Bicycle Mechanics - How Much Do Bike Mechanics Make

Just out of curiousity how how can bike mechanics make?

threve. either that or $texas

I'm actually not a mechanic and don't know, but you can't go wrong with an snl celebrity jeaopardy answer to this sort of question.

Just out of curiousity how [much money] can bike mechanics make?

The best offer I've received was US$18/hour plus benefits, but that's not typical.

With little to no experience you'll start at well under $10/hr.

Where?

What experience levels?

A newb, probably minimum wage. After that, it depends on area and experience.

Minimum wage.....its not a career job.

Minimum wage eh? Assuming 40 hrs/wk @ 50 wks/yr, that'd give me about $550 of disposable income per month and lots more time for riding! Something to think about anyway... ;)

Minimum wage eh? Assuming 40 hrs/wk @ 50 wks/yr, that'd give me about $550 of disposable income per month and lots more time for riding! Something to think about anyway... ;)

If can manage to get paid under the table you can double dip and collect welfare to....you'd have one hell of a standard of living at mom's

wow, cost of living must be cheap there in tucson for minimum wage to give you that much disposable income.

If can manage to get paid under the table you can double dip and collect welfare to....you'd have one hell of a standard of living at mom's

wow, cost of living must be cheap there in tucson for minimum wage to give you that much disposable income.
Rent and food is all I buy. I make a lot more than that now, but I work 60 hr weeks.

currently ~30k plus benefits. i work hourly+ bonus. salary is available if i move up

I suspect that it will be hard to survive in most big metro areas on a bke mechanic's pay, unless you are the mechanic/owner of the bike shop, even then, I suspect profit margins in the bike u=industry are on the slim side so you need to really be in the right location and work tons of hours to get "rich" enough to survive nicely in cities like SF or NY. and you are aways going to compete with the internet and big box shops like PBS.
Could be better to set up shop in smaller cities where cost of living might not be as high.

Chombi

If can manage to get paid under the table you can double dip and collect welfare to....you'd have one hell of a standard of living at mom's

i hope your joking around cuz that is just wrong

I'm sure bike mechanics get lots of free or heavily-discounted stuff, and lots of chicks. Similar perks to being a cook. :)

$9/hr.

I'm sure bike mechanics get lots of free or heavily-discounted stuff, and lots of chicks. Similar perks to being a cook. :)

Cost plus 10%, plus shipping as applicable. Free stuff: uhh... chain lube, valve caps, grease... water... energy-food items that have passed their sell-by date...


unless you are the mechanic/owner of the bike shop, even then, I suspect profit margins in the bike u=industry are on the slim side so you need to really be in the right location and work tins of hours to get "rich" enough to survive nicely in cities like SF or NY. and you are aways going to compete with the internet and big box shops like PBS.

I wouldn't want to own a bike shop. What a way to put a monkey on your back. An espresso stand, maybe...

I wouldn't want to own a bike shop. What a way to put a monkey on your back. An espresso stand, maybe...

Me neither. "How do you make a small fortune in the bike business? Invest a large fortune."

I spent 12 years in the bike business, from working in a shop to a warehouse to Bike'Alog. I don't think any of those was a "living wage" except Bike'Alog, and as soon as I started there I met my future wife. She's supported me in a lot of ways since, including 2 career changes. Now I have a job that pays the bills and I can buy bike parts I want. So there.

The last time I paid someone to work on a bike, I paid the shop an hourly rate higher than the auto-repair shop I was running charged, and they were paying their mechanics less than half what we paid ours. (They were paying their mechanics less than the guy who washed my floors and lugged heavy stuff around the shop got, and he was just nearly pure overhead for us; I know that because he used to be one of their better mechanics! Think about that; he was a pretty good bike mechanic, and had the right mindset to be a really good one, but he got better money doing something that we usually hired high school kids to do, because the only real qualification was "show up and do what you were told".)

i figured they made around min wage unless you work for some speciality team or something like that

I do many things for a living these days. It's the new economy, dontcha know. I work as a bike shop mechanic two days a week. I get $10/hour. It really hurts. I've been trying to make a living as a computer consultant, and my billing rate there is $100/hour.

When I got my first paycheck, it looked like pay for a half-day's work. Ouch.

But I absolutely adore the work.

I just applied for a job as manager at a fancy bicycle boutique in Manhattan. I wonder what the pay scale is there.

I also sing for money, in a synagogue and a church. That work is easy but the pay there is awful, too.

EDIT: I asked for a raise, after working at the bike shop for only a short time. I proved my value quickly, and I got a lot of compliments. I'm supposed to get an answer by today. The manager at my shop is going to talk to the owner who works at the other shop he owns.

I'm sure bike mechanics get lots of free or heavily-discounted stuff, and lots of chicks. Similar perks to being a cook. :)

We get something called a pro deal which is 20% of the cost of a bike, but the salary still doesn't put us anywhere in the range of actually affording most of the bikes we work on. I wasn't able to afford bikes until I got a "real job".

To the op's question I was paid 8 a hour in michigan (considered a good wage) and 15 when I managed the service department in D.C. The hours are what really kills it as being a realistic job. In the summer you might be working 50hours a week while in the winter you are lucky to get 20. It's definitely not a career.

I wouldn't want to own a bike shop. What a way to put a monkey on your back. An espresso stand, maybe...

And have to babysit 16 yr olds with all of their baggage.

I worked weekend at my LBS for awhile when I was in school. Didn't paid much, but did get a free bike education. I also got 10% over cost and lay away which to this day, I still think the owner paid off for me.

$8.50/hour part time seasonal off hours evenings and weekends, experienced.
Perks were tools at cost or cost +10%, other stuff was cost +10% to +30% depending upon a few factors.
Limits on how much stuff you could get at the discount, and if you were getting too much stuff it was assumed you were working deals on the side and the perk would be lost (if not the job too). Supposed to be for personal use and needs of self and immediate family.

Helped pay the mortgage and supplemented the unemployment checks when between jobs, unemployment was pro-rated based on bike shop earnings.

Definitely couldn't live on it unless you were single, no kids, no pets, no bills, and had 2-10 room mates to share rent fees with.

Definitely worth it if you have a regular job with regular hours and work the shop part time just for the discounts on parts and tires/tubes.

Minimum wage eh? Assuming 40 hrs/wk @ 50 wks/yr, that'd give me about $550 of disposable income per month and lots more time for riding! Something to think about anyway... ;)

"Lots more time for riding?"

Don't count on it. Bike shops are busiest when the weather is best for riding.

Been there, done that.

Lots more money in Weapons of War, that why it keeps happening.