Do you work on other people's bikes?

[ADVHOG]

I will work on friend's bikes but I don't charge...I don't want it to become a job because I already have a job I hate. Most things I do are to keep nice old bikes on the road. The shop in town would charge more than they are worth!

 

[partsguy]

When I was in jr high and high school, everyone wanted me to work on their rides. It got to be over whelming and I was giving away my time and parts. In retrospect, it was foolish to wear my heart on my sleeve. I started charging for parts and labor. I was a teenager, I couldn't give parts away. If I wasn't paid, I took my parts back.

Today, I only work on bikes for very close friends or family. I did spend several days trying to rebuild my now-ex girlfriend's old bike. A curb find 1990's Huffy that should have been scrapped. New bearings, rear brake cables, new seat, new grips, new pedals, and a lot of time in labor. Wasted.

I fixed up a 1979 AMF 3-speed, a pretty purple and white cruiser for my mother. She never rides it. I rebuilt my step-dad's 1978 Concord New Yorker with a 1979 Columbia parts bike. I invested little money in it, but a lot of time and presented it for father's day. We don't always see eye-to-eye, but we ARE family and he was so thrilled to see it rebuilt. New bars, stem, back wheel (transmission was good, but rim was smashed), all new cables, grips, and tires were swapped. All from that Columbia. He has ridden it on occasion.

I rebuilt an old Free Spirit for my dad a few years ago. It got him back in biking, and when the derailleur gave out on a 20 mile ride, that was it. He bought a new Giant!

I barely have time for my own stuff, and since I quit doing favors for everybody my life has been simpler. I send people to the LBS in town; they scratch my bike and I scratch theirs!!

 

[old hotrod]

Occasionally especially if it is a specific problem with brakes, a wheel, etc. I don't do it for the money so I won't accept payment for my work if......you help, which usually means cleaning and repacking bearings, and you watch and help me reassemble so you can do it yourself next time. If they don't want to assist, I usually say no thanks, too busy. I think that anyone who won't get their hands dirty or take a little time to learn shows too little interest or concern for what I do and my time/materials.
As for full on rehabs, I just don't have the time. If I went to all the trouble that Rollo did and I found out that the Fastback ended up back in the barn I would be quite upset unless I was paid a good deal of money. His work and that bike deserved much more than to be cast aside to a barn for use as a pigeon toilet.
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My thoughts exactly...my time is very valuable to me...if he or she is interested and willing to turn it into a learning experience, no problem, I am more than willing to work on the bike but hand it to me to do and expect me to do everything, ain't gonna happen. I have a friend with an 80 Schwinn Cruiser, she has asked me to "work on it and tune it up." The exchange goes like this..."when do you have the time to work on my bike?" me: "when are you going to pull it out of the packed shed, wash it and clean the chrome? I'll pick it up after you clean it up." This exchange has been going on for more than two years.

 

[Freqman1]

I'm in the camp that barely has time to work on my own stuff. When I was a young guy people found out that I did body work. After getting stiffed twice on time/materials I quit doing other peoples stuff. That said I'd help a fellow biker out as long as it wasn't too involved and they aren't in it for a flip. V/r Shawn

 

[bricycle]

Not on purpose.
Usually just adjusting Derailleurs brakes. Once did rebuild on a adult trike a guy picked up at a garage sale.

 

[bairdco]

Only for money. I've built many custom bikes for friends, and other people. They all have to pay.

 

[Boris]

I do. But I make damn sure they'll never ask me again.

 

[Greg M]

I do. But I make damn sure they'll never ask me again.

I hope you enjoyed the sledge hammer I sent you last Xmas

 

[GTs58]

Hell no. But I do help those that want to help themselves.

 

[sccruiser]

I'm in the camp that barely has time to work on my own stuff. When I was a young guy people found out that I did body work. After getting stiffed twice on time/materials I quit doing other peoples stuff. That said I'd help a fellow biker out as long as it wasn't too involved and they aren't in it for a flip. V/r Shawn

Im with you here. If they are gonna ride and enjoy it, I love to help out and make it roll again, but when they want a full resto .. no dice.