Hacker News Reader

Comment by xnickb | Hacker News Reader

Good job adjusting quickly.

I used to repair cars. I guess if nothing else works, I can do that until EVs take over that.

My idea is converting to a bicycle mechanic. Very simple and doesn't require a huge amount of very expensive tools as upfront investment, just some experience and practice to do it efficiently.

By the way, my local bike shop has a one month long (!!!) queue for repairs. Just saying.

Where I live many, many older people are now on e-bikes. They are good paying customers, and most don't want to work on their bikes themselves (unlike hobbyists with the pushbikes).

I've worked at a bikeshop when I was a kid. That's long ago so my experience is dated, but here is my takeaway: There are good customers. There are also lots of not so good customers and there are a lot of jerks. People want their bikes ready yesterday, can't imagine why after they neglected their bikes for three years it can't be finished in a few hours.

And today they are taken aback by any reasonable hourly rate because a new bike from China costs less than a few hours of your work. Good luck! Oh, and if you really follow through on this make sure you copy Sheldon's pages just in case they ever go down, you'll have an edge over the rest.

Haven’t you discovered these electric carbon mountain bikes for 5000-8000€ yet? With wireless seat height adjustment and all the imaginable bells&whistles. They need at least one check for 400-600€ a year. Not much cheaper is the check for normal 2000-4000€ electric bicycle. And they are super popular here in wealthier neighborhoods.

I always laugh at the people on bikes like that. There is absolutely no way that they are going to perform any better on those bikes the shape they are in. It's a combination of cosplaying and conspicuous consumption.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com