Re: [CR] wheel-building machinery

(Example: Framebuilders:Bernard Carré)

Date: Sat, 18 Apr 2009 12:27:23 -0500
From: "John Thompson" <johndthompson@gmail.com>
Organization: The Crimson Permanent Assurance
To: CR List <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
References: <289465.64152.qm@web82208.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
In-Reply-To: <289465.64152.qm@web82208.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: [CR] wheel-building machinery


Jerome & Elizabeth Moos wrote:
> I figured that, but even as a bit of supplemental income, this would
> be a lot of work. So how much more does a shop pay for your wheels
> than a set from the sweatshop, or for those 4 per hour ones done by
> shop guys at home? I imagine that you clients are mostly the more
> conscious shops, that don't want to spend their own labor on low end
> wheels, but don't want to let shoddy product out the door either.

The first shop I worked for back in the 70s would pretty much close down for winters, but we had a deal with one of the distributors to build wheels for them during the off season. I'd go in about once a week and pick up a pile of rims, spokes and hubs and bring them home to build, returning the built wheels the next week when I picked up my new supplies. I don't remember how much I got paid, but it wasn't a whole lot. Pretty lean times until the shop opened again in the spring. I sure got a lot of practice building wheels, anyway!

--

-John Thompson (john@os2.dhs.org)
Appleton WI USA