How to Become a
Bicycle Mechanic
Do you love urban or trail biking? Want to make this more accessible for people? Consider becoming a bicycle mechanic — you can repair bikes and help people get back on their wheels. This guide covers where to learn bike repair techniques, how to find jobs, and what salary to expect.
You’ll find access to bicycle mechanic resume samples to help you figure out what information to include on your application and an intuitive Resume Builder to help you craft a professional resume and cover letter.
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Boost your resume with an extra click. Our cover letter templates match our resume templates’ designs for a cohesive application. Use a template in our builder to help you quantify and expand upon the experience from your resume and impress employers.
What Does a Bicycle Mechanic Do?
Bicycle mechanics use their technical knowledge of bikes to answer customers’ questions, sell the right type of bike to each customer and perform repairs as needed. They usually work in either bicycle or sporting goods shops.
Common bicycle mechanic duties and responsibilities include:
Replacing and fixing defective or broken bike parts.
Ensuring that each bike is customized to the customer’s requests, skills level, biking frequency and physical condition.
Answering questions about bikes, bike parts and various biking accessories.
Entering sales records into a computer system.
Repairing bikes and bike parts.
Processing customer payments.
How Do You Become a Bicycle Mechanic?
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics findings, the demand for bicycle mechanics and repairers is growing by 29% and might result in 12,400 jobs a year until 2026. The high turnover rate might contribute to this excellent job market.
Step 1: Get a high school diploma.
Most employers require a minimum high school education. You must earn your diploma or GED to qualify for most open bike mechanic jobs.
Step 2: Sign up for a bike repair course.
The easiest and fastest way to develop mechanical skills is through an educational institution's formal bicycle mechanic training course. The United Bicycle Institute offers comprehensive courses, but you can also look for free or discounted bike repair classes with local volunteer groups, community organizations or bicycle coalitions.
Step 3: Develop bike repair experience.
According to our analysis of online job postings, employers are looking for bicycle mechanics with previous experience in bicycle service. This experience could be a past job at another bicycle or sporting goods shop or volunteering at community centers and events to help people repair their bikes for free or reduced prices.
Step 4: Consider a certification.
Most employers know you’ll earn experience on the clock, but you can boost your resume by earning a bike technician certification. The United Bicycle Institute offers two types of certifications:
- General Certificate of Completion is offered for all classes, including intro to bike maintenance, professional repair and shop operation.
- Certified Bicycle Technician Program for professional bike repair, shop operations, and advanced mechanics.
Step 5: Develop strong customer service skills.
Most employers require excellent people skills and some customer service experience. You can develop these skills under people-facing jobs like a waitperson at a restaurant, a clothing store clerk, an amusement park attendant or a hotel bellhop. You can also take online customer service classes.
Before you start looking for jobs, you’ll need to have a professional and well-written resume on hand. Check out JobHero’s library of bicycle mechanic resume samples for expert-approved ideas.
Next, conduct an online job search to find open positions in your area. Before you start submitting applications, however, consider writing a cover letter. A good cover letter can convey your work ethic, particular areas of expertise and reasons for applying to prospective employers. Take a look at our cover letter samples for inspiration.
Bicycle Mechanic Skills
Besides having great problem-solving skills and a firm understanding of bike fundamentals, bicycle mechanics must stay current on new products and advancements within the biking industry.
The following essential bicycle mechanic skills can help you succeed:
Hard skills:
Soft skills:
Insights from a Bicycle Mechanic
Bicycle Mechanics are hard to come by, but when you do just know you are talking to a person that is very passionate about what he does. We had the opportunity of talking to some and here is what they said.
What is the common career path for a Bicycle Mechanic?
A typical bike mechanic usually has on the job experience and training and maybe some certification courses. The bicycle mechanic does not need a special degree of any sort.
What should someone consider before becoming a Bicycle Mechanic?
A typical bike mechanic does not have a great salary. If you truly love bikes this will not hold you back but if you're in for the money then this is definitely something to consider. Also, the overall demand for bike mechanics is very low. A good idea would be to own your own bike shop. That's a whole other story.
What type of person excels in this job?
Any person who loves bikes and loves to fix them and enjoys them.
What are some of the most important skills for Bicycle Mechanics to have?
Bicycle mechanics are required to have general technical skills for fixing a bike. Good organization practices and the ability to keep up with timeframes. Another useful skill is consistency when it comes to keeping accurate records of client requests.
What do you find to be the most rewarding aspect of being a Bicycle Mechanic?
The most rewarding aspect is just knowing everything about a bicycle. Most clients explain what they want to be fixed but they don't really know what they are talking about and the ability to explain in detail what your client really needs and go beyond expectations is the best feeling.
How Much Do Bicycle Mechanics Get Paid?
Depending on the policies of the shop they work in, Bicycle Mechanics can be paid either on an hourly wage basis or an annual wage basis. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median hourly wage for Bicycle Mechanics is $13.20, with the lowest paid earning $9.16 per hour and the highest paid earning $18.32 per hour.
Top Ten States for Bicycle Mechanic Salary
Bicycle Mechanics in the following ten states earn the highest median hourly wage in the U.S.
Bicycle Mechanic Resources
We put together this list of additional resources to help you keep exploring your career as a Bicycle Mechanic.
Professional Groups
Professional Bicycle Mechanics Association
The PBMA was founded in 2016 and focuses on the promotion, advocacy and development of Bicycle Mechanics. It provides its members with a discussion forum, insurance discounts, professional resources, free classified ads and a mechanic directory.
Bicycle Mechanic Blogs
The Bicycle Mechanic
This blog is written by Charles Moffat, a Toronto-based Bicycle Mechanic, and includes posts about bicycle storage ideas, reviews of biking accessories, industry news and fun videos.
Bicycle Mechanic Books
Zinn & the Art of Road Bike Maintenance
This best-selling guide covers everything from basic repairs to advanced troubleshooting. It contains hundreds of illustrations, updated chapters on new technological advances and detailed charts and tables.
Cyclepedia
This hardcover coffee-table book goes over the design of 100 different bicycles from the last 100 years. Included are full-color photographs, entertaining anecdotes and detailed component lists for each bike.