I am a regular at my local bike shop and over the years have built an excellent relationship with the employees and the owner.

One time an employee who I really like was ringing up some items I special ordered and already paid for that were for one of my bike builds. I tossed a Maxxis 29er tire on the counter ($80 tire). He assumed I had already paid for it but I corrected him and said “you need to ring me up for this Maxxis” which he incorrectly assumed was part of my parts order.

The owner of this shop immediately looked up at me and smiled. The employee, who has sold me multiple bikes was thankful I was an honest person.

I think that experience and the two electric bike builds that my LBS consulted on and trued the wheel/spokes while listing to me explain how fast it would be were a big reason I got this job.

The owner and a few employees test rode my two e-bike builds and were shocked at how fast they are. The owner called it “more of a motorcycle than a bicycle”.

Earlier this year when I was nearing completion on my second ebike build the owner said something like “hey you’re here all the time, have you thought about working here?” I told him once my youngest daughter was in school I’d take him up on his offer.

I have four kids and a wife who works ungodly hours so I’ve been enjoying the stay at home dad life. Working customer service, collections and system development for Capital One 100% burned me out and then some.

I decided last week to see if the offer was still on the table with my LBS. They are going into the slow season so I didn’t expect to get a yes. I expected to hear something like “oh cool we’re slow right now so check back with us early next year”. To my absolute shock the owner was genuinely amped that I was finally taking him up on the job offer from months ago.

I’ll be starting part time at a bike shop next week. That employee discount will be nice. It appears the owner wants me to be their e-bike mechanic. That is a segment that is going to explode as more people discover the incredible fun and range that electric bicycles provide.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: stickman428,

Cool man! Karma... You deserve it!

Excellent! Working doing something you love doesn't come along very often.

Congrats, Stick! Enjoy!

Maybe you could also get a part time gig in a watch store!

Excellent, a job that fits your hobby/love is rare to find. Don't spend the paycheck at the company store though....

Congratulations !!! God Bless

What bike would you recommend?

Wonderful!!! You get a paying job doing what you like to do!

Perfect combo!!!!

quote:

Originally posted by BoatsNbullets:
What bike would you recommend?

Depends on the kind of riding you plan on doing.

The gearless, brushless hub drive e-bikes I built excel on and off road.

Are you looking for an e-bike or a regular bike? If regular (pedal) the next question would be whether you will be primarily street or trail riding.

So nice!

Nice job

I'm jealous. I have spent a lot of time in Bike shops over the years. From my first bike shop experience in Alamogordo New Mexico at a shop named Outdoor Adventures to a hundred other bike shops. Definitely a dream job for me. Nicely done!

quote:

Originally posted by HRK:
Excellent, a job that fits your hobby/love is rare to find. Don't spend the paycheck at the company store though....

Ha! So true!! This is why I decided not to work at my local gun shop part time. The staff is just as fun as at my LBS but I know I’d blow every paycheck on the beautiful guns that line the walls of that shop.

I have a fairly massive mountain bike collection and just received a neat Marin chromoly bike frame in the mail last week for my upcoming third e-bike build. I think I’ll be able to resist the urge to buy any more bikes for a good long time.

Dude, all of your collections are 'Fairly Massive'...Just sayin'

^^^^^

He's right, man!

Well…uhh my car collection is pretty tame at the moment.

Almost pulled the trigger on a del sol recently. The Integra is lonely in a garage full of motos and mountain bikes.

Honest, and smart employees, are difficult to find. Treasure them when you find them in any industry, which your boss does. You're a keeper, and it appears that your boss is as well. I look forward to seeing what this collaboration winds up putting out there.

Congrats! What town is the bike shop in? I live in NC.

quote:

Originally posted by smlsig:
Congrats! What town is the bike shop in? I live in NC.

If you’re ever near Winston Salem shoot me an email. The bike shop is located in Clemmons NC which is about 15 minutes away from Winston Salem.

We are near a HUGE MTB park so if you’ve ever wondered what a high performance electric bike rides like I can help you with that. The trails near the shop are super mild but we’re only about 25 minutes from some black diamond trails that are wild. (everyone who rides one of my home brew builds LOVES them, even my anti motorcycle friends! My aunt ended up buying an ebike because of how much she loved riding one of my builds)

** upate**.

I worked my first shift today. It was pretty awesome. I cannot believe how fast the shift flew by.

I got to trouble shoot one e-bike, talk to customers who were considering buying e-bikes and I assembled an e-bike today. We sold two e-bikes today and I got to help a little with the sale so that was neat.

My first day FLEW BY!! The shop is open 4 hours on Saturdays and I was there for all four but it really only felt like about an hour.

I am LOVING this job!

quote:

Originally posted by stickman428:

I am LOVING this job!

Excellent!

quote:

Originally posted by stickman428:
Well…uhh my car collection is pretty tame at the moment.

Yeah... because you didn't buy that big ol' Cadillac!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: vthoky,