Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Washington County, Vermont, USA
Posts: 3,778
Bikes: 1966 Dawes Double Blue, 1976 Raleigh Gran Sport, 1975 Raleigh Sprite 27, 1980 Univega Viva Sport, 1971 Gitane Tour de France, 1984 Lotus Classique, 1976 Motobecane Grand Record
Mentioned: 77 Post(s)
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As mechanics, are we ept?
It seems to be an article of faith that most of us are better mechanics than the average mechanic down at the LBS. But are we, really? My guess is that a lot of us achieve excellent results by working at glacial speed. We can afford to be as careful as we want, and have "perfect" as our goal. The LBS can't. They've got move jobs through quickly, and recognize that "perfect" is just one point in the middle of the much wider "acceptable" zone. I consider myself to be an excellent mechanic, but if I went to work at a bike shop on Monday, I'm pretty sure they'd fire me by Friday.
Also, we're old, and have learned to seek advice when we need it. Your typical shop mechanic is a lot younger, and maybe more likely, when in doubt, to power ahead and hope for the best.
Who around here is, or has been, a professional shop mechanic? How good (or bad) are amateurs like us?