Is a bicycle mechanic a respected job?

Question

im wondering is a bicycle mechanic a respected job? i meen does it lead into other things? is there any way up from there? i know that the bicycle industry is rising due to higher gas prices and everyone wanting to save the world but can it be something to do for many years or do most people just get tired of it

Answer 1

a good friend once said, do what you're passionate about, and you'll never work another day. sage advice! I quit my job as a financial advisor and became a chef/restauranteur..

Answer 2

Absolutely.  There's nothing wrong with doing something you love on a day to day basis.  You can make a lot of people happy by fixing their bikes for them.  If you find that someone doesn't respect you because of that profession, they really aren't worth dealing with.  When you show love for your job people will respect you.

Answer 3

No job is Dis-Respectable! In America, all jobs have equal respect. You are working and selling your merit to earn your bread- not begging or stealing. Actually, you started with wrong question. You should have asked 'what is the career prospect as a Bike Technician, in bike Industries'.

Sorry, I am a computer professional and cannot answer to your question but as 'Bike Lover and Bikist', it heart me to hear if you question a Bike Tech's job respected or not.

Yes, to me, they are doing respected job!

Answer 4

Unfortunately no. I was a wrench in high school and part of college. I ended up buying into the shop so was a partner for a few years. The money isn't good though. I enjoyed it while it lasted.

EDIT: And where can you go from there? (you ask) You can, like me, own a shop... or if you are 1 in 1,000,000 you could be a pro wrench, but you'd have to know people to get your foot in that door. Otherwise, you move on to other things as I did and many, many others.

Answer 5

In the overall crappy picture of the world, sadly, no, bike mechanics aren't exactly respected.  However, I agree with some of the others in that it IS worthy of respect and a *good* mechanic is certainly worth more than people give them credit for.  

As for leading into other things....yes, it certainly can.  At the shop level, you don't have much room to grow and bike shops are rarely good places to make your fortune.  You can get in the door with distributors and manufacturers, though, and you might find a niche that you enjoy with one of them if the opportunity arises and you can offer them some workplace skills in addition to your knowledge about bike parts and wrenching.    Keep in mind, though, you can get into those companies just as easily (or easier) by getting a degree in business and/or marketing (or engineering).    

Knowing people helps alot, but if you're persistent and have the skills, you just might get in the door to a bike-related job that you'll love.  Check out the websites of companies and manufacturers you're interested in....contact them even if they don't show any job openings.  You might also keep tabs on the job section of the Bicycle Retailers And Industry News website:  http://www.bicycleretailer.com  

Hope this helps....and remember, loving what you do is WAY more important than hating what you do and having other people respect your job title.   You can get some confirmation of that by asking 50% of the attorneys and doctors in the world.    :o)

Answer 6

No,being a bike mechanic is usually not respected by anyone but cyclists.

Sad but true in my life experiances.

People tend to think that it's just a few screws and some oil that makes one an actual mechanic.

It might help you to know that in Colorado ther is the Barnett's Bicycle Institute for training bicycle mechanics.

I still think the best way to learn bike mechanics is to work on old junk bikes untill you almost cry.

Learning to set up old cantilevers using just your two hands is a talent.

Being able to remove and install a tire onto a rim with no levers is a talent.{Ritchey tires not included,use levers]

Understanding that every angle on a cable housing makes a difference for smooth braking and shifting is a talent.

Knowing that torque specifications mean nothing when using both steel and aluminum bolts/threads is a learned talent.[locktite and a mini torch]

The only respect I got was when I started my own small shop out of my basement.I was 'the man' then.

Respect yourself for being skilled and loving bicycles.

I do already and we have never met.

I hope this can be of some help to you