Part time bike mechanic wanted, western brisbane

[spartan_s]

there is a part time job going in the bike shop i work at (atleast 4 days a week,may progress to full time soon) so im just helping by getting a post out there. applicant must have atleast 3 years experience. LOVE mtb riding, can work on all bikes, mtb, road, bmx etc.
all the staff ride DH and XC, and the atmosphere is awesome. pm me if your keen or know someone who is.

must also have good people skills and be able to assist customers comfortably.

cheers all

 

[Ausfitter]

Just out of curiosity, how does one become a bike mechanic? Do you just rock up to your lbs and ask for a job?

Cheers

 

[shakes]

Just out of curiosity, how does one become a bike mechanic? Do you just rock up to your lbs and ask for a job?

Cheers

yep.

Most people I've seen generally start off with weekend work, or school holiday work and progress onto there.

Retail experience can also get you a foot in the door too. Biggest mistake most people make is claiming they know lots about bikes and servicing...

 

[Cycle Technic]

yep.

Most people I've seen generally start off with weekend work, or school holiday work and progress onto there.

Retail experience can also get you a foot in the door too. Biggest mistake most people make is claiming they know lots about bikes and servicing...

A lot of young aspiring bike shop employees confuse their extensive knowledge of "bikes I'm interested in" with knowledge of bikes in general. Be humble, your knowledge of obscure mechanical oddities is not valuable in a day-to-day retail context.

Sorry to hijack the thread.

Yours in reflection of years in bike retail,

Charlie

 

[0psi]

Biggest mistake most people make is claiming they know lots about bikes and servicing...

Bahahaha!!!! Oh the number of times I've heard that doing interviews. Best advice I'd have for anyone looking to get a foot in is to say you know a bit about bikes, under promise, over deliver. Chances are you're statement of 'I know a bit about bikes' will actually be spot on, whether you know it or not.

A little game we used to play with new staff was to take them across to the pub for a beer after their first day and start talking shop, more often than not you'd see them glaze over within about 10 minutes as they realised they actually knew very little about bikes. It never got old, always good for laugh.

 

[niki125]

When they start agreeing with everything you're saying start making up things and see if they keep agreeing. Always good for a laugh

 

[Blake.J]

so what are the chances of a 15/16 yr old getting a summer / casual part time job at a local bike store with little bike experience, just simple at home service stuff?

 

[Dozer]

Biggest mistake most people make is claiming they know lots about bikes and servicing...

Um, I fail to see how that is a bad thing. Sure, you'd get some punters who have swapped bars and adjusted their seat post saying they know a lot of stuff but how do you know the dude isn't a guru? For what is worth, I'll admit that I'm a better man for repairing and maintaining a bike than most of the shop guys I've come across and I can comfortably repair, replace or upgrade any part on any bike I've owned. Some parts I send away for repairs and maintenance but everything else is in house.

 

[shakes]

so what are the chances of a 15/16 yr old getting a summer / casual part time job at a local bike store with little bike experience, just simple at home service stuff?

If you willing to do the shittier jobs, can hold a conversation and have a nice neat appearance you will find a shop somewhere likely to take you on for at least a few weeks.

 

[shakes]

Um, I fail to see how that is a bad thing. Sure, you'd get some punters who have swapped bars and adjusted their seat post saying they know a lot of stuff but how do you know the dude isn't a guru? For what is worth, I'll admit that I'm a better man for repairing and maintaining a bike than most of the shop guys I've come across and I can comfortably repair, replace or upgrade any part on any bike I've owned. Some parts I send away for repairs and maintenance but everything else is in house.

And your probably a better mechanic than me. I've been lucky enough to have a couple of shops take me on a as a casual here and there when I am in between jobs. So have seen that humility is often better when looking for jobs in the industry as you will often get caught out quickly. The scope of a 'true' bike mechanic is huge simply because of the knowledge they need, mostly due to the amazing amount of 'bicycle standards' that are out there.

 

[Blake.J]

shakes,
what would the shittier jobs include?
(tyre/tube changes, gear tuning,replacing gear cables)
??

 

[shakes]

shakes,
what would the shittier jobs include?
(tyre/tube changes, gear tuning,replacing gear cables)
??

Sweeping the floors, emptying the bins and cardboard, unpacking/unloading stock, assembling kids bikes, coffee runs etc. All varies from shop to shop and what your capable of and confident of doing too.

 

[taitt]

shakes,
what would the shittier jobs include?
(tyre/tube changes, gear tuning,replacing gear cables)
??

If you consider those jobs shitty, you may not enjoy working at a shop.

 

[Cycle Technic]

If you consider those jobs shitty, you may not enjoy working at a shop.

The same goes in any retail or hospitality environment. At least in a bike shop you'll have the opportunity to learn skills you'll actually appreciate, and gain technical knowledge you can use on your own bikes (or regurgitate on RB). Don't go in with false hopes about fiddling with cool bikes all day, the shop has to make money and you have to be worth employing. There's always sweeping to be done, even when there's nothing to do.

Charlie

 

[spartan_s]

The same goes in any retail or hospitality environment. At least in a bike shop you'll have the opportunity to learn skills you'll actually appreciate, and gain technical knowledge you can use on your own bikes (or regurgitate on RB). Don't go in with false hopes about fiddling with cool bikes all day, the shop has to make money and you have to be worth employing. There's always sweeping to be done, even when there's nothing to do.

Charlie

well said!!