Customer showed me my cable housing was 4 inches too long

Some guy came in with a custom frame and pointed out my housing was dragging on the top tube. He was just like "you know that adds friction right" and now I cut everything way closer. Anybody else have a customer call them out on something obvious?

3 comments

3 Comments

angela_harris24d ago

I read an interview with some old-school frame builder once who said he could tell a mechanic's skill level just by looking at the cable housing... he said the really good ones leave about half an inch of slack so it makes a smooth curve, but anything more is just lazy. That stuck with me, so now I always hold the cable up to the frame before I cut and picture the line it'll take. You gotta respect a customer who knows their stuff, even if it stings a little.

kelly63824d ago

Ha, that's such a good point, @angela_harris, and it's funny how that eye for small details carries over into everything else, like noticing when a carpenter's corners are clean or a chef's knife work is consistent. It's like the whole world has little signs of care that you start seeing once you know what to look for.

susanb3424d ago

Oh, that is such a good point! I've always thought the same thing about cable work. It's one of those little details that separates someone who just wants to get the job done from someone who really cares about how the bike rides and looks. I remember watching a master mechanic at our local shop once, and he spent a good five minutes just holding the housing up to the frame, adjusting it a tiny bit, then holding it up again. It was almost like he was having a conversation with the bike. You're right, a customer who notices that kind of thing is a blessing, even if it makes you check your own work a little closer. It keeps us all honest.