Advice requested for aspiring bike mechanic

I'm thinking of becoming a bike mechanic here in Chicago... I was wondering if any of you who work full time and make a living off being a bike mechanic have any advice on how to best go about this sort of thing.  I've found two schools online that give courses and certifications and have thought about that...  How much $$$ do you make an hour?  How stable of a career move would this be for someone to take, I mean, is it a good assumption that I'd be able to find work in Chicago as a mechanic pretty easily or not?  Thanks for any advice or stories on how you did it!

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Permalink Reply by El Dorado on February 4, 2014 at 12:45pm

I am pretty sure it is quite slow in the winter months & you may not get a lot of hours. I'm sure some of our local mechanics will stop here and give you a better answer.

Permalink Reply by Joe Guzzardo on February 4, 2014 at 8:10pm

Ever think about building bike frames? It's a nascent craft, re-emerging in the Chicago area, which is where Schwinn was founded, once the leading bike manufacturer in America. Our mayor wants to make Chicago the bike friendliest city in America. For that to happen, we need to create an ecosystem with the help of ambitious individuals.

Permalink Reply by Kevin Mulcky on February 5, 2014 at 4:23am

I'm not a mechanic but I spent one season working in one of the bigger shops in Chicago. So take this with a grain of salt.  My impression was that true full-time, year-round, career-worthy mechanic positions are very rare. It's a seasonal industry.

  In some shops mechanics sell bikes, in some shops there are full-time bike builders, there are mechanics that travel with race teams... So take that into consideration when you're gaining experience, learn skills that will set you apart; like dealing with hydro or electric stuff, learning all the components in the road/mtb/hybrid lines, get some sales experience, frame repair, managerial experience, etc. 

Permalink Reply by Tom Dworzanski on February 5, 2014 at 9:47am

I've looked into this extensively in the past. In general, bike mechanics don't earn much. The exception is working for some sort of high-profile racing team (don't count on it).

That being said, I don't want to discourage you from this if it's really your dream. People make a living by being bike mechanics and there is a lot more to being happy in life than just money.

You can also choose to just be a hobby mechanic. That's what I've settled on and it's good enough for me.

Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on February 5, 2014 at 1:43pm

As a professional bike mechanic my advise is to find something else to do with your life.

No, really.

Unless you love, and I mean really love, not just bikes, but working on them find something else.  There are very few decent paying jobs with any kind of benefits out there and even those are not all that great.  Sure, you could become a pro wrench for a team or racer but those jobs are few and far between.

The pay sucks, I mean REALLY sucks when you consider all the knowledge you need now that high end stuff is going all electronic shifting and hydro-brakes. It's often seasonal work when you start out and you end up working like a dog all summer and missing all of the stuff you want to do because you have to work during the riding season.

As for training the schools are great but I also know a ton of very talented bicycle mechanics who picked it up starting out as a bike builder somewhere. West Town and other organizations like hat also have good programs where you can learn he basics; that's what I did.

Permalink Reply by Haddon on February 6, 2014 at 3:35am

Just out of curiosity how much did it cost to take an online bike repair course?  How much are we talking?  Personally I have learned to fix a wide range of things by watching youtube videos (there are ones that cover just about everything imaginable) - that and hanging out at working bikes, but really - how much are these courses?

H

Permalink Reply by Robert Underwood on February 6, 2014 at 5:05am

Thanks for all these replies, lots for me to consider that I didn't think of before... Off the top of my head, for the full four weeks of courses at one school, (in Colorado think?)  it was around 2500.00 or something... I could be off.  not cheap, but not too bad I guess.  There are only two I came across, I cant remember the names, but the other one was in Oregon I think.  Its in the adds in the back of magazines like Momentum.

Permalink Reply by Tom Dworzanski on February 6, 2014 at 8:17am

The two major schools are:

Barnett Bicycle Institute

United Bicycle Institute

Both have a main bicycle repair course for $2k (plus travel, lodging, etc) and follow up courses for a thousand bucks.

There are other, lesser known schools as well.

Permalink Reply by Tom Dworzanski on February 6, 2014 at 8:18am

+1,000,000


peter moormann said:

Better to go to school and get an engineering  degree.

Mechanical or structural.

Then make real money making bikes.

Sorry Rob...... Im just practicing for when my son asks me this question next year.

Permalink Reply by Haddon on February 6, 2014 at 9:25am
Permalink Reply by Scott Chillson on February 7, 2014 at 11:58am

Like Notorious DUG said, Don't do it! 

Becoming a bike mechanic is a quick ticket to Nowhere'sville. I've been a mechanic for 7 years and I'm still only making four peanuts an hour, and that's considered good. 

Now becoming a part-time bike mechanic is sweet: you get all the discounts and you get to enjoy wrenching without having to devote your life to it. Then if a swinging industry position opens up you'll be in a good position to apply. Industry jobs are legit. If you have health insurance and some other part-time skill this is the way to go. 

I went to Oregon to check out the UBI and decided it was bunk. They just want your money, in my opinion. There's nothing to learn there that you wouldn't learn in two seasons getting paid as a bike builder/entry mechanic in a reputable shop. Their degrees are also not recognized by UCI.

John Barnett is a D-wad. He was once quoted saying mechanics in this industry are over-paid. I'll try to find the quote... But I can't say if his school is good or bad, however I can say that REI and the other corporate bike shops send all their full-timers there, and I'm not trying to knock them b/c they have it rough in the corporate shops, but I also won't say that I've been real impressed with their bike builds.

Permalink Reply by Kevin Mulcky on February 10, 2014 at 2:30pm

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