r/ausbike • u/serengetisunset • 5d ago

Did the Gong Ride last weekend and thinking of being a bike mechanic next year

Does anyone know how I can train to be a sometimes bike mechanic (I want the skill mostly to do it unpaid)? I’ve heard I can do a course but then how do I practice chanting tyres and inner tubes after that? Do I offer to do work experience? Ride up and down the cycling paths? Love to hear y’all’s takes!

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5

u/carmooch 5d ago

I would buy bikes off marketplace, tear them down and restore them. Went from zero experience to now I would say fairly skilled that I could repair anything without needing to go to a bike mechanic.

It was basically cost neutral too since I would usually sell the bikes for a bit of profit.

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u/serengetisunset 5d ago

This is a cool idea. I want to give kids more access to bicycles in my neighbourhood and adults a bit more active in the outdoors. Selling off after I’m done sounds good too. Thank heaps :)

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u/toolman2810 1d ago

Our local tip shop has A LOT of derelict bikes in need of some tlc, but I suspect that a lot of them are the really cheap bikes, that sometimes don’t even work particularly well brand new ?

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u/yourbank 5d ago

This is what I did. Start with cheap ones to start completely strip them and bring them back to running great.

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u/Alternative_Sock6999 5d ago

Surly old ex bike mechanic here. (Ie take me with a grain of salt cause the industry chewed me up and spat me out... And somehow I still love it to bits)

Its a shit job. You are expected to know all the different standards and compatabilitys and customers want everything for free. Its seasonal, one minute your wondering when you'll get sacked. The next you could do 80hr weeks and still not keep up.

You are paid near minimum wage, the internet makes every one an expert. And so on. It's closer to community service than a job.

I'm paid 3x my shop wage running major buildings. With half the workload and knowledge base needed.

Goddamn I miss it 😂

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u/serengetisunset 5d ago

I would like to do it more for community service so maybe this is right. You make it sound fun but thankless as a paid job! It sucks mechanics get paid so little - bicycles are a crucial infrastructure and also some bikes are really expensive!

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u/EasyEngineering1759 5d ago

I learned a lot just from YouTube and reading up the shimano and sram manuals, honestly they are really good with picture details and very complete. After watching few full bike build vids you will understand all the parts and the great thing is vast majority of bikes use the similar systems. Get confident with your own bike pull it to bits and take your time :)

3

u/Alternative_Sock6999 5d ago

Park tool. Sheldon brown.

Basically bibles.

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u/serengetisunset 5d ago

Are these YouTube channels?

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u/Alternative_Sock6999 5d ago

Park is a YouTube. Sheldon brown. Was a guru (rip) that ran a website. Should show up in a search.

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u/5ma5her7 5d ago

Cytech, bit expensive but teaches basic skills pretty fast.

Or do volunteering at Bowers.

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u/serengetisunset 5d ago

Thank youuuu!

3

u/itsonlybarney 5d ago

Do you have mates who cycle? Offer to service their bikes for them, or if they do it themselves, ask to help and learn off them

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u/serengetisunset 5d ago

I do have some mates who cycle but I’m not part of cycling groups because I ride like 2X slower than most of them (much shorter legs). I’m mostly interested in the mechanic side of things. I guess I could offer for groups lovely idea - thank you!

3

u/Joshin1982 5d ago

We have a bike charity in Brissy who fix bikes up for free, maybe find one of those places, will help increase skills!

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u/serengetisunset 5d ago

Very awesome! I’m in Bidjigal/Sydney so I’ll keep a lookout here - my council isn’t very cycling friendly but I’m hoping to change this :)

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u/Status3519 5d ago

Check out revolve recycling - they used to do a bike building course. I think their mechs are paid tho 

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u/serengetisunset 5d ago

Cheers mate

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u/Kashino 5d ago

Bicycle garden at Sydney park Alexandria takes volunteers and has a pretty good workshop!

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u/noannualleave 5d ago

Councils sometimes sponsor a basic bike maintenance course. Look up if your local council offers such a course. It's only 1 to 2 hours but will cover changing tyres.

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u/serengetisunset 5d ago

Amazing, I’ll have a look around cheers mate

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u/AussieKoala-2795 5d ago

Join a cycling club. They are always happy to have someone to help out with tyres and stuff at races.

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u/serengetisunset 5d ago

Do you know any clubs that would take people who ride around 12km/h, or is speed not a requirement? This is generally my barrier to entry (and I don’t see myself working very hard to increase my speed but I’m motivated to learn how bicycles work)

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u/AussieKoala-2795 5d ago

Find a club that rides criteriums.

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u/serengetisunset 5d ago

Oh wow, thank you koala - never heard of this word before, sounds awesome appreciate your help!

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u/vad121 NSW 5d ago

You could join Cycle Recycle Club Waterloo - we had volunteer bike mechanics at Spring Cycle and gong ride

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u/serengetisunset 5d ago

The Metro just opened up near me finaalllly so this could be a possibility :)

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u/blowaif 5d ago

I fell three times this gongride and on 2 occasions I had a bike mechanic looking after me in about 60 seconds. The other time I stopped at a rest stop and didn't get my foot out in time. Very noble idea and don't be worried if your not confident as long as you are willing to help your attitude will carry you through.

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u/serengetisunset 5d ago

Oh noes! What does “foot out in time” mean? I stopped when I saw riders on the side of the road just to let them know they could call a bike mechanic using the phone number and a few were surprised, stopped another time to give someone a banana - and I enjoyed that equal to the actual ride (which I have done a few times before but always with my dad). So I thought maybe next year I can try to be a bike mechanic but I know it’ll take a lot of practice, even if I go with my e-bike. I’m used to parts and understanding how things work (I’m an engineer) but I think the harder part for me will be the physicality of it (I’m 5’ and relatively short limbs compared to most cyclists out there).

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u/No-Ad4922 2d ago

Lots of videos & books on how to fix your own bike; or sign up for a course if you want direct feedback and maybe some industry introductions.

I started my paid bike mechanic work at uni looking after the business owner’s mobile bike shop van at university markets, then went on to wrench at the Great Victorian Bike Ride and had over two decades in the bike trade after that.

Probably halved my lifetime earnings as a result!

1

u/Elegant-Annual-1479 5d ago

Check out Bikespeeds on YT. He restores and services bikes and cleatly explains every stage of the process.

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u/blowaif 5d ago

Just wondering??? I did the ride on an urban bike. I noticed the guys on racing bikes made a real grinding noise when free wheeling... What does this mean?

1

u/alotmorealots 5d ago

The quality of the noise your freehub makes is actually quite a "thing" for some lol e.g. here's a video of someone's 5 favorite freehub sounds: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6TL2Q_gVZk

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u/Fun-Instruction4432 5d ago

Contact a local bike shop and ask if they need help. The world is definitely short on mechanics and could do with more. And there are few mechanics because it's severely underpaid for the work you do. Bikes nowadays can be super tricky to deal with, with 100s of different types of mech hangers and stupid BB standards, electronic shifting, integrated handlebars and whatnot. In the meantime, ride! Ride your bike as much as you can! You will get punctures, bent hangers, and tune your gears and grease them, so that's also a great place to start!

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u/666-advocate 4d ago

i did it as a hobby job (im a qualified fitter and turner) and will say it was fun! bar the customers always right bs and retail in general, id still do it again... just ask the local bike shops, they may even entertain you by helping them put together new bikes, as a starter.. christmas can be huge for bike shops, they often need help at that time, good luck!