Serious question, my shop's comeback rate dropped from about 1 in 8 bikes to 1 in 30 after we changed one thing at the bench | Bicycle Mechanics - Opinions Matter
Serious question, my shop's comeback rate dropped from about 1 in 8 bikes to 1 in 30 after we changed one thing at the bench
Six months ago my comeback rate was ugly. About 1 in 8 tune ups was coming back within two weeks, mostly brakes rubbing and gears skipping after a ride or two. I tracked every single one in a notebook for a month and the pattern was obvious. Almost all of them were bikes where I torqued the stem, seatpost, and derailleur hanger by feel because reaching for the torque wrench felt like overkill on a quick tune. I started forcing myself to grab the wrench on every single fastener, even the ones I was sure about, and the comebacks fell to about 1 in 30 within two months. Same mechanics, same parts, same stand in the back corner of the shop. The only real change was five extra minutes per bike and actually clicking the wrench instead of guessing. My boss thinks I'm slow now but the front counter guy says the phone rings way less. Anyone else track their comebacks like this, or am I the only one keeping a notebook like a weirdo?
Have you thought about whether the comebacks just moved to a different failure point instead of going away? Meaning your notebook only catches the stuff that comes back to you, not the stuff people quietly take to another shop or just live with.