If you love cycling, considering a job as a bicycle mechanic might be in your best interest, which means you will need to attend bicycle mechanic school. What does it take to become a bicycle mechanic? There is more involved than you might actually think. Repairing bicycles, especially ones used in major races, is not an easy task for all those who attempt it. Safety is the number one concern when repairing bicycles because you do not want the wheels to fall off after a repair job when the bike is being used once again. This means that the mechanic must know the ins and outs of the bike and how to repair it without sacrificing the bike’s safety features.
Acquiring a job as a bike mechanic after attending bicycle mechanic school can be done in various forms. Bike mechanics are employed in bike shops, department stores that sell bikes, for cycling teams and for bicycle manufacturing companies across the country. These jobs are few and far between, with 360 bicycle repair mechanics employed in New York as of 2002. This means that not all those who attend bicycle mechanic school will acquire a job within the industry upon graduation. Bike mechanics can expect to make roughly $25,000 per year but some do take home $40,000 per year depending on where they work and how many years of experience they have.
The two most common schools for bike mechanics are the United Bicycle Institute in Ashland, Oregon and the Barnett Bicycle Institute in Colorado Springs. A popular bike manufacturer, the Park Tool Co., offers training courses in local bike shops taught by mechanics and using books and training materials published by the company. Bicycle mechanic school can teach you to become a full fledged mechanic in roughly two years, but some schools require students to attend class for three or four years before being certified for graduation. Mechanics working in the industry can perform entry level work in bike shops such as attaching wheels and handlebars of bikes after arriving from the manufacturer or they can restructure the bike for customers for their personal comfort.