How-To/Mechanics: I just got my first job as a Mechanic. Any tips?

when you do work on a bike, you want it to leave your hands as if you were giving it to your mother to ride. All I can say (as a mechanic) is it will most likely get a touch stressful(depending on how busy your shop gets) and the key is to keep on task and don't rush. Too easy to miss things on a bike, and the happier the customer, the better things will work for you ! there are usually some sweet perks to being a mechanic as well, especially if you put that extra mile in for them.

A lot of the things that will come in handy aren't really bike things. They're relating-to-coworkers things, and relating-to-customers/clients things.

In a former life, almost 30 years ago, I used to repair electric guitars for a living. The head shop guy in the store where I worked was one of those tech idiot-savants, who could work magic with his hands. I remember one thing he told me:

"When I do a setup (a basic overhaul that includes replacing the strings, adjusting the string length/height, straightening the guitar neck and general cleanup; our shop charged $10 for this in 1983, which was about half the going rate in the area), I always smooth out the fingerboard around the 12th fret with some steel wool and lemon oil. I also go over the whole fretboard with steel wool and lemon oil, to clan all the finger spooge off. The customer will never know I've done it; but it'll play a lot smoother there than they're used to, and they'll bring more work to me because the guitar played better after I worked on it."

There are lots of little things like that that you can do, which the customer will appreciate even if they don't notice them, such as lubing things that you notice that need it, even if that wasn't what you were asked to do, and leaving the bike cleaner than you found it.

hahah rabbi knows what is up! no matter what they are getting done, even if it is just airing up their bike because they do't have a pump, make any quick adjustments that'll make it safer and better. a shot of triflow here and there, or adjusting their hedset. it goes a long wayyy

Yeah, I agree with everyone!! Just make sure you at least don't leave fingerprints from grease all over the customer's bikes. I hate when that happens, it goes a long way!!

Posted By: terrible_one49TIP #1- WHENEVER POSSIBLE....TRY TO SELL THE CUSTOMER AS MANY REPLACEMENT AND UPGRADED PARTS AS YOU CAN. EVEN IF THEY DON'T REALLY NEED THEM, LEARN HOW TO CONVINCE THEM THAT THEY DO!

Yeah i usually tell them to get a new bike on top of the work that is being done. I mean, they can sell the bike that is being worked on to offset the cost of a new one... so all the work still NEEDS to be done. I mean after the bike is more than 2 years old the frame starts to wear out... right?


but on a serious note. I always try and run it through the gears and test the brakes regardless of what its in for. Usually it only take a half screw on a barrel adjuster and things start running 100% smoother. It only takes a second and it makes the costumer feel good about bringing it into the shop.

be friendly to everyone no matter their level of cycling or whatever mood you happen to be in. nothing turns me away from a shop quicker than dick, elitist attitudes. unless the customer is an asshole, be welcoming and accommodating to everyone.

This may seem harsh but go to school and learn how to work on bikes for real. I see so much shoddy work coming out of bike shops it's ridiculous. Too many people think they know what they are doing but don't. Don't be that guy.

Make a checklist, and USE IT! You need to always do everything you can to make the bike work, and when it does, you'll get gold stars left and right.

Problem solve BEFORE starting the work. Basically, don't trust what the customer says until you look at the bike, or ride it for yourself. Often, they don't know how to use the trip adjustment on their front dérailleur or they are cross chaining. If you can save them the maintainance cost, then you are gonna fill that place up with customers. Then, you need to talk to the customer about what they were doing wrong, and show them how to not do that again. Not only will you show them that you are willing to take the time to help them out, it gives you a chance to make a relationship with customers who may not otherwise have known to ask such a question, or knew there was something that they were doing incorrectly. You have just made your shop a place for them to go for service, buy stuff, and ask questions. Triple whammy. Don't be the grouchy mechanic, be the people person.

Use Phil Wood Waterproof Grease like it's holy water.

Line up all your tools, and when you take stuff apart, lie it in they way you took it apart, like a 3-D schematic. Saves many headaches.

Get accustomed to setting up the computers your shop sells, so you can do it without the instructions. Saves you time and frustration, plus it makes it look like you know what the hell you're doing.

Keep yourself fed. Forgetting to eat will make you irritable, and you won't be as sharp.

Park Tool's website has how-to's for damn near anything. Read them!

Lastly, treat the ace mechanics you know like gods, because they know about such and such a bike, from such and such a year, and this works with this, and if you do this it's easier, and go buy us lunch or else you have to clean out the trash can, and fix this barn find, and, and.....

Working at a shop has it's perks, I sure love it.

Two hands, two tools, never (or rarely) have more than two tools on the work bench...

Thread resurrection, but I figured I'd ask my question here instead of starting another thread that will go for maybe five more comments.

I'm graduating from CU next week. Kind of want to pretend like I didn't just get a degree and try and find a job at a bike shop. Grad school is definitely not at the top of my list of things to do right now. Academia is wearing me down, I need to do something I can look forward to everyday for a while. Any of you guys with considerable life experience have advice on getting a job at a bike shop? What kind of experience do shops look for in mechanics? Opinions on trade schools?

Thanks for any advice you can give.