In my few years working in a bike shop, the best qualities I developed were diagnostic skills, and communication. A mechanic has to be able to find what's really needed on any bike and find the best way to address those issues. That comes with experience in the shop in ways that no amount of reading can get you.
Then the mechanic has to be able to communicate that to the most skeptical and least technically saavy customers.
I once had a customer come in with a nice mtb that was in BAD shape. The Fox fork had a big hole in the lowers. When I called him to tell him he needed a new fork in addition to a bunch of other stuff, he replied, "what part is the fork?" I learned to never assume that the customer knows anything about their equipment after that.
Last edited by mack_turtle; 01-23-21 at 08:28 AM.