I feel for you matey, today i watched three clowns called tyre fitters lose the battle with fitting a new front tyre, gotta go back tomorrow for round two !
Yep, watching an ass clown bugger up a snowflake rim 30 years ago was why I've (mostly) done my own tyres since.
Two weeks ago i had new tyres fitted to the GSA, I rang asking for a price on a pair of Pirelli Scorpion 2s and the price quoted was very good. Then the guy said "free fitting and balance included". As I've been a bit poorly lately I decided to take advantage and watch them closely while the did the job.
When I arrived the tyre fitter introduced himself - he was a short guy, not much taller than my wife. I was about to offer to ride the GSA in (with the Ohlins fitted it is 1" taller than a stock GSA) but he said "no problems" and asked for the keys.
Well he went out to the roadside and mounted from the RHS, keeping the bike on the side stand until it started and then pushing off and climbing aboard in one movement. Then he rode it down a narrow corridor effortlessly and finally up onto the fixed work bench at the back of the shop reserved for changing tyres.
I thought "well he can ride at any rate."
As he commenced work I was leaning up against the plastic chain that formed a cordon around the tyre changing area, he saw me and invited me in, assuring me that he didn't mind being watched.
I admired his confidence.
But, not only did he do a very professional job of removing the wheels, he buffed up the front axle on a polishing mop (and coated it in lanolin to slow new corrosion) , cleaned all nuts and bolts and put them back in with new anti-seize, had a look at the brake pads and pointed out that my fronts nearly need changing, checked the front bearings before refitting the brakes, check the rear hub for leaks and finally ran the back edge of a spanner over all the spokes to check they all had the same tone.
He then turned the bike around on the work bench and rode it outside, came back and gave me the keys. Elapsed time around 15 minutes.
I complimented him on the job and said something along the lines that tyre changer was usually the most unloved job in a shop and it was good to see someone taking pleasure in doing a good job and doing sensible things like cleaning and lubricating and not just bolting everything back together as it was.
he told me he is the son of the shop's owner and agreed that it was near impossible to get a decent tyre changer, he then said that as the first customer impression that many new people have is getting tyres fitted he decided to do the job himself both to ensure it was done correctly and to manage the customer experience.
I have to say the approach works, cause they just won another customer.
Especially when he said that if I walk in with a set of tyres they will fit them for me for $15 each including the carcass disposal levy (this may be an Asutralia only idea but the Govt charges a fee to cover the processing of old tyres into more useful things - which has of course started a new species of fraud where shady shops collect the levy and then dump the tyres in secluded locations by dead of night. That sounds petty until you think of what the profit on a semi-trailer load of illegally dumped tyres is).
