Bicycle mechanic
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

A bicycle mechanic or bike mechanic is a
mechanic A mechanic is an artisan, skilled tradesperson, or technician who uses tools to build, maintain, or repair machinery, especially cars. Duties Most mechanics specialize in a particular field, such as auto body mechanics, air conditioning an ...
who can perform a wide range of repairs on
bicycle A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike or cycle, is a human-powered or motor-powered assisted, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A is called a cyclist, or bicyclist. Bic ...
s. Bicycle mechanics can be employed in various types of stores, ranging from large department stores to small
local bike shop A local bike shop or local bicycle shop, sometimes abbreviated LBS, is a small business, as distinct from a chain, mail-order or online vendor, specializing in bicycle sale, maintenance and parts. In the UK and Ireland, the expression ''in ...
s; cycling teams, or bicycle manufacturers.


Classification and wages

The
New York State Department of Labor The New York State Department of Labor (DOL or NYSDOL) is the department of the New York state government that enforces labor law and administers unemployment benefits. The mission of the New York State Department of Labor is to protect workers ...
describes bicycle repair as a "realistic" occupation, meaning an occupation that would be enjoyed by somebody who likes "practical, hands-on problems," dealing with "real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery," and one that "does not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others." They classify it as a job that "usually requires a high school diploma and may require some
vocational training Vocational education is education that prepares people to work as a technician or to take up employment in a skilled craft or trade as a tradesperson or artisan. Vocational Education can also be seen as that type of education given to an ind ...
or job-related course work. In some cases, an associate's or bachelor's degree could be needed. Employees in these occupations need anywhere from a few months to one year of working with experienced employees." They indicate an annual wage in the neighborhood of $25,000, but can earn up to a little more than $40,000. "In 2002, employment for bicycle repairers in New York was 360."


Skills and training

The skills involved in
maintaining ''Maintaining'' is a 2007-2009 comic strip by cartoonist Nate Creekmore. Creekmore is a two-time winner of the Scripps College Cartoonist of the Year and an Associated Press award for achievement in college cartooning. Creekmore's strip first a ...
racing bicycles and other specialized bicycles of course go beyond the basics outlined in New York's "occupational brief." Well-known schools offering advanced training for bicycle mechanics include th
United Bicycle Institute
of
Ashland, Oregon Ashland is a city in Jackson County, Oregon, United States. It lies along Interstate 5 approximately 16 miles (26 km) north of the California border and near the south end of the Rogue Valley. The city's population was 21,360 at the 2020 cen ...

Barnett Bicycle Institute
of
Colorado Springs Colorado Springs is a home rule municipality in, and the county seat of, El Paso County, Colorado, United States. It is the largest city in El Paso County, with a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States Census, a 15.02% increase since ...
, an
Appalachian Bicycle Institute
of
Asheville, North Carolina Asheville ( ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Buncombe County, North Carolina. Located at the confluence of the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers, it is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the state's 11th-most populous cit ...
. The Park Tool Co., a well-known maker of bicycle mechanic's tools, has an outreach training program called th
Park Tool School
which is made available at many local bike shops, taught by local bike shop personnel with the assistance of training materials and manuals from Park Tool. One common avenue for entering the trade is to start as a bike builder or assembler at a local bike shop. This job can range from simply finishing the assembly started at the factory (attaching wheels and handlebars) to more thorough builds in which all systems are re-adjusted to a given level of quality. The range of assembly involvement varies from shop to shop. In
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
there are a variety of bicycle mechanic training programs, including the BAM ( Bicycle Assembly & Maintenance) program in
Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
which has been accredited by the Bicycle Trade Association of Canada (BTAC) and funded by the
Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
government. Students in the BAM program complete an 8 week program at the Learning Enrichment Foundation followed by working one week in a local Toronto bicycle shop of their choice proving their skills by assembling new bicycles and fixing old bicycles.


Documentation

A few books on being a bicycle mechanic are still in print. The most recent is ''Bike Mechanic: Tales from the Road and the Workshop'' which interviews top professional bicycle technicians on their daily lives as mechanics for professional cycling teams. Among many references on bicycle repair, ''Barnett's Manual'' is a comprehensive four-volume set, most recently released in print in 2003 at a retail price of $124.95, that includes detailed coverage and diagrams of bicycle components from many different manufacturers. The ''Lonely Planet'' cycling guide says, "If you want to know more about maintaining your bike... ''Richard's Bicycle Book'' is a classic. If you want to know absolutely everything get ''Barnett's Manual''... or ''Sutherland's Handbook".'' VeloNews magazine cites Lennard Zinn's best-selling road bike and mountain bike maintenance and repair books as essential for DIY home mechanics.


See also

*
Bicycle A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike or cycle, is a human-powered or motor-powered assisted, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A is called a cyclist, or bicyclist. Bic ...
*
Bicycle frame A bicycle frame is the main component of a bicycle, onto which wheels and other components are fitted. The modern and most common frame design for an upright bicycle is based on the safety bicycle, and consists of two triangles: a main triangl ...
*
Bicycle tools Various bicycle tools have evolved over the years into specialized tools for working on a bicycle. Modern bicycle shops will stock a large number of tools for working on different bicycle parts. This work can be performed by a trained bicycle mecha ...
*
Derailleur gears Shimano 600 front derailleur (1980) A derailleur is a variable-ratio bicycle gearing system consisting of a chain, multiple sprockets of different sizes, and a mechanism to move the chain from one sprocket to another. Modern front and rea ...
*
Derailleur hanger A fork end, fork-end, or forkend is a slot in a bicycle frame or bicycle fork where the axle of a bicycle wheel is attached. A dropout is a type of fork end that allows the rear wheel to be removed without first derailing the chain. Track bicycl ...
*
List of bicycle parts For other cycling related terms (besides parts) see Glossary of cycling. List of bicycle parts by alphabetic order: * Axle: as in the generic definition, a rod that serves to attach a wheel to a bicycle and provides support for bearings on whi ...
*
Local bike shop A local bike shop or local bicycle shop, sometimes abbreviated LBS, is a small business, as distinct from a chain, mail-order or online vendor, specializing in bicycle sale, maintenance and parts. In the UK and Ireland, the expression ''in ...
*
Mechanic A mechanic is an artisan, skilled tradesperson, or technician who uses tools to build, maintain, or repair machinery, especially cars. Duties Most mechanics specialize in a particular field, such as auto body mechanics, air conditioning an ...
*
Spoke wrench A spoke wrench or spoke key is a small wrench or tool used to adjust the tension in the spokes of a tension-spoked wheel. A spoke wrench is sometimes called a nipple wrench, as it is the spoke nipple – not the spoke – that is turned in the pr ...
*
Wheelbuilding Wheelbuilding is the process of assembling wire wheels (generally a bicycle wheel, but including wheelchairs, and some cars). The components of a wire wheel are the rim, spokes, nipples, and hub. Goals The wheelwright must ensure that the ...


References


Bicycle repairers
(.pdf) New York State Department of Labor "Occupational Brief" # # # Connellan, I ''et al.'' (2001), Lonely Planet Cycling Britain (Cycling Guides), Lonely Planet Publications, # # # # {{Authority control
Mechanic A mechanic is an artisan, skilled tradesperson, or technician who uses tools to build, maintain, or repair machinery, especially cars. Duties Most mechanics specialize in a particular field, such as auto body mechanics, air conditioning an ...
Mechanics (trade) Sports occupations and roles Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations