IPBMA
A bicycle mechanic should be every bit as professional as any other mechanic that has the responsibility of maintaining, repairing & servicing a customer’s vehicle.
Ireland has over 420 bicycle shops now across the country however very few of the mechanics that work in these shops have any qualifications to prove they have received any training as a professional bicycle mechanic or reached any level of competency. You have no way of knowing if the shop employs suitably qualified mechanics or if they can stand over the work you have paid for in the event of an accident or dispute regarding the quality of repairs carried out.
In a recent survey carried out in late 2017 it appeared that less than 10% of mechanics have formal bicycle maintenance qualifications.
Comparing the bicycle business to the auto trade
What if you took your Mercedes into a M-B dealer who employed mechanics to work on your car – who never had any official training? Look at the standards within that industry; across brands they are very similar. Did that happen naturally or did someone or some group help to shape that into what it is today? Look at dealership service program vs a private and independent shop.
We will build a resource that will enable the mechanic to develop their careers, utilise education assets and more than likely gain access to better pricing on things like professional tooling. We’d like also to give the mechanic the resource to become a better salesperson, learn to budget and many other things required to perhaps one day open their own bike business.
