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Originally published at Pretty Damned Fast Words by Elyse Bejasa and B Vivit Photos by Geneva Balladares  The 2017 Women's Mechanic Scholarship Class with our instructors, Matthew Eams and Nathan Riddle We all know that being a woman in the cycling industry can be challenging. This isn’t news anymore. So on our first day of class, when our instructors asked us what we were hoping to gain from the Women’s Mechanic Scholarship and our time at United Bicycle Institute, we all had plenty to say. The 16 of us answered differently, but there was a common theme: we wanted to use the knowledge and skills we gained to make cycling more accessible to our local communities and communities in need. We didn’t just want raises and promotions. We wanted representation. We wanted change.  And that is what makes opportunities like this scholarship so critical to the growth of the women’s cycling community. We are under-represented in the industry and particularly in bike shops. So for two weeks, we were immersed in bike mechanics, learning all the ins-and-outs of servicing bikes. And now, when you walk into one of our shops, you are more likely to see a female mechanic getting her hands dirty. This is one part of the representation the women’s cycling community so desperately needs. This year’s application focused on how we were going to use the training to support under-represented populations in our cities and towns, including women and other diverse communities. As a class, we knew how important it is for women and especially women of color, to know that the support system they need is out there. To make it more accessible to get out there and ride. Now that we’re in your shops, it’s about time we also let everyone know; we’re organizing in your streets, in your communities, and we’re ready to get you riding.
And suffice it to say that this year’s scholarship winners are incredible. They included everyone from strong, in-your-face resistance types, to quiet non-profit women who just keep on keepin’ on, to career bike shop women who come from a time where women were thought to handle mechanical and scientific processes poorly. New-age riveters if you will. We spent our days listening to every story from a generation and a lineage that always pushed forward with a “Yes we can!” even when they were told “No you can’t.” Each day in the foothill-filled wonderland of Ashland was filled with crisp air, and you could almost feel the sparks of change fly off these women as they handled these bikes. During our late night chats after dinner, congregated in the kitchen and living room, we would talk about all the other work we were doing in our respective cities and discuss how we could support each other in those endeavors. Sometimes it inspired new ideas to take hold for different communities. It was inspiring to hear about the great work that is being done to grow the sport we all love so much. From leading group rides in New Haven, CT to hosting and teaching mechanic workshops in Chicago, IL to teaching the juvenile dententionees in Ogden, UT; there is plenty of work being done around the nation that isn’t just about us fixing people’s bikes.  Our post-class ritual of hanging out in the kitchen, making dinner and discussing the day’s work We don’t know what else to tell you about this program except that it was a blast. From waking up at 6:30AM to make a pot of coffee for the house, to walking to class every day and feeling welcomed immediately. From the lettuce yeti at the food co-op, to the Matt and Nate dances. From the daily challenge of trying to find your food in a packed fridge, to group study sessions in the kitchen. From a class mountain biking excursion (thanks to QBP!), to pies for dinner on our last night. And classmate visits to a fallen girl in the hospital. Every moment was life-changing and re-affirmed something we all know: we’re doing good work. -- And now, to show appreciation for the people who made this all possible. Thank you to Ron, Denise, and everyone at UBI for giving us this opportunity. We hope you know how incredible this experience was for each and every one of us. In the end, It isn’t just bike repair school. It is encouragement. It is empowerment. And it is reaffirmation that what we are doing and who we are as women -grease and sweat, striving for all our goals, real and whole- is needed in this world. That there are people out there that want us to succeed and want to help us succeed. Special thank you’s to our instructors, Matthew Eames and Nathan Riddle, for sharing your knowledge, and respecting our enthusiasm to learn. We know we’re your favorite class. Until next year’s batch. But they might not share their watermelon candy.
Thank you to our special instructor Sara Jarrell from SRAM who came to walk us through the processes of bleeding hydraulic brakes and servicing suspension forks. We are honored to have had the chance to talk with you about your experience and what it’s like to be a woman in the cycling industry. Thank you for everything you continue to do for the industry. It’s women like you who inadvertently created opportunities like this for our generation. And thank you for the pizza and La Croix!
Thank you to Kaitlin, Seth, and Paul from Quality Bike Products for coming to hang out with us in Ashland. Thank you for listening to our feedback about the program and working to make it better. We truly appreciate your dedication to this program and the growth of women’s cycling. And we anxiously await the photos of us looking terrified/thrilled/ecstatic while mountain biking. We’d also like to acknowledge the other sponsors who recognize the importance of representation in the cycling industry. Your support of this program has helped make our voices stronger in our communities. On behalf of our entire class, THANK YOU to Quality Bike Parts, SRAM, Park Tool, Michelin Tires, Jagwire, Saris Racks, Kryptonite, White Lightning, Stans No Tubes, DT Swiss, Swift Wick Socks, and Dero Bike Racks. And above all, thank you to our classmates and fellow sponsorship winners for the best two weeks ever. Show them and their shops some well-deserved love.
All the women from the 2017 class and all prior classes have been provided a complimentary membership to the PBMA  PBMA is excited to introduce our newest Mechanic of the Week, Fred Iverson, of Shamrock Cycles in Indianapolis, Indiana!
For those of you just tuning into #mechanicmonday, this is where we feature one mechanic each week, chosen at random from nominations submitted the week before. It’s all about mechanics supporting fellow mechanics – even behind the scenes, where we are proud to say that our Mechanic of the Week is presented by none other than Abbey Bike Tools and the Friar himself! Fred was nominated to be featured this week by several of his fellow local mechanics, all of whom describe him as a “selfless wrench who takes care of anyone and everyone at local cyclocross events.” While by all accounts, his kindness to others knows no bounds, Fred is primarily focused on the Shamrock Cycles racing team. Shamrock is a high-level local program with a large base of Masters and Category 3-4 riders. Fred handles all of the builds and maintenance for the Shamrock team’s cyclocross bikes (right down to the custom bar tape!) and he also assembles finished frames for the Shamrock builder, glues tubulars, and builds wheels for the team to race on. As one friend wrote to us, “It always seems like Fred has fifty different balls up in the air, including his personal riding and racing and his family!” As busy as he is, Fred still take the time to chat with and answer questions for riders of all levels. His favorite topic of conversation is equipment, and he frequently offers to fix or tweak something on someone’s based on equipment tests that he’s done on his own. Fred also donates a lot of his time to work with a handful of regional cyclocross events, where he helps with course design, construction, and maintenance. One of the founding principles of the PBMA is about creating a community of and for professional bicycle mechanics of all experience levels. We are proud that Fred Iverson is a part of our community, and we believe that his story shows how you do not need to be a “world tour pro” mechanic to make a difference in cyclists’ and fellow mechanics’ lives. Keep up the great work, Fred, and keep making us and the entire Indianapolis-area cycling community proud! For everyone reading this at home, we encourage you to join the #MOTW conversation: Post a picture of YOUR favorite mechanic and tag us @probicyclemech, #probma, or #mechanicmonday, or nominate him or her to be featured in next week’s post!  PBMA is excited to introduce our newest Mechanic of the Week, Julian Kennedy, of Race Pace Bicycles in Ellicott City, Maryland!
For those of you just tuning into #mechanicmonday, this is where we feature one mechanic each week, chosen at random from nominations submitted the week before. It’s all about mechanics supporting fellow mechanics – even behind the scenes, where we are proud to say that our Mechanic of the Week is presented by none other than Abbey Bike Tools and the Friar himself! Julian was recommended by his co-workers at Race Pace Bicycles, several of whom wrote to us with essay-length descriptions of why he is a perfect Mechanic of the Week. The more we learned about Julian, the more we had to agree with them! Julian started working at Race Pace as a young’un, or “shop minion” as one mentor and longtime colleagues said. After 22 years in the cycling industry, he has mastered the arts of mechanical and hydraulic systems and helps lead an altogether exceptional team of mechanics spread across five stores throughout the greater Baltimore area. Julian is a UBI graduate and a veteran of countless technical seminars. He knows data values by heart, and he is not shy about confronting a manufacturer when he sees a better way of doing something. We asked Julian’s co-workers what they think makes him stand out within the industry, and they all agreed on two things: his “bedside manner” and his commitment to being a cyclist himself. Like so many gifted shop mechanics, Julian has perfected his customer service into an art form. He is an incredibly adept at explaining “all things bicycle” to novices and experts alike. As a cyclist himself, Julian has completed numerous extended solo tours, commutes by bike most days, and has become an advocate for “bicycle friendliness” in the Baltimore area. We are proud to feature Julian this week, and we hope that his commitment to continuing education will inspire our PBMA community as much as it has inspired us. For everyone reading this at home, we encourage you to join the #MOTW conversation: Post a picture of YOUR favorite mechanic and tag us @probicyclemech, #probma, or #mechanicmonday, or nominate him or her to be featured in next week’s post! PBMA is proud to introduce our newest Mechanic of the Week, Alex Laursen, a pro race mechanic based in Heber, Utah!
For those of you just tuning into #mechanicmonday, this is where we feature one mechanic each week, chosen at random from nominations submitted the week before. It’s all about mechanics supporting fellow mechanics – even behind the scenes, where we are proud to say that our Mechanic of the Week is presented by none other than Abbey Bike Tools and the Friar himself! Alex is wrenching for the Elevate-KHS pro cycling team this road season, but he’s worked countless races with neutral support and other pro teams as well. To his fellow race mechanics, Alex is “like the happy-go-lucky, rub-my-belly-for-good-luck Buddha of bike racing.” In other words, he is not only a talented mechanic, but he's also a joyful person and a loyal friend. Alex has always been a cyclist and outdoor enthusiast (he’s also a pro-level rafting guide!) but he didn’t start working professionally as a bicycle mechanic until six years ago. He quickly learned the ins-and-outs of life on the road, and he has spent the past four years supporting elite-level road races throughout North America. Thanks to his support so far this year, the Elevate-KHS men were able to take the overall win at their first two events of the season. When Alex isn’t on the road, he’s home with his wife and six-year-old son in Heber, Utah. (Fun fact: One of Alex’s favorite races in recent memory was last year’s Tour of Utah, which passed right by his front door!) Alex does a lot of independent mechanic work out of his house, and we are proud to say that he was one of our first official PBMA member mechanics. To learn more about Alex’s work, or if you are in need of a good mechanic in the Salt Lake City area, check out his Complete Cycling page. For everyone reading this at home, we encourage you to join the #MOTW conversation: Post a picture of YOUR favorite mechanic and tag us @probicyclemech, #probma, or #mechanicmonday, or nominate him or her to be featured in next week’s post!  PBMA is excited to announce our newest Mechanic of the Week, James Ballentine, of Bicycle World in Austin, Texas!
For those of you just tuning into #mechanicmonday, this is where we feature one mechanic each week, chosen at random from nominations submitted the week before. It’s all about mechanics supporting fellow mechanics – even behind the scenes, where we are proud to say that our Mechanic of the Week is presented by none other than Abbey Bike Tools and the Friar himself! James has been working in the cycling industry in some way since he was 12 years old, and he competed in elite-level MTB and BMX events before settling into shop life full-time. He is currently one of the managers at Bicycle World (formerly Jack and Adam’s) in Austin, and he is also a mechanic with the USA Triathlon national team. James started working with USAT in 2004 and has supported well over 15 world championship events since then. James was nominated to be featured this week by his customers and USAT athletes. Every triathlete we heard from said that they have never felt more “race-ready” than when James is the lead mechanic for Team USA. In the words of one athlete and friend: “James is literally the only person I let touch my bikes!” As if that message isn’t glowing enough, we also heard from multiple Bicycle World customers who purchased their bike elsewhere but came to James for service, and every single one of them said that their bike left his stand working better than when it was brand new. We are proud to feature James this week, and we hope that he will continue to instill such incredible confidence in his customers and Team USAT athletes! For everyone reading this at home, we encourage you to join the #MOTW conversation: Post a picture of YOUR favorite mechanic and tag us @probicyclemech, #probma, or #mechanicmonday, or nominate him or her to be featured in next week’s post! Some more about PBMA President - Elect Jeff Rowe, he's quite humble, but when you're wrong he isn't afraid to say so. If you're headed to the NAHBS in SLC next week, look for Jeff at the PBMA booth.
In his own words: I oversee logistics for Focus Bicycles, including planning, import, brokerage, warehousing, distribution, warranty and tech support. I have overseen Marketing as well off-and-on since 2009. With some challenges to working as an American in London in 1987, Bicycle Messenger was by far the most attractive available job. It didn't kill me - it made me stronger. Learning how to ride all day led to learning to ride fixed and racing track and later road. This is how it all got started for me I've been around the industry in North America for 16 years. I have always thought that Professional Mechanics were undervalued, and listening to Brett Flemming speaking at QBP set me on a path to generally raise standards in the shops that I worked and to show that added value to our customers. It starts with careful service writing and billing and leads to better pay for Professional Mechanics. I'm watching the same dynamics that everyone is, but I don't believe that the quality service of a Professional Bicycle Mechanic will fall from fashion or die with some moribund distribution and sales models. This is an exciting time in our industry. |
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