technicians and sorcerers

This is not finger painting, this is bicycle maintenance. There are Rules.

As bicycle mechanics, we have a variety of ways to view our trade/ craft/ art/ skill and it’s value to society. That perspective is influenced by personal background, the shop environment in which we work, the training we receive, and how we are viewed and compensated by our clients and employers. Mechanics who perform sub-par work might be paid well and regularly receive beer tips from customers, while some of the most meticulous mechanics are stuck in work environments where their abilities are under-used and under-appreciated. Regardless of their situation, the choice to be an excellent bicycle technician is ultimately a personal one.

I intentionally use the word technician in hopes of evoking the appropriate mental archetype to make this discussion fruitful. Merriam-Webster defines technician [http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/technician] as “a person whose job relates to the practical use of machines or science in industry, medicine, etc. Someone who has mastered the basic techniques or skills in a sport, an art, etc.” If a bicycle mechanic is a technician, he or she must start by acknowledging that the job at hand is always based on the objective science of machines. Mechanics who ignore industrial applications of torque, the chemical properties of metals and composites, and the mathematical precision of geometry employed in design are not good mechanics. They are lazy artists at best, and deluded would-be sorcerers at worst.

Every part of a bicycle was designed by an engineer to perform a specific function under specific conditions. Failing the follow instructions for the installation and adjustment of these products, the mechanic does the paying customer a disservice that, at the very least, discredits his/her abilities and, by extension, the abilities of other mechanics. It also opens the shop to liability when something goes wrong and the last person to put a wrench to the bike is assigned blame. You have a tremendous responsibility to satisfy your customer with your services, but you also have responsibility for their safety.

How many times have you heard from another rider about the spontaneous JRA (Just Riding Along) mechanical failure that resulted in a ruined ride, being stranded, or an injury? Whoever put a wrench to that bike last is most likely responsible, but many riders just accept random mechanical failures are par for the course. Or they blame the mechanic and write it off as typical of technicians in the trade to be negligent and inept. This is part of the reason why pay is so low for bicycle mechanics: the cycle of customers’ low expectations allowing mechanics to produce shoddy work reinforces customers’ low expectations, which gives mechanics no outside motivation to perfect their technique.

How often does a bicycle come back to your shop after your built it new, or serviced it? Did you fail to tighten a bolt correctly, fail to diagnose a mechanical problem, or perhaps use the wrong replacement part? The far scarier question is: how many times has a bike left your shop with a problem your failed to address, only to have the customer write a bad online review about your services, tell their friends about your mistake, and take the bike to another shop? You may never know, or you might find out the hard way. Your course of action is to apply all of your mind and your heart to your work, arming yourself with tried and true techniques and information so that every bike that leaves your shop is flawless.

To be successful in your business and to raise the standards of the industry, we need to approach the trade with a different attitude: we are technicians who use scientific techniques to service engineered products for peak performance. Making your own rules for how these products work and interact is tantamount to professional suicide. No matter your level of experience wrenching on bicycles, every mechanic can benefit from learning exactly what the engineers had  mind when designing a bicycle product, and learn procedures and techniques from the true masters of the craft. Consult authoritative sources such as the Barnett’s DX Manual, the manufacturer’s instructions, or helpful sites such as Park Tool’s “Calvin’s Corner” and take your technical skills to a higher standard.