First published February 25, 2020
When I was a kid, I had a Raleigh spanner. I loved that spanner with its collection of indents and holes that allowed me to play with every bolt on my bike. In fact, it fitted everything other than the headset and bottom bracket - I thought it was ace. Today, in my workshop, I must have ten grand of tools and, yet, with every new bike, I have to buy more tools.
Bikes and bike mechanics have moved on a lot since the seventies and eighties. Back then, if you knew how to change a tube, adjust gears and brakes, and grease bearings, you wouldn’t need a bike shop’s mechanic. Now, you do unless you’re happy reprogramming electronic gearing, stripping and rebuilding suspension units, diagnosing faults on e-bikes, and replacing blind bearings and bushings.
Everything has become more technical, and job adverts for mechanics reveal this. Most shops are looking for qualified mechanics with 5+ years of experience. Of course, they require flexibility in their staff, so people and computer skills are also essential. And, the better shops, want to see recognised professional development on new and emerging tech. Being a mechanic must be a good earner, right?
Most mechanics earn the national minimum wage - sometimes a little more and sometimes a little less. At the top end of the game, a senior mechanic in a good shop should earn around twenty-five grand. That’s twenty-five grand for someone who has undertaken recognised training, probably been through higher education, and has lived and breathed mechanics for at least ten years. So, why the low pay?
There are many places that employ untrained and inexperienced people because they’re cheap and readily available. Even when there is a requirement for qualifications - a sensible idea when safety is considered - it is unlikely to affect pay; jobs that insist on qualification don’t pay any more than those with lax standards. The reality is that bike shops pay what they have to pay, which turns out to be very little. Cycle mechanics is a vocation, it is a labour of love, it’s for people that choose passion over payment. The bike industry knows this and exploits it fully.
Of course, things are not equal, and the world is a funny place. Consider, why do truck driver earn more than teachers in the US? Or, why does a barista in Australia make 60 percent more than in the UK? I don’t know the answers to these and many other questions, but what I do know is that you can make a mechanic’s day with a thank you and a couple of pounds in the tip jar.
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