Wheelbuilding - how cheap is too cheap?

[OldShep]

Show me another trained, skilled artisan, or indeed any other professional in their own field, that charges much under 150 and hour for their time. I can see nomreason by a skilled wheel builders time is worth any less.

I wouldn't participate in a race to the bottom for something like that although, in fairness, a good friend of mine is a wheelbuilder (he owns a Giant dealership) and does mine for me for free on an as and when basis. I always see he hpgets well watered and fed for his efforts, but he doesn't actually charge me.

Your rate of pay is spread, hopefully, among a large number of punters.
Try asking one person for £200 to play solely for them. I doubt you’re that good 😊

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Your rate of pay is spread, hopefully, among a large number of punters.
Try asking one person for £200 to play solely for them. I doubt you’re that good 😊

But he might get £200 not to play for them 😜

 

[Cycleops]

Let me get this straight @Drago . You charge £200 an hour to play with your band, so there are maybe four others in the band each wanting the same. So if you play a gig from say 7 to 10, £1000 an hour, three hours that's £3000. Is that correct? Just interested in what bands make now. There on going costs like transport of course.

 

[Ajax Bay]

But this all has to be sen in a market context: with a complete wheel of similar quality and build.
Styling a wheel builder as an artisan is reasonable, but much of the work (calculating spoke length, lacing up and generally tensioning the wheel) does not require significant training or expertise. However getting the rim circular and central/dished correctly is the clever stuff and the speed a good wheel builder can do this is amazing, and the quality worth paying for, but not over-paying for.

 

[ColinJ]

Let me get this straight @Drago . You charge £200 an hour to play with your band, so there are maybe four others in the band each wanting the same. So if you play a gig from say 7 to 10, £1000 an hour, three hours that's £3000. Is that correct? Just interested in what bands make now. There on going costs like transport of course.

I found that pretty amazing too!

 

[vickster]

I think my LBS charges £60 for a wheel (re)build, which is their hourly rate. Pretty reasonable imo, the (young looking to me) mechanic has been doing for many years
Other than that, I guess I’d expect to pay up to £100 for a build plus parts of course if a one off and I was supplying the bits?

 

[Jameshow]

Are you talking pounds sterling or rupees ? £150 an hr x 8 =£1,200 a day
And you think that is value for money ?
What colour is the sky on your planet ?
Is not a building worker of any kind , skilled ? If you said I want 6k a week to work I doubt very much you would get many people bite your hand off !

Does it in-between seeing patients...

Oops sorry wrong kind of nipples..

 

[T4tomo]

I paid £40 a wheel in labour a while wow 2 years back, at a small out of the way one man band place in rural Herts. If your £70 is for a pair, its a bargain. I wouldnt expect to be charged less than £50 a wheel now, then add VAT if you go to somewhere big enough to be VAT registered.


For those staggered by live band costs, have you even considered practice time, transport to and fro and setting up time? The "hourly" rate then starts to look a lot smaller. £3-4k for a decent "covers" / party band is about the going rate

 

[Alex321]

What do you think is the going rate for a skilled or highly qualified person?

£70 - £100 per hour. Most places will charge the end customer £100-£150, and the person doing the work will be getting less than that.