A bike mechanic is responsible for building, repairing and servicing all kinds of manual bike and e-bike (electric bicycle).
The Work
You could be:
identifying problems with a customer’s bike, discussing what repairs are needed and giving an estimate of repair costs
building a new bike, or customising an existing bike, to a customer’s specification
cleaning, degreasing and lubricating bike parts, or repairing or replacing broken or worn components such as wheels, bike chains, gear sprockets or brake cables
working with tools such as wrenches, spanners or pliers, and chemicals such as cleaning products or greasing agents
carrying out bike services or safety checks
ordering bike parts and keeping a stock inventory
liaising with suppliers or bike dealers
making sure the workshop, equipment and tools are maintained
running bike health workshops for customers.
You might also work at cycling events to provide technical support or repair racers’ bikes.
Pay
The figures below are only a guide. Actual pay rates may vary, depending on:
where you work
the size of the company or organisation you work for
the demand for the job.
Salaries for bike mechanics tend to start at between £22,000 and £25,000 a year, rising to around £30,000 a year with experience. Senior bike mechanics can earn up to around £38,000 a year.
You may receive additional benefits such as a bonus scheme and be part of a cycle to work scheme. If you are working with a chain retail store or larger organisation, you may also receive other benefits such as a pension scheme, or discounts on company products.
Conditions
You would be based at a bike retail store or a workshop.
You may work as a mobile mechanic, performing repairs at a customer’s house.
You would work around 35 or 40 hours a week, usually involving weekends or some evenings. This may involve some overtime.
You will be working with tools and chemicals so would have to follow health and safety regulations and procedures.
You may need to wear protective clothing, or a company uniform.
There are no formal entry requirements, but a good general education is useful, including National 5 English and Maths or Practical Metalworking.
Normally you should have some knowledge and experience of working with bikes. There are many day and evening classes in bike maintenance on offer from local colleges or organisations to get you started.
You could enter by getting a job as a retail assistant in a bike shop and applying for a trainee cycle mechanic role.
Alternatively, you could take a recognised Cytech or City and Guilds qualification course in cycle mechanics - many employers expect you to attain these. See the ‘Training’ section below for details.
You could take the Cytech Home Mechanic 2-day course, which gives you a good level of mechanical ability and covers a range of maintenance areas. BikeforGood runs accredited Cytech courses.
Qualifications Scotland also offer the Cycling Award at SCQF Level 1 or 2 – this can be a helpful introduction to bike maintenance.
You may need a driving licence for some jobs.
For some jobs, you may need a satisfactory criminal record check from Disclosure Scotland, if you are working with a community or charity organisation for example. Contact Disclosure Scotland for details on the type you would need.
good communication skills, particularly with customers.
You need to be able to:
work as a part of a team
manage your time effectively
work without supervision
work to health and safety guidelines.
Training
Training is mostly on the job.
You can work through the Cytech scheme to gain technician status. This involves working your way through a series of technical qualifications to attain accreditation at the following levels: Cyech certified (Cytech technical one qualification); Cytech technician (Cytech technical two qualification); Cytech senior technician (Cytech technical three qualification); and Cytech master technician (Cytech technical three qualification and/or assessment within the last 3 years with regular validated assessments).
Once you have achieved technician status, if you want to work with e-bikes, you can work towards the Cytech e-bike certified status by studying the Technical e-bike – Giant module.
You could take the City and Guilds Entry Level 3 Award in Cycle Mechanics, Level 1 Award in Cycle Mechanics and the Level 2 Certificate in Cycle Mechanics as an alternative route of training.
You need to keep your knowledge up to date with the latest developments and products in bikes and bike components.
Getting On
With experience you could become a senior technician or mechanic, where you could be responsible for training other mechanics.
You could be responsible for maintaining a fleet of bikes for an organisation, such as a local authority bike hire service.
You might be able to join a larger organisation such as Scottish Cycling, where you would work on bikes for a racing team.
You could start up your own bike shop or repair workshop.
You might specialise in one area, such as frame or wheel building.
More Information
Employment opportunities are good with social enterprise and charity organisations as cycling is increasingly being promoted as a healthy lifestyle option. There are also local authorities who run bike hire schemes nationwide to promote a healthier lifestyle and a healthier environment. Bike for Good is a charity and social enterprise who refurbish bikes to make cycling accessible for everyone in the community, as well as offering training courses. The Bike Station is Scotland's largest bicycle recycling organisation. They are involved in community work and run accredited cycle mechanic training courses.
You may be interested in visiting the Cycling Scotland website, a national cycling charity who provide lots of useful information about cycling in general.
2026
