Forum menu
Ignoring emails, are you? 😉
Go and see Simon at Switchback Cycles.
Top guy - one of the only Giant dealers that works directly with the factory.
He has one in Knaphill and another Guildford way.
Flashy, have you emailed me? Nothing in my inbox.....
Oh, damn. Let me check my sent items then!
Yep, sent at 1339. Might be in a spam folder!
Ahh. It went to spam. Cheers mate. 🙂 it's nearly bedtime now and I'm knackered form the gym, I'll reply tomorrow
Many thanks though 🙂
nickc - MemberGood luck , there's an apprentice position i know of in a bike shop in Daventry, but I think it's a bit far!! Hope you get sorted soon
there is? at leisure lakes?
i fix and build my own bikes so no need for a mechanic but one thing i have no patience for is wheel building, maybe offer that as a service or at least repairs and truing. or perhps cleaning bikes after races for a few quid, get your services known, may not pay all the bills but would supplement your other plans
Good luck sir. I like bike shops where I feel welcome and I trust people. Reckon you could fit the bill there 🙂
Good stuff Pete - glad you are finally getting out of Hansons. Lets catch up over the break.
Pp - mildly pissed but sensible mail to you
Peter I know it was different for me as I made the decision .But similarly I had a safety comfort thang with Royal Mail of nearly 27 years .Its been 3 years now and in that time I've spent 5 months in Canada 3 weeks in NZ had several different jobs and am now doing 20 odd hours driving . It WAS scary as hell at 1st and I guess as it was my doing if it all went tits up it would have been my fault . You had the decision made for you.Not showing off BTW about the travelling just saying how things change , if someone had told me 10 years ago that I would get health problems, be told never to MTB again and I would walk away from a secure steady job I wouldn't have believed them .Oh and I've become a granddad as well ! If you fancy / can afford the fuel for a trip to the Qs next year give us a shout and ill see if I can get some of the usual suspects together .Hope you both have a great Xmas in the circumstances and a fresh positive New Year. Roland
I'm in the very same boat as you after working for the same printing company for 24 years since leaving school. I'm now going to retrain in another field but it feels as scary as hell. Everyone keeps telling me I should have done it ages ago and it'll be the making of me but it still makes me nervous. I'm sure everything will work out for you, so good luck and let us all know how you get on.
There is a place in Surbiton that was advertising -by the station (not cyclopedia - although they may also be worth a try) , might be a direct train from Farborough.
Nick
and YOU are not being made redundant your is.
Best of luck PP!!! Years ago, I jacked in a very good job, with a very good company to go back and study what I really wanted to do. Everyone thought I was insane! But I never looked back. Despite earning far less than I could, and it being bloody hard work to get there, I absolutely love what I do for a living, and just can't imagine how miserable I'd probably be if I'd spent years doing what I did before.
You're doing the right thing! Be bloody minded about it! Just so, when its all worked out, you can be annoyingly smug about it! 😉
Binners, too right mate!
Oldfart, I've wanted redundancy for a while now. I've nothing against Hanson but I'm bored shitless at work. When I got the at risk letter I asked to go voluntarily.
And now I have to work to get where I want to be. Yes, it's probably madness and in 3 years I might hate it, but if I don't try I'll never know will I?
^ This is getting emailed to a few people tonight me thinks,
DrP
Yeah, it sort of struck a chord with me......
http://www.aidforafrica.org/member-charities/world-bicycle-relief/
http://www.thebicycleacademy.org/about/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbtI-SyQAA0
If you are looking for something meaningful.....?
Good luck PP - I would love a service where someone picks up my bike and sorts it out ready for the weekend, there must be more (lazy ****s) like me! Especially so in the South East where everyone is rich
Macavity, yes, that sort of thing is great, fantastic even, but I have a mortgage to pay and as such can't work for free, although I have done similar UK based projects in the past.
🙂
-----------------------------
Generally, as regards the 'mobile' thing, it may happen, it may not, but there's absolutely no point in 'specialising' in anything. I'd have to do anything and cover a fairly wide area to make it even viable. Any type of bike, any time of day, race support, events etc
If your redundancy will tide you over for a while then setup on your own. That'll be far more satisfying than trading one boss and associated hierarchy for another even if you're doing something you enjoy.
I can't see it being easy to make money operating a mobile service as there would be a lot of dead time driving.
You could fit out a small shop and stock it for under £10k (I did) and then build a reputation for good service and economical repairs. If you can keep your overheads low then unless your home area if very different to mine, there should be scope for making a living repairing lower end bikes for people who would baulk at the big shops rates.
I think there's more room in the market for individuals who can fix bikes than there is for another Evans.
we've met at Big Bike Bashes so if you get down to Totton call in and say hi.
What PerfectlyBalanced says makes sense. He runs a small bike shop just down the road from a bigger (but still locally based) bike shop and survives/thrives by being better, different and not just trying to be the same as the rest.
Innovate and thrive.
Fair play to you PP - I don't often post up here but somethings just strike a chord....
Left my job as site manager 15 months ago as I felt the whole industry was going tits up - set up on my own and have never looked back, scary and thrilling at the same time - especially with two young 'uns and the wife still in training at the time.
Happier now then I've been for ten years.......good luck to you!!