Random Thoughts

Various Bicycle Research freewheel toolsA Few More Thoughts On Bicycle Mechanics:This past week I posted an article concerning a report out of Europe that there is, and will continue to be, a shortage of bicycle mechanics. (See it HERE)I had a client in at the Cedar Valley Bicycle Collective recently with a problem concerning the removal of a Positron gear cluster from an old Schwinn rear wheel. (27" natch!) The tool required to remove this bit is an arcane free wheel removal tool which, if you have been a mechanic for as long as I have, you might be familiar with. You will also find it difficult to source such a tool if you do not have this in your tool box. But regardless of the specifics, I doubt many younger folks would even know where to look for such a tool, nor would they want to bother. "Just get a new wheel", I can hear them saying, and this wouldn't be a bad idea at all. However; I feel as though the casual, tossing off of even trying to fix old stuff is related to how new stuff is made. Many items, especially electronic ones, are binned when they get damaged, or even before that, they are outdated. Just get a new one! Are we teaching mechanics to fix stuff, or just throw parts on a bike to get it rolling again? Are we relying on the app to make fine adjustments, and when the piece goes awry, we don't repair it, we replace it? When the wheel or bottom bracket get bad bearings, we just press out and press in. Then when something old comes in, which can be serviced, these newer mechanics.....will they know how to do the servicing? Will they even have the proper tools? Who will teach these young folks to do this stuff? Will young folks even want to learn the old ways? Just some random thoughts I had when dealing with that old Schwinn wheel the other day.