How hard are they?

I'm fairly comfortable with doing everything except frame modifications, taking apart suspension, bleeding brakes, and wheel building.

But I am a quick learner. Would I be fine with level one? How good would I have to be for level two?

For the level one..

For individuals not currently employed in the cycle trade this course costs £431.25

Seriously?

and from what I understand the Level 1 is only learning how to PDI (pre Delivery Inspection) a bike – ie take out of box and assemble for the customer.

Hence I took a 2 day Park Tool course then made up with some courses from Downland Cycles in wheel building/suspension stripdowns etc. as I didn't 'need' a Cytech qualification.

I think full Cytech is a few thousand but someone should be along soon…….

I really don't see why people go for any of the basic bike maintenance classes – if you're not mechanically inept, you should pick it up pretty quickly from DIYing on your own bike and reading.

Wheelbuilding is probably the only thing I'd happily pay to be taught to do on a bike, and maybe full on fork servicing as opposed to a quick oil change. The rest is cheaper to do by trial and error…

Depends what you want from it – cytech level 2 is an industry qualification, so it's not what I'd recommend for a home mechanic in that it has stuff about COSSH, PUWER and RIDDOR, a lot of stealth and safety and employee rights and responsibilities, which are pretty much totally irrelevant outside of a shop.

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i am an assesser for ATG training-we deliver cytech nationally and also other cycle mechanic courses.

the cytech2 is normally regarded as the industry standard for shop/business mechanics and is available either as part of a funded course for people working in the industry, or as a commercial course for £1190+vat- this is 2 weeks of in house training followed by an assessment which consists of a full bike strip/rebuild then frame prep finished by a wheel build.
We do also run a standalone wheel building course which is recognised by dtswiss and runs for 2 days at our training centres, this costs £340+vat.
The assessment, minus the training, can be completed at our workshop in Aylesbury or Manchester for £350+

i hope this helps a little and if you need more help then mail me on a.brown@atg-training.co.uk.

link didnt work but if you google ATG training it will get you there

Depends what you want from it – cytech level 2 is an industry qualification,

Sure, and looking at it as a cyclist, you can see that it's designed to ensure someone is competent, regardless of background.

A lot of the stuff would be wasted on the average cyclist as most can manage to do basic maintenance tasks, even the stuff that's not directly related to work issues.

bobby, there's too many http://'s in your link…

I've employed mechanics on the strength of having Cytech certificates and been totally astounded by how little they can do. What does it teach?
I've got Levels One and Two, but they were completed in 1999 and I think things have changed a bit since then. Still, I can strip a Sturmey 3 speed with my feet. 😆

bobbyspangles:

What's your view on people just doing the assessment if they're already competent but need the certificate for job reasons?

I understand this is possible, but haven't heard from anyone who's actually done it.

We're looking at running a fleet of hire bikes and a certificate might be a useful thing to have.

A bike strip and rebuild would be very easy for me – have previously done this, built wheels, stripped and serviced forks, rebuilt hydraulic brakes, etc.!

Stevo- I did just the level 2 assessment a year back, if you're mechanically competent then it does seem a bit pointless doing the entire course(though I suppose you may find you've happily been doing something the wrong way for years without realising it).It's fairly basic mechanically, covers health and safety, and British Standards, but doesn't cover suspension or hydraulic brakes. If you've got a good bit of common sense then you shouldn't have any trouble passing.

the assessment only route was implemented to help experienced mechanics gain a professional qualification without the cost of training in a subject they may already know.

If a candidate is competent in stripping a bike, the style is chosen on the day, then can build a wheel they are awarded their cytech2.

Level2 is a compentancy based award and the level3 is geared to a pro/team mechanic, as it deals with advanced wheel build, hydraulics and suspension as well as other demanding modules.

I got my L2 by the assessment route. The legal stuff was interesting eg I didn't know much about employment law.

But it is like many qualifications, there are people who are good at passing assessments who have no real practical understanding at all. I've seen this in the welding/fabrication industry and in IT. (Microsoft certified service 'engineers' … snigger)

Is there a written exam on the legal / H&S stuff or is only the mechanical competency that's assessed?

Multiple choice, and a few dubious answers to choose from.