...
"fully trained"... ❓
It's not paved with gold...
fully trained as in Cytech Level3
Wouldn't expect a fast-track to millions but an idea would be welcome.
£15-20k depending on location is reasonable I'd say.
Less than a tanker driver 😉
15-18k.Little bit more darn sarf and little bit more for 'workshop manager'.Weekends,bankholidays and plenty of late nights.
Pathetic really....but it's not a 'real' job and it's getting paid for 'doing your hobby' apparently so thats ok.
http://www.bikebiz.com/jobs/category/9
Cheers for that Rorschach - useful information that link.
Wow I'm well paid. Shame I live in the most expensive city in the universe.
Currently £6 an hour + bonus & dividend
Luckily I live in a cheap part of the country
That's canadia for you Will ehh!
I personally don't think it's pathetic - the pay is also linked to responsibility, not just practical ability.
Its peanuts hence most bike shop mechanics are not great. We simply will not pay enough to allow for decent wages then complain about he quality of work done.
How can you live as an adult on that sort of money? very hard
Holy cow.....I agree with TJ again!!!!
Damn. I've been eyeing up the ad in my LBS for a mechanic and had all sorts of plans to learn some more and then have a career change. Does not compute though with size of mortgage.
is £20k a year peanuts?
If you live in Central London then it's certainly not great.
is £20k a year peanuts?
Living on your own, yes
Fixing bikes aint rocket science though. Common sense and a few "specialist" tools is all you need.
If you can get a mortgage on your wage then its an OK wage, if not its peanuts.
If you are interested in a bike related career then it's worth considering as a good introduction. It's hard to know if bike shops will exist in 5 or 10 years time so a goal of having your own shop someday might not be open to you. If you're interested in mechanics you'd make more money on cars or motorcycles. If you're entrepreneurial you could use your skills to start a business.
You might like to compare earnings of a few trades, start with plumbing ...
kingkongsfinger - Member
Fixing bikes aint rocket science though. Common sense and a few "specialist" tools is all you need.
You can say that for a hell of a lot of jobs where you get paid a damn sight more money.
[b]Trimix[/b] - Member
If you can get a mortgage on your wage then its an OK wage, if not its peanuts.
30 years ago when I was "starting out" it took two incomes to save a deposit and get a first mortgage, I don't see why it should be any different now.
I personally don't think it's pathetic - the pay is also linked to responsibility, not just practical ability.
hmm. i routinely work on equipment that costs anything from 8k to 1/2 million. worst thing that happens if i get it wrong is something doesn't get built when someone thought it might. eventualities if a bike mechanic gets it wrong might include someone being hit by a car or going over a drop they might have hoped to avoid.
Common sense and a few "specialist" tools is all you need.
yeah, and sometimes i think the same thing about my job. fortunately for me there are only a few people around the world who have similar experience to me, plus a 'little' common sense, so i'm paid quite well for what i do.
people often undervalue their skills. unfortunate if other people do too, but the market pays what the market will stand....
£20 000 is OK but how many mechanics actually get that for a 40 hr week?
Christ, if I thought I could make up to 20k fixing bikes I'd switch jobs in a heartbeat. I done four years at uni to get paid less than that.
Don't know how people can think that's a bad wage. It's pretty damn good where I come from.
Find somewhere that will actually pay 20k-it'd have to be a big workshop with multiple mechanics to manage and a lot else besides. Average is much more like 16-17k.
butcher, there's a difference between what might be okay in, say, your early twenties, but £20K as a graduate starter salary with the expectation of development and progression to more senior positions is a very different long term career option than £20K as the top salary your job will command when you are fully qualified, experienced etc.
I done four years at uni to get paid less than that.
Perhaps if you spoke better English you'd get a better job 🙄
Don't know how people can think that's a bad wage. It's pretty damn good where I come from.
But it's not a lot in London, as said, which unless you're very lucky is the only place you're going to get that sort of salary. May get you a room in a shared house, but most people have greater aspirations.
I also imagine that you intend to eventually earn more than £20k, as opposed to being happy with that for the rest of your life.
I done four years at uni
Time well spent 🙄
The normal term last time I went looking at jobs " meets minimum wage"
There are people out there who are more than happy to play with bikes all day and will do a great job despite the poor wage.
For most bike shop staff its quality of life as much as money.
[b]@ Del[/b]
I have a the entire IT infrastructure of a multi-million pound company to look after. If I screw up, it can have catastrophic effect on the business (and all the employees).
They are also paying for my knowledge, learnt over many years - not just from a couple of courses...
£20k for fixing bikes is damn good money!
I expect the world-cup level team mechanics are well paid, also there are opportunities for good mechanics within distribution companies that may pay more for the right people so a bike mechanic's prospects aren't limited to retail. I know a cytech level 3 workshop manager with good experience who just picked up a job in Vancouver - they don't have bike mechanic qualifications over there so it was a work-permit winner for him.
They are also paying for my knowledge, learnt over many years - not just from a couple of courses...
To be fair you could say the same about a good bike mechanic, since a level 1 or low-experience mechanic will struggle to get close to 20k. A good suspension servicing, wheel-building, frame-prepping, technically knowledgable mechanic has a lot of experience that you won't pick up on a course and a safety responsibility that shouldn't be underestimated - there's a lot of new cyclists and no-win-no-fee ads around these days.
Perhaps if you spoke better English you'd get a better job
Time well spent
🙄 The pedantry on this forum is second to none. Well done. It's no wonder STW has the reputation it has.
I think it's a valid comment. You're effectively moaning that you don't get paid enough. If I was interviewing that's a massive black mark in my book, it's very basic English.
My apologies. In future I will conduct my manner on the forum as I would in an interview.
It's pendantry 😉
I'd be ****ing made up to be earning 15k a year.
It's pendantry
Are you sure? 🙄
My apologies. In future I will conduct my manner on the forum as I would in an interview.
Well 'did' is shorter than 'done', so you actually spent more time making it wrong, which suggests that it wasn't intentional.
I'd be **** made up to be earning 15k a year.
Assuming a 40 hour week minimum wage is 12700, so as a full time worker you can't be that far off.
Not a radio6 listener (or too bright) are we?
Some proper pedantic bell end's of the highest order on this mongboard FFS !
It sounds like he's only a youngling, give him a break..... 🙄
How will they ever learn otherwise?
It IS their fault that they are young/stupid 
It sounds like he's only a youngling, give him a break....
I only left uni 4 years ago, but I could speak properly when I went!
£20k for repairing bikes is prety good in my opinion, doesn't take a lot of brains (I'm not saying bike mechanics are stupid, you need common sense but thats it really), not a lot of responsibility, so why would it pay more?
How much do people really think a bike mechanic should earn?
Some proper pedantic bell end's of the highest order
That's "bell ends". No apostrophe.
Well 'did' is shorter than 'done', so you actually spent more time making it wrong, which suggests that it wasn't intentional.
I'm not going to pretend that my English is always proper. I can make it proper, when it is required - I'm certinally not going to do that for condescending arses like yourself.
Rorschach, I prefer radio 4 as that's all I can get in the car. But I don't see how my intelligence can be measured by radio stations?
Assuming a 40 hour week minimum wage is 12700, so as a full time worker you can't be that far off
..if you're on 12.5ish, another 2.5ish K is a nice payrise. 2.5k more to any of us should be very much appreciated.
Neil the wheel, top marks )
Have you met people who listen to radio1?
innit, bruv!
[pendant]
[/pendant]In future I will conduct my manner
you might conduct yourself, but i don't think conducting your [i]manner[/i] really works...
😉 at Rorschach. it is that day, after all. 😀
Have you met people who listen to radio1?
I listen to Radio 1 🙂
Ive had the slap down on here for using colourful language.. People think they're clever by correcting you but in reality they were too stupid to realise what really happened.
doesn't take a lot of brains (I'm not saying bike mechanics are stupid, you need common sense but thats it really)
It may not take a lot of 'brains' but it does require a degree of skill to do a good job. I know plenty of very clever people who have no skills when it comes to manual tasks.
I'm not really making a point about salary, but don't confuse intelligence/brains with learned skills. You pay somebody based on the skills they have, not their intelligence (obviously sometimes the two are related).
Also, there is a fair degree of responsibility involved, there is the potential for bodily harm with a poorly maintained bike both for the rider and other people, certainly a lot more responsibility than a lot of better paid desk jobs that also require little in the way of brains 😉
njee20 - Member
I listen to Radio 1
I rest my case m'lud 😉
The skill of a good mechanic lies in being able to do it quickly and accurately. Anybody can fiddle about and get it right eventually, a good mechanic gets it right immediately with no messing around and no wastage.
I used to have a Kiwi mechanic who could build a dozen bikes a day whilst also dealing with all the walk-in repairs without even breaking sweat. We ended up offering him silly money to stay with us rather than return to NZ.
Back on topic! Don't forget most bike mechanics work weekends and bank holidays when your mates are riding, 20k defo top end of the wage scale too, though you can make a bit on the side doing repairs
interesting thread. for info, what does a typical lbs charge an hour for the mechanic?
Plenty of responsibility in the job if you ask me . If you mess up fixing somebodies brakes and they can't stop at a junction and crash you can be in deep sh1t . Far worse than messing up a companys IT system if you ask me .
What's the cost of the Cytech courses?
Yes right £12,700 is almost £15,000. That extra 18% to someone on £12.7K will mean a quite big change in their life (unless they live with mum and dad) eg being able to eat better/go out/have a holiday rather than just meaning they can now afford to buy an iPad.
Do bike mechanics work on Bank Holidays? Shops are always shut round my way.
As for £16-20k - to put it in perspective re responsibility, there are plenty people where I work (Ambulance Service) who who attend life-threatening emergencies earning less than that..............oh and they work bank Holidays, nights, weekends, Christmas and New Year too.
Thre is to my mind an obvious connection between the little we want to pay to get out bikes fixed, the low wages of most bike shop mechanics and the low standard of work done by many bike shop mechanics.
Unless yo really want to work with bikes you would be advised to use your mechanical skills eleswhere where you can earn much more
considering the nonsense I have seen on here from a variety of people "speaking as a bike shop mechanic" there is a huge skills gap to close.
BY a car for £15 000 you will pay £50 an hour++++ to have it serviced - but your £3000 bike you baulk at £2o an hour
As has been said already, fixing a bike isn't exactly rocket science. Basic understanding of mechanics, and some common sense is all you need.
The thread will only screw in/out ONE way... the rear hub only fits in ONE direction....
When you get into the realms of suspension tuning, geo tweaking, etc - imho, you're no longer in 'bike mechanic' territory, you're now a specialist (Loco, TF, J-Tech, etc)
(In the same way a 'car engine tuner' is much more than a 'car mechanic')
EDIT : [b]TJ[/b]
BY a car for £15 000 you will pay £50 an hour++++ to have it serviced - but your £3000 bike you baulk at £2o an hour
Most customers at a LBS won't drop £3k on a bike. More like £100-400?
As for £16-20k - to put it in perspective re responsibility, there are plenty people where I work (Ambulance Service) who [b]who attend life-threatening emergencies[/b]
Are there? Paramedic pay scale starts at £21,176 according to [url= http://www.prospects.ac.uk/paramedic_salary.htm ]this[/url], so I'm not convinced that's valid. I imagine there are call centre folk on less though.
As for £16-20k - to put it in perspective re responsibility, there are plenty people where I work (Ambulance Service) who who attend life-threatening emergencies
Even if true, that just highlights the madness rather than justifying anything. If those people are genuinely paid that little and genuinely have that level of responsibility that's an argument for paying them more, not paying bike mechanics less.
Paramedic pay scale starts at £21,176 according to this, so I'm not convinced that's valid.
I'm not entirely sure that it's only paramedics that attend emergencies
I was at university for eight years, and have gone through the correct use of language and have come out the other side. I totes can do what I want done with English.
I'd love to be a bike mechanic.
The skill of a good mechanic lies in being able to do it quickly and accurately.
this is the key thing here. I can do practically everything that a bike mechanic does, but it probably takes me 2 or 3 times as long.
I stripped and rebuilt a bike the other day (down to nuts and bolts) and it took about 5-6 hours. I doubt that would be satisfactory in a shop.
what would be interesting would be to consider the total hourly cost of employment of a bike mechanic (i.e. including employer NI contributions, benefits, etc.) compared to the shop's charges for workshop spannering e.g. £22 for a bottom bracket installation
twice!
I'd love to be a bike mechanic.
as would a lot of people. this probably has more to do with the low pay scale than anything else.
Agreedthat's an argument for paying them more, not paying bike mechanics less.
If you doubt me amedias, ECSW's (Emergency Care Support Workers) are on [url= http://www.nhscareers.nhs.uk/details/default.aspx?id=766 ]Band 3[/url] and even with unsocial working allowance some are not on £20k.
In my area they can 1st respond to up to 7 Cat'A' ie. life-threatening calls per shift. The fact that they have to do this, with relatively basic training, is another story altogether.
I am astonished by that woody. Don't think it happens here
That's a daft avenue to pursue though, and let's be honest bike shop mechanics are not the ones who should be on the receiving end.
What about sportsfolk, who really do have no responsibility whatsoever, other than to entertain, and get millions.
TJ - that's exactly what the Ambulance Trust Clinical Director said at a meeting 2 weeks ago. In fact he said point blank that it wasn't true...........until the figures were produced.I am astonished by that woody. Don't think it happens here
njee20 - Member
What about sportsfolk, who really do have no responsibility whatsoever, other than to entertain, and get millions.
...and are the best at what they do.
[quote=njee20]
That's a daft avenue to pursue though, and let's be honest bike shop mechanics are not the ones who should be on the receiving end.
What about sportsfolk, who really do have no responsibility whatsoever, other than to entertain, and get millions.
Unfortunately, products I use most likely pay their wages. Given the choice, I'd rather have nothing to do with them, but that's unlikely.
I doubt you're going to get a crowd of 50,000 people cheering on the OP as he replaces a bottom bracket though.What about sportsfolk, who really do have no responsibility whatsoever, other than to entertain, and get millions.
No, but it was an example based on the fact people were saying "ambulance crew have to go and look at bits of person splattered around, and thus deserve more money than bike mechanics".
Comparing professions in that way is utter tosh.
e.g. £22 for a bottom bracket installation
I'd love to be able to get away with that. I usually ask £6 and absorb the extra on the difficult ones that are rusted in place and have to be got out with the angle grinder.