree with the rebrand for vintage bikes as some people have suggested, not enough people working on them.
Such a wonderfully entertaining video. First time watching BikeFarmer. Liked and subscribed!
Love your channel and the way you talk about bikes, been watching your vids for the past 6 months and they are a refreshing change from all other cycling content on UA-cam. Even if I am a devil cyclist with a Giant carbon frame with disc brakes.
"...and the wisdom the stay out of the comments." HELL YES! This is the wisdom of the internet age.
Andy I have really enjoyed the bike farmer rants, they are what make your channel so interesting.❤
This was amazing! I feel exactly like you when it comes to having no interest in learning the new shit. I have lots of 90s technology in my bikeshed and will ride it until I can't fix it. I wish you luck with your new pursuit and look forward to following your channel as it grows! Good luck!
After I retired, the fellow who owns the LBS here in town asked me to come to work for him. Assembling new bikes a couple of days a week. After 10 minutes, I had to resign. As Bike Farmer said so eloquently, I'm a mechanic, not a technician.
He doesn't like new stuff because new stuff doesn't mess up as much as old stuff so it needs less fixing which equals less business. That's the real truth.
@MotoAtheist if the goal is riding super hard and racing super hard you have a point on the performance/ reliability of highly technical modern bikes. People can do unimaginable things on bikes that were literally impossible in the 90s. However, his argument is that the technical feats have become the focus and the rest of the market has been ignored. Riding casually or utilitarian. Why force the average rider to abandon proven, simple technology that is cheap and easy to fix. 7-8 speed cassettes and a triple upfront gets me all of the range I need. I can't afford to replace a 1x pie plate cassette or the chain for the matter when it wears out. I'm not talking about reliability, just regular wear and tear. Multiple $1000 of dollars bikes have become the norm and for most riders are a complete waste and when they do break have to be taken to a mechanic because they need proprietary tools or are too complex for the average person.
@@Brackcycle Modern bikes don't break near as often under casual use, that's the point. I'm not talking about expensive ones either. You can get decent bikes for $500 that will last a person a lifetime if they are casual riders. My previous mountain bike lasted from 2009 to 2022 and would have lasted longer if I didn't ride certain trails that were excessively chunky and brutal on hard tails. I was going to rebuild it, but it has a bunch of old tech that is simply crap compared to new tech and just not worth the money or effort. The bike was $900 and it was one of the first gen 29rs that specialized came out with. Had I not ridden those crappy trails, it would have lasted another 4 to 5 years easy. Trails are hard on any bike.
Cassettes also don't wear out very fast if road ridden and many can be had in the $15/$20 range. Chains are about the same. Dirt is what wears a chain out the quickest, so if not riding trails, the stuff lasts forever. I doubt any casual road user would have to replace any aspect of their drive train ever unless they crash or something. Modern ones can go 3,000+ miles no problem.
@@Brackcycle Yep, and most racers aren't commuters.
So good to see a new video from you. Because of your videos, I've built the confidence to ask the proper questions at bike shops/stores so I don't get upsold on stuff I don't need, and to remind the salesperson that I am just looking to have fun, I don't want to race/compete. I've also gotten my love for riding bikes again after being disenfranchised from it when every store or shop I went to near me was saying I need to spend $2K minimum so I don't get left behind. It's what turned me off from the fun of riding bikes. I recently got a Niner frame from 2012, it's carbon fiber, with nothing on it. Now I want to build it up for the fun of it and use what I learned from your channel to properly tune my bike for my fun on riding on trails with my family. :) I wish you a ton of success in your future endeavors and look forward to more videos!
Good for you. I sometimes get the same feeling when I show up with my triple 9 speed steel bike and everyone else tells me I need disk brakes, tubeless tires and carbon.
I love that my self build "aliexpress" carbon road bike is precisely what I think makes sense: caliper brakes. 2x8 gearing with nice integrated brifters. Narrow aluminium rims of course. I love to show those guys the back-wheel in esp. at my age. It makes them quickly explain how recently they got in to cycling...
😂😂😂😂… there’s a movement being born here, iv been in fir years.
You are truly a teacher and communicator , I can’t learn from someone that makes something that can be relatively simple make it sound and seem like rocket science , you on the other hand are funny and don’t really tell people how to do things , you just do what you do and do it with ease over and over , we can’t do otherwise than learn a few tricks here and there , I feel like I’m hanging out in your shop and shooting the shit with a good friend , if that makes any sense at all .
I recently sold my 2014 Surly Disc Trucker to a guy at a bike swap. It was in excellent shape, no issues whatsoever, other than some scuffed paint. The first thing the guy asked me after paying was "do you think I could install hydraulics on this?" I had no idea how to answer other than to say, "well, it's your bike now, so you can try whatever you want. personally, I wouldn't do it."
The bike industry is totally frying peoples' brains with marketing that urges folks to buy crap that they don't need.
Thanks for bringing some sanity to this industry! Best of luck
I don’t know, I’ve got hydro disc brakes on my road bike and on the long tail kid hauler. They’re pretty great brakes! Hands-down the best I’ve ever used. But I ride in a lot of rainy days and am heavy (really heavy with the kids on), so maybe my braking needs are greater than most.
Love your BIKE repair channel BIKE FARMER your a honest hard working buisness man with ethics and professional skills fixing and maintaining bikes sir I am a 20 year retired aircraft mechanic and watch your shows to maintain my own bikes thanks and ignore the haters and snipers and have fun.
I love bikefarmer and old timer attitude, but I'm gonna give my 2cents. Every trade and profession evolves with technology and market, whether it's education, car manufacturing, bike industry etc and if you're an old timer in the industry and you're not keen on learning new ways you're better off doing something else or keeping yourself to a small niche. Just like you have done. I mean if you're a typical bike shop mechanic and curse that every year bike industry comes up with a new tool and a standard, it's your job to learn and adapt and grow your skillset just like every other profession or trade. I'm a teacher and my country's high school education changed from pen and paper to computers and I just have to deal with it.
And to all shop owners who get annoyed when customers breath down your neck, I got my bike back from a shop once and stem bolts were very loose. My handlebars twisted sideways on my way home and I lost my balance and I fell face first into ground. There aren't many safety features on bicycles apart from helmet so nowadays I do my own maintenance thanks to that one shop.
Let’s be clear though. It’s not my job to do anything anyone says. I get to decide what my job is. I’m not complaining. I’m explaining and adapting.
The way I see it there's a new trend of grouchy bike mechanics on youtube who are stuck in their old ways and too lazy to learn and adapt, read about standards and do a proper professional job. Won't even use a torque wrench or have a glance at the manual before setting up Shimano cues. Then they cover up their incompetence in a rant about the "bike industry". I'm not saying what comes out of the bike industry is always right, but stuff like thru axles, 1x and disc brakes have lots of positives and once you get the right tools, understand the systems and LEARN how to work on it it's not rocket science.
I find these kind of people exist in all fields, and while they might be "good enough for who they're for", they'll never be for me. I want to engage with knowledgeable people who are up to date and take pride in doing stuff the right way with the right tools. That's how I work. My biggest nightmare is ending up out of date and set in my ways.
Actually "good enough for who it's for" is a very condescending and disrespectful attitude towards people who come to you for help. They're not worth it to do a proper job?
@@mountaindweller4514 well then I guess we can’t be friends
@@bkefrmr Hehe, I never expected to be! As you said in the video, you're only in it for the money!
@@mountaindweller4514 which is exactly why we’re seeing a “trend” in bicycle retail employees getting sick of having to LEARN so much more and not getting paid more to deal with it. You say that my attitude is the one that’s condescending and disrespectful, but in reality, you’re the entitled rich kid who things everyone in retail should be honored to be given the opportunity to “help” you and be paid with pride in their work. How is that not disrespectful and condescending? I find that these “customers” exist in all fields. Nobody likes it.
You don't even KNOW how much i feel you man, i ride an older Pegasus Premio SL trekking bike from around 2014 midfield bike which rides like an absolute babe... only problem is when i go to any bike shop and ask for repairs they always tell me "nah, buy a new one" and a lot of times you get told "we only fix bikes that people purchased here" or they tell ya that they not fix outdated garbage like this... so i basically did the right thing and gave them all the finger and learned how to repair stuff myself and i am still learning thanks to a older guy who basically took the sensei role teaching me all that stuff.. but a bike mechanic like you i would absolute trust cause you are HONEST!
I mean just to get that old FORK replaced from a suspension fork "that was shot" to a regular frickin rigid fork was an absolute pain in the arse and most bike shops told me without even checking "nah forget it" till i met that old guy and instantly opened up his browser and said "yup here it is... for rigid fork for an trekking bike of your kind for the right geometry" and he ordered it for me and told me how to install it and so i did... why is the world so idiotic these days?
64 year old bike nerd here. Dig your channel. Dude, 2000 views in one hour.
It’s a banger!
@@bkefrmr, I am a 68-year-old cyclist, but I started as a teenager assembling bicycles for an LBS and blowing almost all the money I earned on Campag parts to stick on a second-hand Columbus road racing frame. I never raced other than in a few club sprints. From the start, I looked on my bicycles as transport that I could afford and maintain. My bikes are good enough for who rides 'em.
From your videos, I continue to learn aspects of bicycle maintenance that I need to understand to help my friends and relations keep their bicycles operating. As for me, since I have hydraulic brakes on my gravel bike, I let my LBS do most of the work, while I will get about on my 52-year-old Columbus-framed bike that I built up at the age of 18.
@@abchaplin I still have my Campag super champion wheels from 1980.
Congrats on your first year of monetization! :) Found your channel a couple of months ago and it’s my new Car Talk. I’m not as mechanically savvy as you, so if I end up attempting to bike farm here in Estonia, and failing miserably (and predictably), I’m blaming you for delivering the sweet, addictive nectar of illusions and activating my latent Dunning-Kruger effect.
“If I was gonna be successful at this, I had to avoid cyclists at all costs”. 🤣🤣🤣 This guys the BEST! So true.
Ope! I watched another Bike Farmer Video! , as I have for the last year. Don't sugar coat it, tell it like it is, as you always do. Probably your best video yet.
I've been working as a mechanic for a couple years now, and a utility cyclist and commuter for decades. I keep saying if I could make a career out of working on just beaters and commuters for my community, I could be happy... It's nice to know I'm not alone in that.
Unfortunately, working on junk, doesn’t make you rich
@@thetechrealist Any bike important enough for someone to want fixed up isn't junk.
This is such a great editorial. Thanks! I'm off to watch your popular video next! Thanks algorithm!
Love these videos, work as a Bike mechanic in a second hand bike shop and it's the joy of fixing some beat up old bike that I love rather than sitting there with some "pro" cyclist who wants to shave off 70g's from their hyper bike. Steel is real!
Next time a "Cyclist" talks about shaving weight off his bike, tell him that if he eats a nice bowl of granola at night, he will take a nice dump in the morning before he rides. That will shave off a lot more than 70g's...
how did you get a job there? did you need experience already?
I used to like to saving 70g off my steel bike... with a drill. The old timers called it "drillium".
I’ve been watching since day one, love your view, my career at shops was very similar. Now at my recent shop, I constantly weigh the pros and cons of starting a shop or mobile setup. You are a beacon of reason and optimism, on the person who genuinely loves the mechanics of it, as well as the honest customer base that exists within it. I work at a partial Trek store in TX, and last year at a shop that primarily carried Trek, in FL. Neither have a great relationship with them, one of which they tried to stongarm, the other had a Trek super store, open across the street, only to lose in the long run. Thank you
I love new and modern mtb, but I also like watching older bikes getting refurbished and being used.
Modern mtb? Its that gravel
@@leonard9624 Huh? google exists.
Love it! I hope you can just be the neighborhood bike shop for regular people and keep making your wonderful videos.
Congrats on one year, Andy! May there be many more!
My brother had a blue Schwinn Racer, the first geared bike I rode. Thanks for the memory! My roadie is a 1971 Crescent, Reynolds 531, still mostly original Campy, the city steed is a hardtail old mtn bike with fenders and slicks and a Softride stem. Just rebuilt the full drive train at my LBS for less than $100. May it ride forever. May you also enjoy a good ride in the path you choose.
YOU'RE KILLING IT BRO! KEEP IT UP!
Congratz on the one-year mark! I love the channel and the content. I'm a visual learner, and I love the CLA process.
I want a Bike Farmer t-shirt with a bicycle on it and a funny saying.
Me too
"Good enough for who it's for."
@@topbanana3413
Perfect!
"Per the uge..."
What about a tshirt with a granny cleaning a bike and saying Wiping as we go?😂
I grew up in Lake Mills, Gib fixed my Huffy 10-speed when I wrecked it almost immediately after getting it home from Shopko. So glad to see the shop open again, even though it sounds like the bloom is off the rose a bit. Really enjoy the documentary ride videos.
I kind of miss Shopko.
“Wisdom to stay out of the comments.” I completely agree.
For some threads, sure. But there are certain creators that seem to attract a great commentariat who post insightful thoughts-Bike Farmer is one, but also the PartyPace guy, the Vlog Brothers, CityNerd, etc. I like comments!
It’s nice to see people who find themselves and the things that make them happy. I commented on another post earlier about how much I enjoy newer bike technology. Nothing to do with electric or hybrid bikes, they don’t interest me. Smooth shifting gears and disc brakes have made my experience better. I like to jump curbs and whatever I can find. Disc brakes allow me to keep on trekking with a bent rim. I still have a blast riding all of my old Bmx bikes. Unfortunately, I have to spend time trueing them after a good ride. Great channel. Keep it up..
I cannot even imagine attempting to run a bike shop in today's climate. I have long wanted to start a used bike shop, specializing in quality used and vintage bicycles and parts, but the problem with that is that what ends up happening is that people want to unload their junk big box store bicycle shaped objects onto you, because they don't have any understanding of what a decent quality bicycle looks like, let alone what it entails. Just as bad, they want to unload their obsolete bicycles onto you, and can't understand why modern (that is, say, post-1970s) parts just won't work on those old bicycles made to ancient thread and size standards, and/or demand that you stock absolutely everything under the sun, whether or not it's actually useful.
IMO, the 1990s was the golden age for bicycle technology. High quality butted CrMo steel frames were still easily available at reasonable prices, we had indexed shifting, 3x7 drivetrains, and integrated shift/brake levers, and we never really needed anything more than that for the average recreational, touring, commuter, fitness, or casual cyclist. The Dura-Ace 7400/7700 era was the peak.
That's not to say some new advances aren't useful, like disc brakes and ebikes (though that market needs to mature a lot first, because it's filled with a lot of junk right now), but that most people simply do not need the technology that makes a difference to the competitive bicycle racer, or the technology that exists solely to be profitable for the bicycle industry.
The only way I'd want to really be involved in the bicycle business is if I had my own bicycle brand, where I could control everything that went into and on a bicycle, and I would sell only decent quality (not luxury quality) bicycles and components that would actually make people's lives better.
There are a few brands out there that attempt to do this, but even they struggle. I noticed this past week that Surly finally removed the Steamroller, one of their most iconic models for over 30 years, from their website entirely. The Steamroller is my Holy Grail of bicycle frame/fork sets. It has everything I need and want in a bicycle, and nothing I don't. The SOMA Buena Vista mixte is another. These are the kinds of bicycles real people need.
I ride a 2 year old ebike for primary transportation/shopping, and a 32 year old Trek for fitness, that I bought at a charity shop for $25. I want to add a newer road bike-preferably a Surly Steamroller or Cross-Check-to replace the Trek for fitness, and keep the Trek as my emergency backup.
Dude! Amazing video. I don't even know how I came upon it. I'm a motorcycle guy, but your personality is on point. Love the love you have for old machines. We definitely have that in common. I wish you much luck in all your endeavors! If I am ever traveling in your parts I will be stopping by. Haha
Back in 1965 I owned a Schwinn Varsity. It was a good bike for the time.
I owned one in the 1990s, bought from an antique shop. They were shocked when I put tires and stuff on it and rode it thousands of miles. They thought it would be a restaurant decoration.
As a technician in a completely different field where the market is being consumed by new innovation that is only 10+ years old, it sucks. And I can tell you’re anxious and frustrated, I get it. But part of getting older and doing service is understanding that this happens and we need to adapt or move on.
As one of those “roadies” you seem to not like, I’m sorry we’re frustrating you. I am in love with it and the new bikes like you are with the old stuff. I hope you see we are not all bad and it’s just different strokes for different folks.
Wishing you the best from Minnesota.
I don’t think I’ve ever used the term “Roadies” in my life.