Taking over the bike shop...

[Gwylan]

In other news I have a new client from tomorrow, and hopefully this one won't vanish after three days...

Might ask yourself the hard question.
Why did they vanish after 3 days?
What could you do to avoid a repetition.

 

[Andy in Germany]

Might ask yourself the hard question.
Why did they vanish after 3 days?
What could you do to avoid a repetition.

We always ask that. Unfortunately it's not unknown for people to vanish and this particular client has a reputation for doing so for reasons I obviously can't go into here. One of the hard realities of our work is that some people aren't ready for assistance and/or won't accept it.

When his social worker contacted me I asked him to tell the client the door remained open if he wanted to come back.

Now I have to focus on the next client and do my best for him.

 

[HobbesOnTour]

At the moment they don't need anyone to work in the cafe, so I'm concentrating on this instead; either will be beneficial for future goals. Also I really miss training people. I'm also slightly aware that this job isn't 100% secure, so being more skilled will either make me harder to make redundant, or give me more skills to offer a new employer.

I'm just thinking of recently where you were thinking out loud about your future options and that not all of the factors were work related. I see the greater job security to be achieved with this route but does that also limit you in seeking other experience inside or outside your organisation?

Case in point: 18 months into your first apprentice there's a great opportunity workwise closer to home. Would you be able to down tools and walk off into the sunset leaving a nearly qualified client hanging in the wind? (Emotive language used on purpose).
That's not to say we should live our lives based on fantasies coming true but perhaps to suggest that we shouldn't build barriers that make achieving our goals more difficult.
Your commitment to, patience with and the allowances you make for your clients is highly commendable.

In other news I have a new client from tomorrow, and hopefully this one won't vanish after three days...

The very best of luck to both of you.

Hopefully, some day in the not too distant future, one of the things a new client will get is the feedback from existing clients that will encourage them to want to stay and commit.

 

[Andy in Germany]

More clearing out is taking place.

 

[Andy in Germany]

I'm just thinking of recently where you were thinking out loud about your future options and that not all of the factors were work related. I see the greater job security to be achieved with this route but does that also limit you in seeking other experience inside or outside your organisation?

Case in point: 18 months into your first apprentice there's a great opportunity workwise closer to home. Would you be able to down tools and walk off into the sunset leaving a nearly qualified client hanging in the wind? (Emotive language used on purpose).
That's not to say we should live our lives based on fantasies coming true but perhaps to suggest that we shouldn't build barriers that make achieving our goals more difficult.
Your commitment to, patience with and the allowances you make for your clients is highly commendable.

Thanks @HobbesOnTour. I think about this a fair bit, because obviously every step we take closes doors as well as opening them. I think currently this is the best opportunity I have, in fact if it works it's one that probably only comes once a lifetime. Being a "trainer" in Germany brings better pay and job security (and is culturally respected) so it's handy that it's something I really like doing. I can probably come back to the other things I want to do later, I could even do something voluntary to gain experience but I'd never get the chance to train people and be accredited for it as a volunteer.

One I started training someone I'd not consider leaving until they were finished. I do commit to people and I'd consider myself obligated to my client and also to my employer for giving me the opportunity.

At the same time the culture here is different I know I'd be unlikely to get another job at that time even if I did want one; another employer would take a very dim view of me 'jumping ship' after making that kind of commitment so I'd be shooting myself in the foot. (It may even be that my contract would obligate me to stay until my client's graduation; they take this very seriously here).

On the other hand, after I've trained someone another employer would see me as an experienced trainer, and/or I'd be more valuable to my current employer, so I'd have more options.

 

[Jameshow]

We always ask that. Unfortunately it's not unknown for people to vanish and this particular client has a reputation for doing so for reasons I obviously can't go into here. One of the hard realities of our work is that some people aren't ready for assistance and/or won't accept it.

When his social worker contacted me I asked him to tell the client the door remained open if he wanted to come back.

Now I have to focus on the next client and do my best for him.

We had a dozen guys at our men's shed last week this week 5 it's the nature of the work, but often those are the most important, one chap yesterday told me he had OD last September and was building his life back up. If it has been busier I doubt he would have opened up.

 

[Andy in Germany]

I'm now sorting out the recently cleared bike store. Here's one of the metal strips used to hang wheels from:

The frame itself is square, then someone decided not to bother measuring or using a spirit level when they put these in. Why someone would be so sloppy in their work I don't know, but if they were this sloppy when putting up hangers, it could explain why the bikes were so badly made when I started here.

 

[Andy in Germany]

We had a dozen guys at our men's shed last week this week 5 it's the nature of the work, but often those are the most important, one chap yesterday told me he had OD last September and was building his life back up. If it has been busier I doubt he would have opened up.

I've come across the men's shed concept and it looks frankly brilliant, not least because it is filling a gaping hole in provision for men's psychological health.

 

[classic33]

View attachment 677144

More clearing out is taking place.

What hubs are on the fourth and fifth wheels on the bottom row?

 

[Andy in Germany]

What hubs are on the fourth and fifth wheels on the bottom row?

No idea now. I did check them before I threw them though; there's a big pile of good wheels in the storeroom.

 

[annedonnelly]

The frame itself is square, then someone decided not to bother measuring or using a spirit level when they put these in. Why someone would be so sloppy in their work I don't know, but if they were this sloppy when putting up hangers, it could explain why the bikes were so badly made when I started here.

It makes me feel ill just looking at that!

 

[classic33]

No idea now. I did check them before I threw them though; there's a big pile of good wheels in the storeroom.

T'weren't an Alpine hub on that fifth wheel?

 

[Gwylan]

View attachment 677144

More clearing out is taking place.

Oh, good heavens. There must be perfectly good spikes in there. 🥴

 

[Big John]

Oh, good heavens. There must be perfectly good spikes in there. 🥴

If you saw the pile of 'scrap' at our bike charity you'd despair, a bit like I do. I see good stuff that should never have gone in there in the first place and now I can't even reach it to take it out. For sure there are good spokes, good hubs, endless good bits of all sorts but you need someone to take the spokes off, remove good components, etc, and we don't have the time or the spare hands to do it. While we're servicing bikes or fixing them up to sell they continue to arrive as donations and available space is finite so we don't have the luxury to keep everything. Hence the scrap heap. They system seems crazy, and it is too, but it's the only way we keep the place going without disappearing beneath a mountain of bikes. We need our very own 'Andy'.

 

[Andy in Germany]

Oh, good heavens. There must be perfectly good spikes in there. 🥴

There were a number of useful wheels and a few that I doubt I'll use but kept on the basis they're too good to throw away, and I'll probably dismantle for the hubs. Unfortunately I don't have time to sort everything and I need the space more than I need the wheels. If I keep everything then soon it's a big scrap pile and I can't find the wheels I do need to fix the bikes I can sell. The problem then is that perfectly good bikes languish or get scrapped because I can't find the parts I need.

I'm trying to stop this problem by organising the "scrapping" workshop in the other centre we have, so that we get a slightly slower flow of useful parts instead of an avalanche of scrap with the occasional useful part buried in the depths. I'll visit tomorrow so I'll know how that's going.

If you saw the pile of 'scrap' at our bike charity you'd despair, a bit like I do. I see good stuff that should never have gone in there in the first place and now I can't even reach it to take it out. For sure there are good spokes, good hubs, endless good bits of all sorts but you need someone to take the spokes off, remove good components, etc, and we don't have the time or the spare hands to do it.

That's pretty much the situation when I arrived and I'm trying to change it. I wanted to strip those wheels down but I quickly realised I wouldn't have time: I need to get this storeroom looking safe in a week because I need to help my colleagues in other departments get ready for the health and safety inspection in March.

The last manager could jury rig a bike from anything but let the whole management/client care slide a lot. One example of this is that he'd only visit the other centre once every few months, so the team there didn't know what they were doing, get any tools or encouragement and were generally pretty demoralised.

I'm hoping that over time I can divert the real scrap into the recycling centre and train my clients so they know what I need. I'm also now allowed to send scrap bikes straight to them when I have too many.

While we're servicing bikes or fixing them up to sell they continue to arrive as donations and available space is finite so we don't have the luxury to keep everything. Hence the scrap heap. They system seems crazy, and it is too, but it's the only way we keep the place going without disappearing beneath a mountain of bikes. We need our very own 'Andy'.

It's kind of comforting that I'm not the only one dealing with this. I felt proper guilty throwing away some old but serviceable Nexus hubs today, but as you say, space is finite and if I keep those I don't have space for the other wheels I do need. I found about ten good 26" and 28" front wheels with hub dynamos today buried by wheels I can't use, and several new or nearly new parts that I'd "replaced" because I didn't know I had them, so I've saved a fair bit of money by doing this. I just hope I can get a system working and keep it working so we don't end up overwhelmed again.

Even more I hope my new client will see how he can be part of this story.