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I often see the term ‘Pro Bike Mechanic’ used, quite often on YT videos and on some message boards. How exactly does a ‘Pro’ bike mechanic differ from a bike mechanic working in a LBS or wherever?
I’ve never heard car mechanics or other mechanical engineers refer to themselves as such, am I missing something?
Doesn't Pro just mean you get paid for it? Therefore different from an amateur mechanic.
- I'm an amateur mechanic, ex Pro mechanic.
I'd expect a "Pro" bike mechanic to have some relevant qualifications - Cytech/Velotech etc.
I would expect qualified and paid.
for me anyone who calls themselves a pro mechanic immediately raises suspicions. Why add the "pro" Deep seated insecurity? Just a youtube expert?
If you're an engineer, (in the actual meaning or an allied technical role like being a welder for example) by profession, there's a requirement to maintain your skills and competence through training, application and recertification where necessary.
So I'd expect a professional bike mechanic to be going beyond just getting the highest Cytec qualifications and getting paid by getting trained, (or self training) on, say the new Shimano Di2 system and other new products and technologies they have to support.
If that happen or not, I would like to hazard a guess.
I count myself as a professional Engineer and a semi-amateur bike mechanic.
for me anyone who calls themselves a pro mechanic immediately raises suspicions. Why add the "pro" Deep seated insecurity? Just a youtube expert?Like taxi drivers when they run you off the road "I'm a professional driver". Nah, you're just driving a car for money.
Juha Kankkunen was a professional driver, people asked him and paid him specifically to drive their cars.
I'd expect a pro mechanic to be sought out and recommended. Be going beyond minimum requirements to keep up to date and current.
So most shop mechanics aren't.
Calvin whatisface on the park videos is.
Calvin whatisface on the park videos is.
Funnily enough I saw him use a tool incorrectly in one of his videos once.
And then there was the 'rotor backwards' video 😀
https://www.pinkbike.com/news/park-tool-tech-talks-lube-fork-seals-video.html
If you're an engineer, (in the actual meaning or an allied technical role like being a welder for example) by profession, there's a requirement to maintain your skills and competence through training, application and recertification where necessary.
Sort of, but unlike many other professions (doctor, solicitor, psychotherapist, etc.), engineer isn't a protected term, so there's nothing stopping anyone from calling themselves an engineer. This is why the person who comes push a cable through the wall and plug your router in, for instance, is called an engineer. Of course, engineers who spent years training for degree-level qualifications are never bitter about this 😉
for me anyone who calls themselves a pro mechanic immediately raises suspicions. Why add the "pro" Deep seated insecurity? Just a youtube expert?
the good old YouTube expert who rarely is
I've always assumed this just meant it was someone who at some point has worked for a pro racing team - i.e. the likes of Specialized or Cannondale Racing, Ineos, Alpecin, etc.
But that in itself isn't exactly a great thing necessarily, only ever working with top end kit, constantly just replacing stuff with new rather than fixing, etc. An LBS mechanic must have a far more diverse and challenging load of things to get experienced with.
for me anyone who calls themselves a pro mechanic immediately raises suspicions. Why add the "pro" Deep seated insecurity? Just a youtube expert?
This is what I suspect to be the case. Deep seated insecurity possibly, or maybe just overreaching one’s importance?
Like Ampthill said above, I thought a pro mechanic worked/had worked with a professional team like trek/specialized etc.