Bicycle Mechanics - Shop apprentice?

I would love to work at a LBS part time, but i honestly have no skills. I can do a basic tune up, but would love to learn some more advanced skills. I would have absolutely no problem volunteering a few hrs each sat at a shop to learn. Would most / any shop owners take me up on this? If so, how should I approach my LBS owner?

I know we have quite a few shop owners on the forums, have you ever done this with any of your customers? Would it be something your interested in?

Out here (I am sure this is common as it was also this way in Ontario where I used to live) You can volunteer your services. You build a raport and a reputation. You also tend to get things cheap such as parts and work.

You can simply go to a small shop and ask. If they need help or time filled they may ask you to come by. Start you out slow with 1 day a week until you prove your skills and then continue tacking on time until you are worth paying :) Unless of course you want to remain a volunteer in which case they would still allow it.

Shops always need cheap help :)

Thats my goal, i would love to work at a shop full time, but i dont currently have the skills needed, and i'm not sure i want to pay somebody to teach me... I'll probly take one of the park tool school classes before i look around.

Thanks for the quick reply, this forum is great! ;)

Hmmm there are sometimes clinics. Sometimes for a very small fee one of the shops techies will show you tricks and stuff. Bike mechanics isn't that difficult and is really eay to figure out on your own. The only downfall with bikes is a lack of standards. There are billions of little tricks with each type of bike. Thats where the real mech's excel. The major stuff anyone can learn.

Sucking up to the mods eh, Joe? ;)

Maybe you could offer to trade some computer knowledge for mechanical knowledge.

If the shop has alot of work, volunteering might be a way of getting in. Or you might say something like: instead of pay, I'd work for discounts on parts. That might take some of the onus off it.

at my LBS there are a few wrenches, (dang good ones too :)) and there are a few people who help people find bikes/gear that they need... i.e. salespeople. I think you could do that for a while and try to learn the mechanics part of it at the same time.

I would not have a problem with it. I wish that people in this town would I have made the offer to two people, but once they find out what it is like they bow out. Sad it is not like it is real hard just tedious at times.

A guy came in the shop today that was totally wack!!! He would stand there cursing and talking to ghosts and then look up and say something about needing his bike fixed. At one point, he was showing the shop owner something about his back wheel, and I was watching just to leanr what I could, and he turnedaorund and siad, "get out of here dammit!!! Go in the back or something!!". So I did.....The shop owner said, "he's my employee and he's just trying to learn, if you have a problem with him leave".:beer: A few mintues later, I'm in the back quietly build a Trek, and he comes back there and says, "Put some dam break pads on my bike". " Some koreans got ahold of a BAR, and put it on slow fire, 2 round burst, and they knocked'm out of there!". Then he cursed and stuff like that about having to pay for the pads, and then he left. Mighty touchy!!! My people skills were put to the test!
Just let me build the bikes...PLEASE!!!

LOL! At my old place of work, we had an older lady who thought she was married to robert redford. She always had a 8x10 picture of him with her, and would talk to the picture before making any decision...

I doubt she rides a bike... ;)

Originally posted by fubar5
" Some koreans got ahold of a BAR, and put it on slow fire, 2 round burst, and they knocked'm out of there!"

uh can we say shell shocked?

Originally posted by fubar5
A guy came in the shop today that was totally wack!!! He would stand there cursing and talking to ghosts and then look up and say something about needing his bike fixed. At one point, he was showing the shop owner something about his back wheel, and I was watching just to leanr what I could, and he turnedaorund and siad, "get out of here dammit!!! Go in the back or something!!". So I did.....The shop owner said, "he's my employee and he's just trying to learn, if you have a problem with him leave".:beer: A few mintues later, I'm in the back quietly build a Trek, and he comes back there and says, "Put some dam break pads on my bike". " Some koreans got ahold of a BAR, and put it on slow fire, 2 round burst, and they knocked'm out of there!". Then he cursed and stuff like that about having to pay for the pads, and then he left. Mighty touchy!!! My people skills were put to the test!
Just let me build the bikes...PLEASE!!!

The war last a long, long time for some.:(