Bicycle mechanic
Build, service and repair bikes, e-bikes and e-scooters - a friendly way into a trade if you love cycling.
- Salary£23,000 – £30,000
- Hours37 to 44 hours a week, including evenings, weekends and bank holidays on a rota
- Working for yourselfSelf-employment is possible
What the job is like
Bicycle mechanics (also called cycle mechanics or bike technicians) build new bikes, diagnose problems, carry out safety checks and repairs, and increasingly work on e-bikes and e-scooters. Most work in bike shops, hire centres or workshops, talking to customers as well as spanner work.
If you already fix your own bike, you're halfway there. You can start as a shop assistant and move into the workshop, take a Level 2 apprenticeship, or work through the industry's Cytech courses. Some mechanics go on to support racing teams or run their own repair business.
What you'll do
- Talk to customers to understand what's wrong with their bike
- Estimate repair costs and give quotes
- Carry out servicing, safety checks and repairs
- Build new bikes to customer specifications
- Order spare parts, log stock and handle paperwork
- Provide repairs and technical support at cycling events
Where you'll work
- Workshop or studio
- Indoors
- In a team
- On your own
Skills and hobbies that help
Weighted by how much they matter in this job, from the official job profile's skills and tasks. Tap one to see other careers that use it.
Key skills
Used a lot
Handy to have
Hobbies that give you a head start
How to become a bicycle mechanic
Apprenticeship
Bicycle mechanic (Level 2, typically around 18 months). The National Careers Service says it can take 1 to 2 years.
College
Courses in cycle maintenance or cycle mechanics.
Other ways in
Start as a retail assistant in a bike shop or hire outlet, then apply to be a trainee mechanic in the workshop. Cytech, the industry training scheme created by the Association of Cycle Traders, offers courses from an online Theory One through Technical One, Two and Three.
Qualifications, licences and cards
- Cytech qualifications are the recognised industry standard (optional, but valued by employers)
Where it can lead
- Workshop supervisor or head mechanic
- Training instructor
- Your own bike repair business
- Specialist mechanic for a sporting organisation such as British Cycling
Good to know
- You will need good customer service skills and a real interest in cycling.
- The National Careers Service experienced salary figure (£30,000) is lower than for motor vehicle mechanics, but bike shops can be an accessible first step into mechanical work.
Courses and training
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Trade training
Cytech bicycle technician training – Cytech
Industry training for bike mechanics created by the Association of Cycle Traders, running from an online Theory One course through Technical One, Two and Three.
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Apprenticeship search
Find an apprenticeship – GOV.UK
The official GOV.UK service for searching and applying for apprenticeship vacancies in England.
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Course search
Find a course – National Careers Service
The National Careers Service search for college and training provider courses in England, including Skills Bootcamps.
Official information
Sources
We checked these pages in September 2026. Rules, pay and courses change, so always confirm with the official source.
- National Careers Service: Cycle mechanic job profile nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/job-profiles/cycle-mechanic
- Skills England apprenticeship standard: Bicycle mechanic skillsengland.education.gov.uk/apprenticeships/st0622-v1-2
- Cytech training cytech.training/