# Mobile cycle mechanic.



## Brandane (7 Feb 2012)

Is there much call for such a thing?

I am currently without work, but have an income from a pension from a previous job. The mortgage is paid, so I'm not looking to earn a big income. Pocket money will do.

I like the idea of being self employed, and it would be an extension to the hobby of cycling. I have been pulling bikes (and cars/motorbikes) apart and putting them together again since I was about 14 so it is also a labour of love.

I realise that before people will entrust me to repair their bikes, I will need to gain some sort of recognisable qualification. Have been looking at doing a Cytech course but they don't come cheap (start about £1500 for a level 2 course). The other major expense would be a van, but I have a car which I could sell/trade-in against it.

Any opinions as to whether this might be a worthwhile venture would be welcome, or alternatively feel free to shoot it down while it is still just an idea!

PS.. I live in Ayrshire where the number of cyclists is errrr, "limited", thanks in part to our climate. So it wouldn't have a potential client base comparable to somewhere like London, obviously.


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## neil earley (7 Feb 2012)

Think you could do well , wish you all the best in your new venture and every success if you do go ahead


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## ianrauk (7 Feb 2012)

Stevew on this very forum is a mobile cycle mechanic in and around Bromley environs.
Perhaps ping him a pm for some advice.
He travels about using this.


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## VamP (7 Feb 2012)

There's a lad does exactly that, operating out of Sutton. He parks his van at Box Hill on weekends, and picks up passing trade that way. He then gets people who used him there, reaching out to him directly because they know he does a good job, and will come out to their home, place of work or whatever to sort things out.

I am not sure how good a living he makes out of it, but as a lifestyle it's hard to beat. You might need to find a place where a lot of cyclists gather at the weekends, to get the customer base.


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## oliglynn (7 Feb 2012)

Our workplace had one come in last year, think he must have serviced/repaired at least 10 bikes that day. Perhaps look for local companies that promote cycling to work and see if you could offer your services - esp. at the end of Winter when seasonal cyclists find they need a tune-up!


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## ttcycle (7 Feb 2012)

The one thing to consider if you're self employed is getting yourself some sort of liability insurance as a mechanic -thankfully we're not the States but if you're fixing people's bikes there is the issue of liability and being sued if a repair wasn't deemed fit. It's no big deal if you're working for a company but if you were to be self employed or freelance then the responsibility would rest with you. I have to take out public liability for the work I do as a photographer in case someone is harmed/gets hurt on a shoot.


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## mickle (7 Feb 2012)

My mate has a very successful operation of this kind in Brizzol. I was very skeptical when he started but he's made it work very well and I've had to eat my words. Augmented, I should add, by some lucrative local authority work such as 'Dr Bike' workshops and work for local businesses. The key to success is marketing as much as mechanical ability I suspect.

Here:


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## yello (7 Feb 2012)

Have you a good range of bike tools already? It could be quite expensive to kit yourself out with a decent set and there is variation between bikes. The right, good quality tool makes a huge difference to getting the job done.

I'm not trying to put a downer on your idea and wish you well should you decide to pursue it because I reckon, if you're only looking for tickover money, it's probably a goer (location dependant).


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## Spinney (7 Feb 2012)

Do you need a qualification? I'd use a mobile mechanic by word of mouth, not by asking to see a bit of paper.

I realise you need to get some customers first before word of mouth will work, but perhaps you could try offering free services (well, free labour, anyway) to start with. Couldn't be more expensive than that course you mentioned!


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## Brandane (7 Feb 2012)

Thanks for all the replies and advice so far.



ianrauk said:


> Stevew on this very forum is a mobile cycle mechanic in and around Bromley environs.
> Perhaps ping him a pm for some advice.


Have sent him a PM. 



ttcycle said:


> The one thing to consider if you're self employed is getting yourself some sort of liability insurance


Good point. Will need to check out the cost involved as it is obviously a necessary expense.



yello said:


> Have you a good range of bike tools already? It could be quite expensive to kit yourself out with a decent set and there is variation between bikes. The right, good quality tool makes a huge difference to getting the job done.


I have a good range of tools; but only what I need for my own bikes! So yes I would have to factor in the outlay of additional tools.



Spinney said:


> Do you need a qualification? I'd use a mobile mechanic by word of mouth, not by asking to see a bit of paper.


TBH I would be perfectly confident, as long as customers only had a Specialized Tricross/Secteur or a Trek 6500 MTB! I wouldn't be happy setting about someones carbon framed £4k pride and joy with my current level of knowledge, so I would consider some form of proper training as essential. Word of mouth would also be important, but only if you're good! Make a mess at the start and it would be doomed to failure.


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## jim55 (7 Feb 2012)

yeah id say go for it im sure there would b a demand ,,most peeps use a guy on reccs and if its just tickover youre looking for then im sure it would work ,maybe a bit slow initially but im sure word of mouth would get about , as said its getting known/marketing that u need initially ,,id imagine you would undercut a bit on labour rates but im sure ud break even pretty quick


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## Pat "5mph" (7 Feb 2012)

[quote="Brandane, post: 1713916

PS.. I live in Ayrshire where the number of cyclists is errrr, "limited", thanks in part to our climate. So it wouldn't have a potential client base comparable to somewhere like London, obviously.[/quote]

Hey, great idea! Here in Glasgow I think there is somebody semi-mobile, called Doctor Bike, they go to certain locations on certain days, they are quite expensive I think, but I just had a fleeting look at them.
You might want to "position" yourself in a busy town centre - In Rutherglen, where I live, you can hardly see anybody cycling, but as soon as I reach the city centre or the west end I see plenty of cyclist, even when the weather is awful - like almost every day 
You might want to leaflet a few office blocks, perhaps? Or simply place yourself near a busy spot, with a big sign on your car/van? Enquire if you need a license for that 
The possibilities are quite a few: organization is the name of the game, you don't want to waste your time and spend too much money before making any.
You will need a simple bookkeeping system for yourself.
If you are starting to make money, you will need to open a bank account just for the business, register for national insurance contributions, declare your income.
I would get insurance straight away if you are all set to start, get quotes.
Goodness, I sound like a small business adviser: your local small business gateway will tell you all, go see them, it's free.
I think you will do well once people get to know about you - a lot of small businesses fail because of overheads you will not have (rent, rates, utilities)
A lot of cyclists, I think, would pay somebody like you for the convenience of having minor repairs done on the spot, in conjunction with their lbs for major jobs/purchases. This also means you don't have to carry/buy all the tool a shop would have.
I would not worry about qualifications, who's gonna ask you for your papers when they need an inner tube/brake job in a hurry to go home??
Good luck, I really think you can do it!


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## the_bing (7 Feb 2012)

great idea! the best of luck! good advise from pat 5mph...


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## lukesdad (7 Feb 2012)

Encamp yourself outside your local Halfrauds, that should do the trick


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## jim55 (7 Feb 2012)

another thing that im sure would go down a treat is a mobile recovery service ,pick people up when they have a major failure /cant make it /a minor off and they dont want to continue ,something like that .
im sure people would pay for this ,its not well advertised so id say thats a potential market to target ,i for one dont have a "get me home emergency service "of course this would involve a van capable of carrying bikes and a bit of space,but a van would b essential anyway for most things


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## Paul.G. (7 Feb 2012)

Brandane said:


> Is there much call for such a thing?
> 
> I am currently without work, but have an income from a pension from a previous job. The mortgage is paid, so I'm not looking to earn a big income. Pocket money will do.
> 
> ...


 
How about researching companies (large or small) within your area where the number of cycling commuters is reasonable, approach them and ask if you can offer a lunch-time service to the staff who cycle - punctures picked up on the way in, quick service etc. On the back of that you could offer these customers a morning / evening rescue service for a flat fee + mileage, build it from there


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## ufkacbln (7 Feb 2012)

The qualification cited as the standard for the industry is Cytech


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## Hacienda71 (7 Feb 2012)

If they are not tied up with a bike shop already, you could offer your services to local sportive/charity ride organisers. Being insured and qualified would probably be a pre-requisite.


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## Moby Jones (7 Feb 2012)

Sounds like a good idea. It's certainly something which I may use. Would you offer a cleaning/servicing option? I don't know how much money you could make at it here on the west coast, but if you are willing to spend some time building up the business I think it could be a goer. Best of luck and keep us posted.

You should approach the local councils to get some advertising/notices on their intranets, I know Inverclyde council has its own intranet which local businesses put notices on. I know lots of people who work for the council have bikes and a mobile servicing/maintenance service could get a lot of interest.


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## lpretro1 (7 Feb 2012)

I have been running my own mobile service for seven years and I make a good living out of it. See the following www.cyclefix.net to see how many of us there are - all the ones on this list are qualified and insured. If you do do it as a business you will need to have public and product liability insurance and declare yourself to HMRC. Geting a qualification is a good idea (thoug not compulsory) - helps with customer confidence I think. There is no "industry standard" - those who tout the Cytech qualification are wrong by implying their qualification is that. Try the City & Guilds instead - better qualfication much more practically based - you can do it at the The Bike Inn in Lincolnshire.


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## Mad at urage (8 Feb 2012)

I'm surprised this hasn't been posted yet! 
View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxfzm9dfqBw


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## SoloCyclist (8 Feb 2012)

I would think your 'bread and butter' jobs would be kids bikes where the father can't be bothered or doesn't know how to fix minor probs. it will take a while before someone gives you a four figure bike to fix. I'm sure most on here can do all minor repairs or know someone to come and get them. 

Get some kids bikes in a few sizes, service them and sell them on to parents who may want a puncture fixed but may also be interested if you notice the bike is too small for the kid. 

The parents will be more likely to talk about you at nurseries, school, work and the like. These are the people who will see the value in saving some money and not being bothered with something troublesome like fixing their kid's bike.

Just an idea.


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## david1701 (8 Feb 2012)

hit up local biggish firms (espesh civil service types) and see if you can run a serv ice where you have a look at bikes during the day, I'm sure this would go down v well on one of the sites where I work


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## Mike! (8 Feb 2012)

We have one in Ipswich who i use, find it very useful having someone to come to you. I normally get my services etc done while at work so am never without the bike or having the bother of dropping it off anywhere.

It also means i don't feel tied to the LBS i brought the bike from and can quite happily buy off the net / second hand and still get a great service.

website is here


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## MacB (8 Feb 2012)

Another aspect is tuition, I paid for my local mobile mechanic to supervise and assist work in training mode. He also advised on tools I'd need etc.


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## Herbie (8 Feb 2012)

Brandane said:


> Is there much call for such a thing?
> 
> I am currently without work, but have an income from a pension from a previous job. The mortgage is paid, so I'm not looking to earn a big income. Pocket money will do.
> 
> ...


 
great idea...i've often thought an AA type service for bicycles would be a good venture..i wish you well


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## semislickstick (9 Feb 2012)

There is a guy who does this around Cambridge, when I first picked up his card I thought it was a sort of cycle AA, but he also buys cheap bikes at the police auctions does them up, sells them to the student population with a warranty etc as well as call outs. So with all of that I guess it keeps him busy. Good idea. Have you got a student population/city near by?


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## david1701 (9 Feb 2012)

MacB said:


> Another aspect is tuition, I paid for my local mobile mechanic to supervise and assist work in training mode. He also advised on tools I'd need etc.


 
I like that, I'd pay for someones afternoon to teach me one on one how to build wheels. Someone I could run over the parts/tools required with, who would then talk me through how would be epic. As a freelancer I know ball park how much labour is so would expect that to be a good £100+ (probs £150, asumming a few hours her -4?) but I'm not 100% everyone would be on board with paying that much relative to time


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## Herbie (12 Feb 2012)

Mad@urage said:


> I'm surprised this hasn't been posted yet!
> View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxfzm9dfqBw




Classic Python  i'd forgot all about that sketch...made my day that did...Cheers


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