How Much Money Does a Bike Mechanic Make? The Answer May Surprise You 62

bturman
2/10/2014 6:16pm

Here's an interesting presentation from Donny Perry, the SBCU Global Development Manager at Specialized Bicycles. In it he discusses how much a bike mechanic earns on average in the United States, how their salary compares to other careers, and ends with the question "How can bike work be valued for more?"

It's a good discussion topic. We definitely appreciate all the hard work mechanics have put in wrenching on our rides over the years. What are your thoughts? Regardless, consider brightening your mechanic's day with a tip next time he does his magic. While they likely love what they do, they have to make a living too.

Related:
Vital's Voice
Bike Shop
62 comments

View replies to: How Much Money Does a Bike Mechanic Make? The Answer May Surprise You

c50 Snapshot 1 7 31 2013 2 08 PM 1392092547
gotdurt
10 years ago
The answer is simple: it's work that most avid riders can learn to do themselves... for everyone else, there are college students wrenching their way through school so they don't have to be a shop wrench for the rest of their lives... it's either that, or they put in their time toward the experience needed to eventually get their own shop so they can make a measly $40/year and pay another kid $20k to continue the cycle (no pun intended). Few wrench for long. All that said, I'd much rather wrench in a shop for $20k than sling pizzas at Little Caesars for the same...
2
avatar.png?VersionId=TkOXSLqxgAC412Y 1F6UyzOaMSkN
noldog
10 years ago
Defenitely makes a difference when someone appreciates the hard work put into a proper tune-up. Makes me think that the fast food workers are greedy asking $15/hr to say "welcome to BK" and collect money. No skills or knowledge required
1
CCCX DH 02 25 2012 square
Snfoilhat
10 years ago
Thank you, Donny Perry. I was going to share this on social media, but then I realized too many of my 'friends' are the new breed of conservative that wouldn't be caught dead studying economic theory but frequently put on airs about understanding the economy through their work experiences and the intuitve obviousness of free markets, and will attack any conversation about wages as bellyaching and redistributionism by the lazy. I hope others' social networks are less hostile to discussions of fairness. And I hope our trade is more highly valued in the future.
3
1
c50 fb picture 1416250372
Adam_Welch
10 years ago
Mechanics are worth their weight in gold, yes. But for someone like me who couldn't afford anymore than $80 for someone else to do it, we just look at internet tutorials if we don't know how to do something. To be an amazing bike mechanic, yeah it takes training. But most things you can do yourself with tools. Hell I used to service my forks myself as I wasn't going to pay $300.
1
c50 avatar mousehead 1370479290.jpg?VersionId=ZXUmvT7PdVx6
sAFETY
10 years ago
The presentation complains that the average salary is only about $11 an hour, but they says that bike tunes are priced low at $80. Considering that an $80 tune doesn't take more than an hour or two, maybe the discrepancy is between the money coming in and money trickling down to the mechanic.

Then again, the cold hard fact is that it's a simple job in a desirable industry that takes little to no training beyond what most serious riders have. How much are housekeepers paid? How much are grocery cashiers paid?

This doesn't seem to be a problem that's at all unique to the bike industry. The system itself is flawed, and thinking that bike mechanics are above it is foolish.
c50 profile 1487817150
bturman
10 years ago
As an engineer I was frequently billed out to clients at $150+ per hour. What I actually took home was a fraction of that. All businesses have to take a healthy cut to keep the lights on and grow.

Call me crazy, but perfectly tuning a derailleur, building a wheel, or rebuilding a fork requires far more talent than vacuuming or bagging groceries. Good mechanics have most definitely put in countless hours to hone their craft.
5
c50 Snapshot 1 7 31 2013 2 08 PM 1392092547
gotdurt
10 years ago
Good mechanics eventually end up with their own shops, teaching what they know to the next crop of good mechanics/future shop owners... the others either finish college or live in an old van with a $8k bike they built with their discounts...
1
avatar.png?VersionId=TkOXSLqxgAC412Y 1F6UyzOaMSkN
bombertodd
10 years ago
I agree! My dad is a technician (ASE advanced master) at a dealership. They charge $105 an hour to work on a car. His cut is $27 an hour and he has to buy all his own tools too. Flawed system.
c50 Snapshot 1 7 31 2013 2 08 PM 1392092547
gotdurt
10 years ago
No flawed system; I was in the same boat, but there came a time when I became an expert in my field realized that I could be the one charging the bigger bucks on my own... then I found out how much it costs to be the business owner, with all of the overhead, etc... it's still better, but not that much; sometimes I do miss the days when all I had to do was clock-in, clock out, collect a check...
1
avatar.png?VersionId=TkOXSLqxgAC412Y 1F6UyzOaMSkN
bombertodd
10 years ago
Well his boss (the GM) makes $600,000-900,000 based off commission. The owner made over $4 million last year. Before my dad worked at the dealership he owned his own shop. He made a little more money, but worked and stressed a lot more.
c50 image 1381640956
Triber66
10 years ago
I was hoping the "surprise" answer was going to be more than I thought, it was definitely less. Thanks for all the hard work on my bikes, you guys should be better compensated!
2

Deals

See All »