In the latest episode we do not talk about the dearth of youthful owners and workers in bicycle retail, but this was a topic suggested to me by a listener and friend of mine.
I ran the idea by my friend Ari Andonopoulos who is a bicycle mechanic in a Chicago area suburb. He felt this was a topic worthy of discussion, so we are going to bring Ari in on our next recording to chat about this topic.
From my viewpoint. I have seen many older owners retire, sell their shops, and in some cases they close up, never to return. In others, a person buys the business. However; there seems to be a lack of young folks being trained up as mechanics by these outgoing folks. This is somewhat concerning as there is a wealth of knowledge which is going to disappear in the coming decade and it won't be passed on to younger mechanics.
My question to you dear readers is this: Do you see this as being an issue where you reside? Are there examples you can point to where young owners and mechanics are taking over and thriving? I'd be very interested in any thoughts any of you might like to share on this subject.
Maybe we won't need to have mechanics with "old school knowledge" if the 'device-a-fication' of bicycles gets to a point where bicycles become expendable objects when they fail. I mean, we already kind of do this on the low end bicycles which are so poorly made with such awful materials they are not worth fixing.
But there probably will be things which are decades old still getting ridden for decades to come, as long as the parts are available. So, who will know all the little tricks and bits of arcane knowledge which can extend the life cycle of those old bicycles w=once the oldies are gone and the youth haven't been around to learn those things? Maybe make them memorize Sutherland's manuals and read a chapter of St. Sheldon's gospel of bicycles every week?
Those are my quick thoughts on the matter. Stay tuned for the podcast.....
I think that definitely is a problem here in southeast Nebraska. I can count the number of younger mechanics I know on one hand, which won't be enough to satisfy the need going forward when a few 'staples' of the scene retire. Virtually every good mechanic in Lincoln is in their mid-30s at least, and most are in their late 40s and 50s. Hardly ideal...
ReplyDeleteAlso, the bar for a 'bike mechanic' seems very low at the moment. I've talked to folks working in the repair areas of a couple shops recently that have never built a wheel. How that is okay is well beyond me. That is an essential skill for any 'mechanic'... or at least it was.
@MG - Thanks for the comment about the Lincoln, Nebraska mechanic scene.
DeleteI agree with you, according to what I am seeing ehre, but having Ari and yourself confirm it coming from larger markets makes me even more concerned.
As far as what skills might qualify a mechanic, this is another thing which is concerning. I had a young, local mechanic come and ask me about what he should do. He had no resources and this coming from a shop solely representing one of the big four brands. Scary!
Out here in the Black Hills I don't see the issue. The two shops I frequent both have young blood as well as seasoned vets with 30 years of experience.
ReplyDeleteThe shops I know of that have mechanics part of full time, have a mix of ages, but within 3 shops I can think of 4 college students working part time, also a shop that has 23 year old running a service department. I think it is like anything, you may see what you only want to see. I am thinking of my times in Bentonville and their staff in the shops down there is young.
ReplyDelete@N.Y. Roll - Yes, but, we both know about how one of your examples is not versed well in cycling mechanical knowledge. ;>) And another of your examples has a specific example of character turn-off, shall we say? The third shop is closing its doors as we speak with no hope of replacement.
DeleteAnd with shops running on the experience of, as you say, "college students" who likely are on their way out the door when college is over, can we really say this is pushing the agenda forward? This is an example of another issue within the industry which we can discuss with our next podcast as well.
Overall, I would agree with the take that this is a concern. As people retire and/or pass on, knowledge will be lost, unless it is documented, whether it's via video, website, or other documentation. It's going to be increasingly difficult to convince people to take up a profession that doesn't allow for the exciting lifestyle that many younger people want. Being a life-long mechanic means really being attracted to the craft IMO.
ReplyDeleteWe are fortunate to have a lot of good mechanics in our area. There is a certain subset of those that you know are the "go to" for older hardware. If I need a two speed kickback repaired, there's a small number of choices. Fortunately, they are all good. As you said Mark, maybe in a few years it will all be a moot point as we may not even be able to source parts to repair some of these things (which is an issue itself)