Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Classic & Vintage
Reload this Page >

How many CVers here were bike mechanics or bike manufacturers in your previous life?

Notices
Classic & Vintage This forum is to discuss the many aspects of classic and vintage bicycles, including musclebikes, lightweights, middleweights, hi-wheelers, bone-shakers, safety bikes and much more.

How many CVers here were bike mechanics or bike manufacturers in your previous life?

Old 06-12-21, 03:58 PM
  #1  
jdawginsc 
Edumacator
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Goose Creek, SC
Posts: 7,427

Bikes: '87 Crestdale, '87 Basso Gap, '92 Rossin Performance EL-OS, 1990 VanTuyl, 1980s Losa, 1985 Trek 670, 1982 AD SLE, 1987 PX10, etc...

Mentioned: 56 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2385 Post(s)
Liked 2,930 Times in 1,861 Posts
How many CVers here were bike mechanics or bike manufacturers in your previous life?

Just curious about the background of some of the most knowledgeable folks out there...

I know a few from posts about Trek, working with SunTour etc...posting about previous experiences managing/working in bike shops...

it’s fascinating to me...

My colleagues were amazed at the bikes I put together for students and I kept saying “trust me” I don’t know much...I am about at Tier 3.5 to 4 of 6 tiers of expertise...some of you guys are high sixth or even seventh tier!!!
__________________
1987 Crest Cannondale, 1987 Basso Gap, 1992 Rossin Performance EL, 1990ish Van Tuyl, 1985 Trek 670, 1982 AD SLE, 2003 Pinarello Surprise, 1990ish MBK Atlantique, 1987 Peugeot Competition, 1987 Nishiki Tri-A, 1981 Faggin, 1996 Cannondale M500, 1984 Mercian, 1982 AD SuperLeicht, 1985 Massi (model unknown), 1988 Daccordi Griffe , 1989 Fauxsin MTB, 1981 Ciocc Mockba, 1992 Bianchi Giro, 1977 Colnago Super












jdawginsc is offline  
Old 06-12-21, 05:11 PM
  #2  
Mad Honk 
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2019
Location: Bloomington, IN
Posts: 2,937

Bikes: Paramount, Faggin, Ochsner, Ciocc, Basso

Mentioned: 114 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1283 Post(s)
Liked 1,836 Times in 1,110 Posts
Well dawg,
I worked in the shop industry from 1976 to almost 1990. And spent a few years volunteering in out co-op lately. Now I am a retired curmudgeon and only play with the bikes I like. But they are all C&V! Smiles, MH
Mad Honk is online now  
Likes For Mad Honk:
Old 06-12-21, 05:44 PM
  #3  
jdawginsc 
Edumacator
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Goose Creek, SC
Posts: 7,427

Bikes: '87 Crestdale, '87 Basso Gap, '92 Rossin Performance EL-OS, 1990 VanTuyl, 1980s Losa, 1985 Trek 670, 1982 AD SLE, 1987 PX10, etc...

Mentioned: 56 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2385 Post(s)
Liked 2,930 Times in 1,861 Posts
Originally Posted by Mad Honk
Well dawg,
I worked in the shop industry from 1976 to almost 1990. And spent a few years volunteering in out co-op lately. Now I am a retired curmudgeon and only play with the bikes I like. But they are all C&V! Smiles, MH
Thanks for jumping in! That’s pretty extensive!
__________________
1987 Crest Cannondale, 1987 Basso Gap, 1992 Rossin Performance EL, 1990ish Van Tuyl, 1985 Trek 670, 1982 AD SLE, 2003 Pinarello Surprise, 1990ish MBK Atlantique, 1987 Peugeot Competition, 1987 Nishiki Tri-A, 1981 Faggin, 1996 Cannondale M500, 1984 Mercian, 1982 AD SuperLeicht, 1985 Massi (model unknown), 1988 Daccordi Griffe , 1989 Fauxsin MTB, 1981 Ciocc Mockba, 1992 Bianchi Giro, 1977 Colnago Super












jdawginsc is offline  
Old 06-12-21, 05:48 PM
  #4  
rjhammett
Senior Member
 
rjhammett's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Saint Paul, Minnesota
Posts: 2,405

Bikes: 85 De Rosa, 92 Merckx MX Leader, 99 Tommasini Sintesi, 08 Look 585, 89 Merckx Corsa Extra, 72 Holdsworth Professional

Mentioned: 18 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 362 Post(s)
Liked 549 Times in 241 Posts
I was a volunteer mechanic at a couple of non-profit bike shops for about 8 years. Not sure that would qualify me as a mechanic or not.
rjhammett is offline  
Old 06-12-21, 06:14 PM
  #5  
gomango
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: STP
Posts: 15,223
Mentioned: 74 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 821 Post(s)
Liked 253 Times in 141 Posts
I built Raleighs, Schwinns, Batavus, Peugeots, Zielemans, and assorted Italians for two shops in the early 70's through 1976.

Box after box.

Raced crits for two teams locally until Honda Elsinores took over my life.

Steve McQueen became my hero.

No, I was not a very "good" mechanic.

I grew to hate building "crappy" bikes.

Way too many boom bikes stunk.
gomango is offline  
Old 06-12-21, 09:54 PM
  #6  
gugie 
Bike Butcher of Portland
 
gugie's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Portland, OR
Posts: 11,639

Bikes: It's complicated.

Mentioned: 1299 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4669 Post(s)
Liked 5,768 Times in 2,272 Posts
Well, it's been 7 years since this was posted, so I suppose it's time for a new thread!

Rather than have you click back and find my post,

Orinda Spoke and Pedal, Orinida, CA 1980-81 (wrench and sales)
Diablo Bike and Repair, Walnut Creek, CA 1981-83 (wrench and sales)
The First Tri, Berkeley, CA 1983-85 (Manager)
Sales rep in the Bay Area (KHS, Puma, Veltec-Boyer, Plumline) 1985-1988
Garner's Pro Bike Shop, sales, Redwood City and Palo Alto, CA 1988-89 (summers in between getting an engineering degree)
__________________
If someone tells you that you have enough bicycles and you don't need any more, stop talking to them. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life.
gugie is offline  
Old 06-12-21, 10:08 PM
  #7  
3alarmer 
Friendship is Magic
 
3alarmer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Sacramento, CA
Posts: 22,931

Bikes: old ones

Mentioned: 304 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 26247 Post(s)
Liked 10,229 Times in 7,098 Posts
.
...if your bike is on fire, I'm probably best qualified to extinguish it for you. It's a limited area of expertise, but with guys like gugie hanging around, you never know. I was the Saturday manager guy here at the local Bike co-op for five or six years, after I retired. Then I just got too crabby to be around people any more. If it's newer than the late 1980's, I'm probably the wrong person to ask.

A man's got to know his limitations.
3alarmer is offline  
Likes For 3alarmer:
Old 06-12-21, 10:18 PM
  #8  
Jeff Wills
Insane Bicycle Mechanic
 
Jeff Wills's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: other Vancouver
Posts: 9,811
Mentioned: 34 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 788 Post(s)
Liked 688 Times in 367 Posts
B&H Cycle, South Pasadena, 1979 - 1984. Schwinn shop, where I learned the trade and read the repair manuals during my lunch breaks.
Euro-Asia Imports, La Crescenta, 1987-1989. Wholesale warehouse, specializing in high-end Shimano and Campagnolo. I learned about the inside of the bike business.
Bike'alog, Goleta. 1989-1992. Cataloging/database service for bicycle shops, where I learned database architecture and met my wife. She convinced me to get out of the bicycle business and into computers.
After a minor-league career doing software testing at Intel and Hewlett-Packard, I transitioned to being a pharmacy technician. I work in a hospital pharmacy where I'm the administrator for the automated dispensing machines.
__________________
Jeff Wills

Comcast nuked my web page. It will return soon..
Jeff Wills is offline  
Likes For Jeff Wills:
Old 06-12-21, 10:47 PM
  #9  
verktyg 
verktyg
 
verktyg's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: SF Bay Area
Posts: 4,035

Bikes: Current favorites: 1988 Peugeot Birraritz, 1984 Gitane Super Corsa, 1980s DeRosa, 1981 Bianchi Campione Del Mondo, 1992 Paramount OS, 1988 Colnago Technos, 1985 RalieghUSA SBDU Team Pro

Mentioned: 207 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1036 Post(s)
Liked 1,236 Times in 653 Posts
C&v cv

While slowly working my way through school, I wrenched on heavy construction equipment, worked as a millright in a steel mill, German car mechanic and ended up working on heavy trucks before I got into bikes.

Spent the 70's in Albuquerque, NM where I worked at 2 shops. At the 2nd one, we got into importing bikes and components (mostly French), wholesale distribution, mail order and frame building. We also explored setting up a frame and bike manufacturing operation like Trek.

When I left the bike business, I got into industrial sales as a manufacturing and cutting tool engineer. Moved to the Silicon Valley.

Traveled all over the US during the ensuing 40 years. From time to time worked with the likes of: Phil Wood, White Industries, Fox Factory, Rock Shock, Cannondale, Ibis, Salsa, Paul Components, Avocet, Specialized and many more to solve manufacturing problems. Sometimes directly, sometimes working with the manufacturers/machine shops that did subcontracting or supplied small parts.

verktyg
__________________
Don't believe everything you think! History is written by those who weren't there....

Chas. ;-)


Last edited by verktyg; 06-12-21 at 11:06 PM.
verktyg is offline  
Likes For verktyg:
Old 06-13-21, 12:00 AM
  #10  
pcb 
Senior Member
 
pcb's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Joisey
Posts: 1,477
Mentioned: 91 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 377 Post(s)
Liked 625 Times in 286 Posts
Fuji Cycle Center of NJ '80-'83
Suntour USA '85-'88
Suntour Japan '89-90
Trek Japan '90-'99
Fuji America '99-'01

Hey Jeff, Euro-Asia was my account at Suntour USA, and Bob Hansing would always call me in Jersey late in the day, and want his orders shipped to Cali the same day. We had a very surly warehouse mgr who'd make me pack/box my own pain-in-the-rear rush orders ("I don't care what Bob Hansing wants, I ain't packing it. If you want it out today, box it yourself."). One particular rush order I was low on boxes, UPS was waiting, so I packed 4 or 5 smaller boxes to get it out the door. Bob called me after the order arrived, "What idiot packed my order? Do you know how much extra I had to pay for all those boxes?!?" I said: "That idiot was me, Bob. That's what happens when you call me that late." There was silence for a bit, then "Oh....," no more yelling, no apology, but he start calling earlier in the day. RIP.

As for gomango's comment about janky bikes, I don't know if all ex-mechanics feel the same, but it's really, really hard for me to work up any excitement over anybody's post-'70ish heavy-azz steel-rim bike with cottered steel cranks, nutted hubs, extension levers, cheap-azz saddles and such. Doesn't matter how old it is, doesn't matter how clean it is, I built enough damn Fuji Sport 10s that those heavy sleds can not make my heart race. Don't get me wrong, all bikes are good bikes, and better to be riding a Sports 10 than not riding, and if a Sports 10 was all I could get my mitts on, I'd happily ride it. But those things themselves, on an enthusiasm scale of 1-10, well, they don't get very high on that scale for me.
__________________
Fuggedaboutit!
pcb is offline  
Likes For pcb:
Old 06-13-21, 05:14 AM
  #11  
nlerner
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 17,127
Mentioned: 480 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3788 Post(s)
Liked 6,573 Times in 2,580 Posts
California Bikes, Palo Alto, CA, 1986-1989: Small, family-owned shop where I did a bit of everything while I was getting my master’s degree at San Jose State. It’s where I learned to overhaul Sturmey Archer 3-speed hubs and dread when someone would bring in a Firenze for repair. The first year or two we actually patched flatted tubes for $5 while the customer waited. Carried mid-level Nishikis and one or two other brands that I don’t remember. They had just about gone out of business when I left after completing my degree, and the owner, Fred Morse, moved to Napa, where he became a painter/artist.

Garner’s Pro, Palo Alto, CA, 1989: Hired as the service manager shortly after finishing my degree (an MA in English/creative writing and a high school teaching credential). My first full-time, salaried job with benefits at $20k/year. Two weeks in I got a call to pick up a couple of classes at a community college in San Jose. Thought about it overnight and gave two weeks notice the next day. And for the next two weeks started my teaching career with two classes at the CC, another section at SJSU, and full-time at the bike shop. @gugie and I missed overlapping (though he was at the Redwood City location) by a few months. I remember assembling a million Specialized MTBs and remarking that this mtn bike thing would never take off.
nlerner is offline  
Old 06-13-21, 06:13 AM
  #12  
jdawginsc 
Edumacator
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Goose Creek, SC
Posts: 7,427

Bikes: '87 Crestdale, '87 Basso Gap, '92 Rossin Performance EL-OS, 1990 VanTuyl, 1980s Losa, 1985 Trek 670, 1982 AD SLE, 1987 PX10, etc...

Mentioned: 56 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2385 Post(s)
Liked 2,930 Times in 1,861 Posts
Always wanted to work in a bicycle shop...was going to go to school for metallurgical engineering toward designing bikes...

Educational Darwinism took care of that one...

instead, from the time I was 11 or 12 I just tinkered...probably picked up a lot of bad bike wrenching habits there...used wd40 and winded to clean bike parts...could never get bearing adjustments perfect...made me jealous of those who could get them just right...

...about 5 years ago, I picked it back up...this time with money...found this place and learned I was not the only one with an addiction and gaps in ability!!! But then some of you guys are encyclopedias...
__________________
1987 Crest Cannondale, 1987 Basso Gap, 1992 Rossin Performance EL, 1990ish Van Tuyl, 1985 Trek 670, 1982 AD SLE, 2003 Pinarello Surprise, 1990ish MBK Atlantique, 1987 Peugeot Competition, 1987 Nishiki Tri-A, 1981 Faggin, 1996 Cannondale M500, 1984 Mercian, 1982 AD SuperLeicht, 1985 Massi (model unknown), 1988 Daccordi Griffe , 1989 Fauxsin MTB, 1981 Ciocc Mockba, 1992 Bianchi Giro, 1977 Colnago Super












jdawginsc is offline  
Old 06-13-21, 06:42 AM
  #13  
100bikes
Industry guy
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 353

Bikes: To many to name - I ride a custom built steel frame.

Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 115 Post(s)
Liked 80 Times in 48 Posts
Started working in a bicycle store in 1974/5.
First job out of college was as a bicycle rep.
Second was a manager for a fairly large bicycle retailer(7 stores at that time).
Third was a Diamond Back /Centurion rep.
Next as a sales manager for same.
And on it goes......
Operations manager for a large bicycle oriented ebay retailer.
Marketing manger for a bicycle start up.
Electric bicycle national rep.
Never left the industry, really.
Now semi retired and still doing bicycle stuff(classic and vintage focus)
rusty
100bikes is offline  
Old 06-13-21, 06:57 AM
  #14  
Bianchi84
Senior Member
 
Bianchi84's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: Concord, NC
Posts: 693

Bikes: 1984 Bianchi Tipo Corsa, 1985 Cannondale SM600 (24/26)

Mentioned: 8 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 233 Post(s)
Liked 345 Times in 187 Posts
I worked for a Schwinn Shop from 1984 to 2000 on Long Island, NY. I got my Schwinn Training at their New Jersey warehouse (was it in Cranbury?) It was great to be part of the industry then - the BMX boom was happening and it was the relatively early days of Mountain Bikes. I still have and Ride the Bianchi Road and Cannondale mountain bikes I built. I got to go to Trade Shows in Atlantic City ans Philadelphia, and to additional training events from Trek, Cannondale, Kestrel and Oakley. We did Mechanical Support to an annual Benefits Ride. The own was great - it was a family business - and he was very accommodating with hours when I returned to school. It was a great part of my life... oh, and I got Employee Discounts!
Bianchi84 is offline  
Likes For Bianchi84:
Old 06-13-21, 08:28 AM
  #15  
smurfy
Senior Member
 
smurfy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: SW Ohio
Posts: 1,258

Bikes: Classic lugged-steel road, touring, shopping, semi-recumbent, gravel

Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 46 Post(s)
Liked 81 Times in 32 Posts
I worked part-time as a bike shop mech from '96 to '99.

Funny story: sometime eight years ago I was laid off from my full-time job and got the idea of working in a bike shop again. In an interview I had with a chain shop they asks me about the latest trends in cycling seeing how much you are "with it". I think I was trying to show how much I knew about bikes saying something like the Trek 5000 series (one-piece carbon fiber frame) was somehow the "latest technology" which actually has been around for quite some time. Oops. While I totally flubbed up that interview I suspect they just want the young "cool kids" working at their shops, not old codgers like me. And, of course, they don't have to pay them much, either.
smurfy is offline  
Old 06-13-21, 09:18 AM
  #16  
seedsbelize 
smelling the roses
 
seedsbelize's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Tixkokob, Yucatán, México
Posts: 15,428

Bikes: 79 Trek 930, 80 Trek 414, 84 Schwinn Letour Luxe (coupled), 92 Schwinn Paramount PDG 5

Mentioned: 104 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 7081 Post(s)
Liked 901 Times in 612 Posts
Originally Posted by smurfy
I worked part-time as a bike shop mech from '96 to '99.

Funny story: sometime eight years ago I was laid off from my full-time job and got the idea of working in a bike shop again. In an interview I had with a chain shop they asks me about the latest trends in cycling seeing how much you are "with it". I think I was trying to show how much I knew about bikes saying something like the Trek 5000 series (one-piece carbon fiber frame) was somehow the "latest technology" which actually has been around for quite some time. Oops. While I totally flubbed up that interview I suspect they just want the young "cool kids" working at their shops, not old codgers like me. And, of course, they don't have to pay them much, either.
And those young 'cool' kids can then talk to you like you know nothing. I've never run across bigger blowhards than the cool kids in bike shops. Rant over.
__________________
Originally Posted by Bah Humbug
Auto-pause is a honey-tongued devil whispering sweet lies in your ear.


seedsbelize is offline  
Likes For seedsbelize:
Old 06-13-21, 09:27 AM
  #17  
jdawginsc 
Edumacator
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Goose Creek, SC
Posts: 7,427

Bikes: '87 Crestdale, '87 Basso Gap, '92 Rossin Performance EL-OS, 1990 VanTuyl, 1980s Losa, 1985 Trek 670, 1982 AD SLE, 1987 PX10, etc...

Mentioned: 56 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2385 Post(s)
Liked 2,930 Times in 1,861 Posts
What bike shop? During my LI years of riding, I basically lived at Vicentin, and some cool bike shop on Sunshine Highway maybe, that I saw the most beautiful bike in Pink...a Lotus Supreme maybe. Never did get to buy it...I DID buy my Bianchi Randonneur there in 1981, 1982.

To this day, I don’t remember where I bought my Peugeot in 1978? I just remember it being near Huntington...I was 12 and it was the first real bike I owned.

Originally Posted by Bianchi84
I worked for a Schwinn Shop from 1984 to 2000 on Long Island, NY. I got my Schwinn Training at their New Jersey warehouse (was it in Cranbury?) It was great to be part of the industry then - the BMX boom was happening and it was the relatively early days of Mountain Bikes. I still have and Ride the Bianchi Road and Cannondale mountain bikes I built. I got to go to Trade Shows in Atlantic City ans Philadelphia, and to additional training events from Trek, Cannondale, Kestrel and Oakley. We did Mechanical Support to an annual Benefits Ride. The own was great - it was a family business - and he was very accommodating with hours when I returned to school. It was a great part of my life... oh, and I got Employee Discounts!
__________________
1987 Crest Cannondale, 1987 Basso Gap, 1992 Rossin Performance EL, 1990ish Van Tuyl, 1985 Trek 670, 1982 AD SLE, 2003 Pinarello Surprise, 1990ish MBK Atlantique, 1987 Peugeot Competition, 1987 Nishiki Tri-A, 1981 Faggin, 1996 Cannondale M500, 1984 Mercian, 1982 AD SuperLeicht, 1985 Massi (model unknown), 1988 Daccordi Griffe , 1989 Fauxsin MTB, 1981 Ciocc Mockba, 1992 Bianchi Giro, 1977 Colnago Super












jdawginsc is offline  
Old 06-13-21, 10:06 AM
  #18  
uncle uncle
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: south kansas america
Posts: 1,909

Bikes: too many

Mentioned: 11 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 411 Post(s)
Liked 233 Times in 139 Posts
Guilty as charged... I worked in a Mom & Pop Schwinn Shop from 1985 to about '87. Mostly as "salesman", but when the floor was quiet, I helped out with bike prepping and repairs. I think I was a better mechanic than the other young cheap help they had hired, but that's not really a high bar to clear. They let me go at the end of the summer, when I said something they didn't appreciate (aka, "that I should be looking for a REAL job"). I'd graduated college, and probably said that over my own anxiety and out of frustration of a lackluster economy and job prospects, more than a knock on the shop. Anyways, I liked bicycles before getting the job, and the job just help cement my lifelong connection to them.
uncle uncle is offline  
Old 06-13-21, 10:41 AM
  #19  
Bianchi84
Senior Member
 
Bianchi84's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: Concord, NC
Posts: 693

Bikes: 1984 Bianchi Tipo Corsa, 1985 Cannondale SM600 (24/26)

Mentioned: 8 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 233 Post(s)
Liked 345 Times in 187 Posts
Originally Posted by jdawginsc
What bike shop? During my LI years of riding, I basically lived at Vicentin, and some cool bike shop on Sunshine Highway maybe, that I saw the most beautiful bike in Pink...a Lotus Supreme maybe. Never did get to buy it...I DID buy my Bianchi Randonneur there in 1981, 1982.

To this day, I don’t remember where I bought my Peugeot in 1978? I just remember it being near Huntington...I was 12 and it was the first real bike I owned.
Hi, it was Byron Lake Schwinn in Bohemia. We had a second store briefly in Patchouge.
Bianchi84 is offline  
Old 06-13-21, 11:05 AM
  #20  
obrentharris 
Senior Member
 
obrentharris's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Point Reyes Station, California
Posts: 4,715

Bikes: Indeed!

Mentioned: 92 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1504 Post(s)
Liked 3,443 Times in 1,127 Posts
Another Garner's alumnus here. I'm a little fuzzy on the dates after all these years but I worked for them very part time in the original location when they had just graduated from the shop in their mother's garage, maybe 1972?

Stanford Bike Co-op 1973-74? We rented a lot of bikes to Stanford students. At the job interview the owner of the shop handed me a paper bag containing all the parts of a completely torn down Sturmey Archer hub and asked me to assemble it. When I had no problem putting it back together he hired me on the spot... or at least that's how I remember it!

The Bicycle Center, Santa Cruz, CA 1977-1978. My introduction to working on top quality bicycles other than my own. We had frames from Hetchins, Hurlow, Eisentraut, Bruce Gordon, Main D'Or (Kessels), Mercian, Trek, Dean Hovey, and Keith Lippy; but our bread and butter was Centurion. We also sold mopeds so I worked on both bikes and mopeds.

Then worked as service manager for The Marvelous Moped in San Francisco while attending graduate school from 1978 to 1980.

Brent
obrentharris is offline  
Old 06-13-21, 03:32 PM
  #21  
Bianchigirll 
Bianchi Goddess
 
Bianchigirll's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Shady Pines Retirement Fort Wayne, In
Posts: 29,716

Bikes: Too many to list here check my signature.

Mentioned: 191 Post(s)
Tagged: 2 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2910 Post(s)
Liked 2,830 Times in 1,457 Posts
I worked in a few shops. I wasn’t strictly a mechanic though, at some shops I was mechanic, salesperson, cashier, inventory control, others just a service writer. At one shop I was our team mechanic, mostly because I was willing to stay late Fridays and work on bikes. I went to Killington nice as the driver/mechanic/cooler filler upper and actually got a chance to ride in a neutral support vehicle. The coach wanted me to go to Greece with the men’s junior team but I couldn’t get my UCI license soon enough.
__________________
One morning you wake up, the girl is gone, the bikes are gone, all that's left behind is a pair of old tires and a tube of tubular glue, all squeezed out"

Sugar "Kane" Kowalczyk
Bianchigirll is offline  
Old 06-13-21, 04:28 PM
  #22  
mechanicmatt
Hoards Thumbshifters
 
mechanicmatt's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Signal Mountain, TN
Posts: 1,173

Bikes: '23 Black Mtn MC, '87 Bruce Gordon Chinook, '08 Jamis Aurora, '86 Trek 560, '97 Mongoose Rockadile, & '91 Trek 750

Mentioned: 11 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 245 Post(s)
Liked 322 Times in 189 Posts
Whoa didn't realize how experienced everyone was...

...first bike job was the winter '93-94 at the Bike Rack in Overland Park, KS at 15 building bikes. I was supposed to work that summer, but the owner didn't tell me otherwise until a couple weeks before summer that he didn't have anything for me. I still have and still use the tri-tool that was first given to me to assemble those bikes.

That summer I ended up hanging around Waldo Bikes in KCMO and attempted to convince the owner I could help. He and I made a bet that if I sold a bike to the next person who walked in the door, then I could work there. A couple walked in through the door right after. I proceeded to sell two bikes, two helmets, two locks, two water bottles, and two bike bags to the pair. He gave me 20 bucks and a job. I work part-time and full-time for him through my first year of college after. That was summer of '94 through '99 or so. Worked as both a mechanic and a sales guy. Small shop, learned how to build wheels there on my own. Afterwards worked at a machine shop part-time while learning mechanical engineering in college. And then a life as a factory engineer in some form or another since.

I guess I should say I did build two different human-powered vehicle projects while at school. Lots of welding and carbon fiber cowling development. I believe the year I competed for ASME HPV competition I came in as the 15th fastest male and through a mistake the 6th fastest female 🤣.

Last edited by mechanicmatt; 06-13-21 at 07:12 PM.
mechanicmatt is offline  
Old 06-13-21, 04:37 PM
  #23  
schensted
Newbie
 
schensted's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Centreville, Virginia
Posts: 22

Bikes: 1984 Fuji Touring Series V, 1973 Nishiki Competition, 1980 Raleigh Competition GS, 1983 Trek 600, 1995 Trek 730 Multi-Track, 2010 Nashbar Touring, 2017 Velo-Orange Campeur, 2018 Stanforth Skyelander 650B

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 7 Post(s)
Liked 42 Times in 11 Posts
During the Summer of ‘74 I worked in Redmond Cycle in Redmond, WA. This was the height of the bike boom and I repaired countless Schwinns and Peugeots. The owner loved making fun of my unreliable Lambert. There was a red Paramount P-15 on display that I dreamed of owning someday.
schensted is offline  
Old 06-13-21, 08:25 PM
  #24  
SurferRosa
señor miembro
 
SurferRosa's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2018
Location: Pac NW
Posts: 8,442

Bikes: '70s - '80s Campagnolo

Mentioned: 92 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3846 Post(s)
Liked 6,437 Times in 3,183 Posts
How many CVers here were bike mechanics in a previous life?
​​​​​​I want to say I wasn't, but I should consult Shirley MacLaine first. You never know, and I don't want to live by absolutes.
SurferRosa is offline  
Likes For SurferRosa:
Old 06-13-21, 09:16 PM
  #25  
jjhabbs 
Senior Member
 
jjhabbs's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Chicagoland
Posts: 1,891

Bikes: to many to list

Mentioned: 35 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 294 Post(s)
Liked 1,028 Times in 255 Posts
Yes. Went to Schwinn Service School in 1983. Managed a shop till 89. Was the GT Factory Rep in Chicago from 89-99.

JJ
__________________
From Illinois. Collector of many fine bicycles from all over the world. Subscribe to my Youtube channel. Just search John's vintage road bike garage
jjhabbs is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.