Foo - Getting a job at a bike shop?

I apologize for posting a bike related thread in foo. :D


A new LBS just opened in my area and basically my summer dream job is working at a bike shop. They have amazing service and are a very friendly bike shop. The only thing im currently not sure about is that everyone who currently works there is 50+ :o excluding one girl in her late 20s/early 30s.

So should I not interrupt this or do you think they will be ok with a 16 y.o. working there?

I really do know bikes very well and hope i might be able to be a benefit to the shop but is there anyone in here who has worked at a shop that wants to talk?

I apologize for posting a bike related thread in foo. :D


A new LBS just opened in my area and basically my summer dream job is working at a bike shop. They have amazing service and are a very friendly bike shop. The only thing im currently not sure about is that everyone who currently works there is 50+ :o excluding one girl in her late 20s/early 30s.

So should I not interrupt this or do you think they will be ok with a 16 y.o. working there?

I really do know bikes very well and know i could benefit the shop but is there anyone in here who has worked at a shop that wants to talk?

*ahem* :innocent:

Sorry, fixed, just didnt want to be accused of being some lazy teen who wants to sit around and collect wages, i want to work as hard as i can for whatever job i do.

The only thing im currently not sure about is that everyone who currently works there is 50+ :o excluding one girl in her late 20s/early 30s.
The shop I work at has mostly 20-30 year olds, except for the owner who is 50+, one p/t female who is mid 40s, and me -- 63. We all get along just fine.

Go for it.

Thinking that you know a lot about bikes at 16 is your first mistake.

No, I'm not saying that you know nothing, just that if you are to work with such an experienced crew, you're a lot more likely to learn than to teach...but only if you don't "already know it all".

BTW: Reading about stuff on the internet does not count as experience until you've actually applied that information.

Thinking that you know a lot about bikes at 16 is your first mistake.

No, I'm not saying that you know nothing, just that if you are to work with such an experienced crew, you're a lot more likely to learn than to teach...but only if you don't "already know it all".

BTW: Reading about stuff on the internet does not count as experience until you've actually applied that information.

I agree.

Elf, many shops can take on an extra guy to haul around the boxes and do some basic mechanical work. But this "know a lot about bikes" stuff has to stop. Retain dignity, not pride.

go for it. if you are young (you are) and have never worked in a shop before(probably), you'l porbably just sweep up, move boxes around, change flats, maybe assemble a few bikes, run errands for your coworkers (coffee, etc.). its hella fun.

If you can be patient enough and are willing to learn, go for it. What's the worst that can happen? Get turned down?

I managed a large shop when I was in my mid 20s. We always hired one or two high school kids from the neighborhood to help out part time, mostly cleaning, stocking and merchandising. It is likely that you won't be in a sales position working with customers but it is possible that you can help the mechanic with repairs in the shop. One of the kids that I hired turned into a damn good mechanic.

You'd have a wonderful opportunity to learn if they hire you. I agree with the advice to be humble - be willing to accept minimum wage and potentially crappy hours, complete "menial" tasks with grace, treat customers like gold, and other employees with respect. Have good personal references. (I realize you probably don't have much in the way of employment references.) Any non-relatives who can confirm that you're not entirely clueless around a bike?

BTW, these tips do not come from any bike shop experience, but rather my experience with hiring teenage children of agency employees for summer office work.

(P.S. I created a link to this thread from the Industry Subforum in case other shop owners and employees are willing to share advice.)

I agree with a lot of what is being said here.

Elf, I think if you are really eager and willing to learn, you'd really benefit from this. Remember that no matter how much you know, there is always a bit more that you can gain. Every little tidbit, every new task that is given you, you are getting stronger and more knowledgeable. Absorb it all like a dry sponge. Take full advantage of what the mechs can show you, teach you and share with you. Always ask questions, and do research on the side.

You will be very successful and your dream will come true. Good luck Elf, we are rooting for you. :thumb:

Thinking that you know a lot about bikes at 16 is your first mistake.

No, I'm not saying that you know nothing, just that if you are to work with such an experienced crew, you're a lot more likely to learn than to teach...but only if you don't "already know it all".

BTW: Reading about stuff on the internet does not count as experience until you've actually applied that information.

I agree with WB 100% here... I'd look at this as a learning opportunity as you are gonna be amazed at all the stuff you didn't know.

I have a volunteer at our co-op who is just a little older than you and she has some good basic skills, is a total gear head and a really hard worker.

She also thought she knew a lot about bikes until she started spending time in the shop.

Thinking that you know a lot about bikes at 16 is your first mistake.

No, I'm not saying that you know nothing, just that if you are to work with such an experienced crew, you're a lot more likely to learn than to teach...but only if you don't "already know it all".

BTW: Reading about stuff on the internet does not count as experience until you've actually applied that information.

Absolutely, my point was simply, the standard tune-ups that they would be giving bikes as an everyday event, I have already performed on other bikes. Every time I crack open my bike magazine I learn something new. There is nothing more I love about wrenching that even a simple mechanical machine like a bicycle is so complex that people who have worked on them for 10+ years are still learning new things. That is part of the reason I want a job at a bike shop rather than some supermarket, stocking shelves, where i will not learn skills particularly helpful in my everday use (at least not as many).

I agree.

Elf, many shops can take on an extra guy to haul around the boxes and do some basic mechanical work. But this "know a lot about bikes" stuff has to stop. Retain dignity, not pride.

You guys are really sensitive about this issue, I realize im a noob but dont accuse me of being ignorant. No one has ever accused me of being ignorant to my face, and the majority of people who know me would tell you that I am a good listener.

If you can be patient enough and are willing to learn, go for it. What's the worst that can happen? Get turned down?

:D I cant take that kind of rejection.

I managed a large shop when I was in my mid 20s. We always hired one or two high school kids from the neighborhood to help out part time, mostly cleaning, stocking and merchandising. It is likely that you won't be in a sales position working with customers but it is possible that you can help the mechanic with repairs in the shop. One of the kids that I hired turned into a damn good mechanic.

They're a new bike shop and i dont think they even have a full time mechanic yet so, Im hopeful.

You'd have a wonderful opportunity to learn if they hire you. I agree with the advice to be humble - be willing to accept minimum wage and potentially crappy hours, complete "menial" tasks with grace, treat customers like gold, and other employees with respect. Have good personal references. (I realize you probably don't have much in the way of employment references.) Any non-relatives who can confirm that you're not entirely clueless around a bike?

BTW, these tips do not come from any bike shop experience, but rather my experience with hiring teenage children of agency employees for summer office work.

(P.S. I created a link to this thread from the Industry Subforum in case other shop owners and employees are willing to share advice.)

Actually i have a few volunteer services I have worked at who have told me that they would greatly vouch for me if I needed them to.

Thank you for the sub forum, greatly appreciate it.

I agree with WB 100% here... I'd look at this as a learning opportunity as you are gonna be amazed at all the stuff you didn't know.

I have a volunteer at our co-op who is just a little older than you and she has some good basic skills, is a total gear head and a really hard worker.

She also thought she knew a lot about bikes until she started spending time in the shop.

Everyone says im either too full of myself or lazy, finding the balance between the two when in writing seems difficult for me, neither represent my personality. Especially with this bike shop I know that my performance is critical to giving them a good name. So if I have ever worked hard at a job it WILL be this one.

I started working at this shop [New England Bicycle] a little over two years ago and am now the sales manager here. Began by sweeping the floors, cleaning the bathrooms, changing flats and getting coffee.

The work ain't too glamorous but you get to be around bikes all day and hang out with people that love cycling and know a helluva lot more about bikes than yourself.

So, go for it. There's nothing to lose. If you're real ambitious you may end up running the joint a couple years later ;)

you cant get the job unless you ask. worst thing they can say is no. best thing is yes. go for it.

First, make sure the shop knows you, shop a few times, ask some questions, introduce yourself, then go into the shop on a busy Saturday. Look around. Are there more customers than the sales staff can handle? If yes, then they probably could use someone. Go back on a Monday or something to get an app.
I've got the best job in the world in a bike shop now. I just moved up to the floor this past month after a summer of building bikes, and now I do smaller mechanic jobs in the front stands instead of The Hole building bikes.

Go for it.
You may find yourself doing menial tasks but it still is a lot of fun.
I worked as a bike assembler when I was 18 and it was a great summer job.
I learned a lot and years later I understood why they didn't let me touch the important jobs!
But when I was hired I was told this simple fact.
A bike mechanic not only repairs current configurations, but those that have existed for the last 30 years.
So unless I knew how to fix a 3-speed hub, build wheel sets or re-thread an obsolete BB I was the low guy on the ladder.

I started working at this shop [New England Bicycle] a little over two years ago and am now the sales manager here. Began by sweeping the floors, cleaning the bathrooms, changing flats and getting coffee.

The work ain't too glamorous but you get to be around bikes all day and hang out with people that love cycling and know a helluva lot more about bikes than yourself.

So, go for it. There's nothing to lose. If you're real ambitious you may end up running the joint a couple years later ;)

If i were real ambitious i would go to college. ;)






jk, but I am going to college, but this will have to remain a summer job.

Im currently trying to learn wheelbuilding, but its difficult because i havnt been able to get any hands on experience. I have read a ton but i know it doesnt count worth beans.



Stupid wheels wont come untrued!!!!!

I've been tinkering on bikes since I was a little kid, have volunteered at several non profit shops for many years, and now get paid to work on bikes and teach people how to repair their own bikes in our community shop.

I've worked on nearly every kind of bike you can imagine, build my own wheels, build wheels for other people, do a lot of custom work, and what I know is still mere drops in a much larger bucket of knowledge.

My partner graduated from Barnett's and will admit that he is still learning new stuff nearly every day.

If you want to build wheels find an old wheel in reasonable shape (you want a true hoop with no bends) and disassemble it... then you can put it back together, tension it, true it. and dish it.

If you screw that up it costs very little whereas screwing up a bunch of new parts can be pretty costly... the bits for my new fixed wheel on my tourer were $120.00.

I helped my friend build up his new mtb wheels and his parts were nearly $500.00... that is a lot of trust and the guys at the LBS have said it is one of the best built wheel sets they have ever seen.

A bike shop will also be pretty cautious about letting someone with little or no experience build wheels as if there is a failure and someone is injured they could be held liable... and those parts are expensive too.

If i were real ambitious i would go to college. ;)

Oh, by the way, I also go to college full time :thumb:

Of the three local LBS's I frequent, two of them of people your age working in the back wrenching on bikes. In fact people of all ages are working back there. Try it, I think it'd be fun and a great learning experience.

:D I cant take that kind of rejection.

get used to it! but seriously go for it. i was the annoying 13 y/o kid that hung around the LBS and pissed everyone off asking a million questions... eventually they handed me a broom and said if i clean up the floor i could take home a few tubes. that became a regular thing for a while. i'd come in after schoola nd clean up for them. i ended up learnign where every bit of inventory was. they started asked me to get stuff for them and if we were out of any particular thing. soon, i think i was 15 at the time, they had me build a bike. a 12" girls bike. i was so excited... i got paid 7 bucks a bike. but if there was anything wrong witht he bike, i didnt get paid... the head mechanic checked all my work. long story short, i'm now 24 worked in dirty shops and high end elite shops, and i'm a store manager now for a local chain i guess u could call it. 3 stores one owner. bu yea work hard, stay humble and good things will come... thats the best advice i can give u

Go ahead and apply, a job is a job, and if it's doing something you like, all the better. I worked at a couple of bike shops when I was young, the money wasn't great, but the discounts were pretty good. I pretty much worked for free, as my pay was exchanged for bikes or parts. Your odds of getting hired will be much better as the holiday season approaches. Last year I mentioned to the manager at my LBS that I had worked in a bike shop before, and he actually offered me a job assembling bikes for the holidays. The $8 an hour he was offering me was 1/5th what I was making at my regular job, but I was still tempted, I would have worked the season for him in exchange for a good bike.

I was trained as an engineer, I am now back in school, and working at the bike shop as a mechanic/sales. It's the best thing I've ever done. There are tons to learn and even more to remember, the nature of the business is that there will be people half the age that tells you what to do. While that being the case, the older crowd will prefer to talk to someone their own age, so bank on that.

I wouldn't apply, they may say no.

Yea I started when I was 15 and the guys I work with are pretty much in their early 30s and mid 40s except for the owners, they're older. I went into the job thinking I'd know a lot but when you're going to do a tune up on a old raleigh 3 speed, theres more to it than you think. I came from the world of threadless headsets and v brakes. I was like wtf how do you tune a internal hub. You will learn and in just over a year I know so much more about bikes than I thought I'd ever know. So you gain lots of experience at your time there.

He' 16, not 5. I have friends that could rip apart a car and put it back together at that age. 3years ago I bought a park tool set and read the website. I have built and serviced my own bikes since. A monkey can do it. I know first hand.

A monkey can do it. I know first hand.

Well, I'lllllllllll be.....Yuh dun sayuh?

Is he saying he's a monkey?

Dat's wut ah wuz thinkin'.

At least he can prove a monkey can do it...firsthand.

Now THAT's something to be proud of!

Three dumb posts to say the same thing. Thats something to be proud of.

Yep. We're all thinking the same way....oooo scary!

Did I insult you? Are you monkey for a living?

Why do you think you've insulted me? And why do you think I'm a monkey when you're the one with first hand experience?

Edit: Okay wait. I DO throw frieght (bananas) for a living though...that counts!

My point was anyone and I mean anyone can learn how to service bikes in a short time. Just because his age you looked down your nose. Oh much can be learned in the shop young jeti.

Where did I look down at him because of his age or anything at all?


I agree with a lot of what is being said here.

Elf, I think if you are really eager and willing to learn, you'd really benefit from this. Remember that no matter how much you know, there is always a bit more that you can gain. Every little tidbit, every new task that is given you, you are getting stronger and more knowledgeable. Absorb it all like a dry sponge. Take full advantage of what the mechs can show you, teach you and share with you. Always ask questions, and do research on the side.

You will be very successful and your dream will come true. Good luck Elf, we are rooting for you. :thumb:


Is this not encouragement?

Please show me where I was looking down at him.

LOL. The first response.

I think less of someone thinking they can know everything about bike repair from reading Park's site than I do of someone being merely young.

The problem with people that think they know everything is that they can't be taught.

Come to think of it...that could mean that monkeys would indeed make better students.

He said he knows bikes well. He didn't say he knew everything. Nor did I. You can learn all you need from the site and doing it.

LOL. The first response.

And you ignore the post I included....:p

Do you know elf like I know elf? IT'S A JOKE BETWEEN HIM AND I. Hence the reason I tell him to absorb all that he can. He's a good kid and I want to see him succeed. Wow. You're taking harder it than he is.

HTFU :thumb:

All the shops in my town hire at 18. I've gotten comments about how I should work at one but the environment in some I've been to aren't my style.

Do you know elf like I know elf? IT'S A JOKE BETWEEN HIM AND I. Hence the reason I tell him to absorb all that he can. He's a good kid and I want to see him succeed. Wow. You're taking harder it than he is.

HTFU

Elf "You guys are really sensitive about this issue, I realize im a noob but dont accuse me of being ignorant."

Sounds like he feels you are real insperation...