drlogik 

I think you open yourself to a ton of risk running a bike repair business from your garage. One snapped brake cable or slipped brake cable that results in a crash and your life is altered forever.

Hate to be Debbie Downer but that is reality in today's jacked up sue-happy society. I would check with your insurance company and get their take. I would start the conversation like, "I was thinking of "getting in to" repairing bikes in my garage".

As far as where I got my experience, it started back in 1975 at Al's Bike Shop in Cleveland Ohio. Al closed up shop a number of years ago. Al was one strict dude but he got me totally hooked on repairing bikes. I assembled untold number of kids bikes before he let me even look at an adult bike of any kind. Al taught me how to over-haul a Sturmey-Archer 3-speed hub as well as true wheels. I worked there for two years during high school. I worked one year during high school at the filling station across from the school, pumping gas and help the mechanic change oil, bleed brakes and scrub the floor.

I moved to NC and worked in two shops there for two summers. I went off to college in Michigan and worked at bike/ski shop there. I worked during the school year for two years then transferred.

I went back to NC and worked again in one of the shops I had worked in the previous summer. This time at their new store. The lead mechanic at that store was the brother of the guy that started Performance bike (he also started Wabi Cycles). Best mechanic I ever worked with and he taught me a LOT! Hewas a wizard making wheels, truly a wizard. Which is why Wabi wheels made up until around 2017 are just amazing and stay in true basically forever unless you hit a bad bump.

In all I think I spent 7 years working in bike shops part time ( 3 to 8 months of the year). I am also mechanically inclined and do most of my own car repairs as well...unless it's something big.

I tell you what though, YouTube is a really, really good resource. The Park Tool channel is especially good. Just work on your own bikes. Strip them down to individual parts and put it back together. Find old wheels in garage sales and true them as best you can. Stay with it and you'll learn a lot over time.


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