Tuning by Bicycle - by Dean Petrich     For nearly fifteen years -- from 1973-1988 -- I traveled to my piano customers by bicycle.  Instead of climbing into my car and fastening my seatbelt, I would fasten my helmet and jump on my bike.  This became a routine habit.  My range was about fifty miles, regardless of the weather.  There would often be one or two hundred pounds of tools and parts in my trailer, which had a flag and lots of reflectors and could be sealed closed from road dirt and rain.  After a while I developed set routes for going to certain areas, choosing the least inclines and avoiding the most traffic.
    Bicycling and piano service are an ideal combination for a number of reasons.  For one, the physical contrast is exhilirating.  For another, it is quite economical. A third and often overlooked reason is that bicycling actually can save time.  A fourth reason is nearly a secret known only to bicyclers:  it creates new customers.  A fifth reason is that it keeps life simple and basic.  A sixth thought is that for long distances, we always have access to travel combinations, such as taking advantage of bicycle busses, or even using a bike rack on the car.
    Think of the benefits of the physical contrast.  After working in a stationary position indoors for a period of time, it is a great feeling to go outside and get some physical exercise before going back in to do more focused stationary work.  In addition, since the majority of piano work is relatively sedentary, bicycling is a perfect way to keep physically fit.
    Economically, bicycling makes total sense.  Once all the necessary tools have been purchased, the only other real expenses for the piano business are telephone and travel.  Since in the piano industry most of the advertising is via word-of-mouth, most of the overhead is out of the home, and most of the parts are paid for by the customer, the only big expense is travel.  Cars are expensive: fuel, oil, maintenance, insurance, high purchase price, accidents and tickets, taxes and tabs, etc.  It takes a lot of tunings to pay for these vehicle expenses.  Bicycles are so inexpensive that one job can pay for a life time of bicycle travel.
   Bicycling actually can save time in both direct and indirect ways.   Indirectly, the amount of time spent bicycling to jobs is far less than the amount of time spent working to pay for all the car expenses.  Directly, it forces the scheduling of appointments to become more organized.  Rather than travelling all over the city in a single day, each day must be planned more carefully to go to a local area.  The closer together the tunings are scheduled for each trip, the more pianos can be serviced in less time.
    Consequently, this localization encourages the seeking of referrals, which of necessity creates new customers.  If a trip is to be made to a given area, wouldn't it be wise to talk to all the people within that small area to coordinate all their tunings within the same day?  To encourage this in the beginning, it is very effective and extremely worthwhile to offer discounts for referrals, particularly if one person arranges to set up multiple appointments in the same area.
    The most important part about bicycling is that it centers and grounds a person.  It keeps life simple and back to the basics.  Things are noticed that are bypassed in normal life -- smells, colors, temperature, breezes, sunsets, people.  It is more human:  instead of speeding past another person with the windows shut, there is the option to stop and talk and maybe even learn something.  Bicycling is by far the most efficient form of travel, is the least net-energy consumptive, and is available to anyone.
    Keep in mind the dual option of multiple forms of transportation.  Most cities now have bicycle racks on buses.  It is easy to mount a bike rack on an auto vehicle.  There are many types of bags, packs and trailers available for bicycling.  Use some sort of vehicle to get to the main area for the day, then do all the inter-travel by bicycle.  Carry a cell phone and a laptop and life becomes portable, versatile and justifiable.
    In conclusion, every piano technician should do at least a portion of customer calls by bicycle.  If this is not practical on a daily basis, do it at least for the experience.  If done on a regular basis, it becomes a habit.  And if you don't want to travel at all, there is always shop work.