A Mechanic’s Economy

What is the economy like for a bike mechanic? As I’ve written before, the money isn’t that impressive. Maybe that should be enough of an answer for me regarding whether or not my wife and I can survive and settle down with such meager income. Which is something we’ve been considering lately. Shouldn’t there be more to it than that though? I don’t know, the industry at my level—the shop customer service level that is—seems rife with people wanting something for free. That’s a hard concept to grasp: wanting to make a living selling something people don’t want to pay anything for. Hmmmm, it’s a doozy. But there’s more to this question than that (it’s a subject unto itself really). Maybe it’s the region I’m in, maybe it’s the market around here, maybe it’s the shop I’m at. What are the future prospects like? What’s the potential to make a survivable amount of money at the same shop as a head mechanic/shop manager after a year or two? Or three? Or ten? I guess “cost of living” raises can be expected. (It’d be nice to think so at least). But beyond that, what is there for the dedicated shop wrench?

Yes, we’re not in it for the money, we love bikes, we love working on bikes, and I do love helping people get themselves on the road under their own power. But shouldn’t that demand warrant commensurate pay? Responding to that demand correctly is more than what a lot of shops get from their so-called mechanics; wrenching on bikes in an accurate and reliable way is a skilled trade in my book. Yes, lots of people can probably install a brake caliper or tighten a cone, but it is true technical skill to know exactly the what, how, and when. It is the technical skill set that is learned through school (which attending shows dedication), years of experience (of which I am eager to continue putting in), and a mechanical aptitude and determination all of which should be benefitted just as any other technical vocation is. None of this is taking into consideration the public face the mechanic presents to the customer, or the how important their decisions to the business are. These are all questions as to why mechanics are historically underpaid. But where does it go from there? Can working for someone else as a mechanic be a good living?

The immediate direction I foresee—for myself at least, that is—is opening my own shop (no one need worry about new competition, it won’t be in this area, nor anytime soon). But ultimately that’s not going to generate much “income” right away, I’ve never seen any shop owners sitting back being fed grapes by any servants in my time. But that’s alright, I don’t need a lot, just a bit more than the close to starving tax bracket my wife and I are currently in. And having the goal of a self-owned bike shop really (really!) sounds nice; i.e. being my own boss, calling the shots, actually seeing where a decision I’ve made goes, etc. The pressures of self-owning also sound good, of course it’ll be a difficult road, but as I’ve mentioned, we’re not saving people’s lives here. (So to speak I mean.) Bike shops are meant to be laid back and relaxed atmospheres, no one’s life hangs in the balance due to the grime built up on their jockey wheels. Working as hard as we do though, sometimes you’d think someone’s did.

But back to the point, what are the alternatives? What if I didn’t want to own my own shop? Is there simply a limit to the mechanic’s economy? Do I become a sales rep? Honestly, what’s an ambitious, aspiring, bike mechanic to do? How does one make money in the bike industry?

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