A new featured interview with Amos Brumble from Westerly Rhode Island

Tell us, what is it you do?
I own my very own bike shop Brumble Bikes, I have an advisory role with Velotooler, coach local cyclists and I still actively ride and race my bike.

How did I get started in cycling? 
I first became at least aware that cycling existed as a sport when I saw the pursuit in the 1984 Olympics on television. I also saw clips of RAAM and the Tour de France.   I thought to myself "I would like to do that".

There was a local shop King's Cyclery on my paper route.  I saved my money and bought a basic Centurion Signet 10 speed.  I started to ride most days and wanted to go fast.  I picked up a better model that was a 12 spd and had indexed down tube shifters.    I had the luck to see the return of the shop group ride-everyone seemed excited and talkative so I really wanted to be able to do that. 

The shop owner Steve King brought me out for an early morning ride to teach me how to draft and make me at least sort of safe to ride with anther rider.  A few days later I did that group ride and I got dropped. I had crashed when I overlapped wheels and since I was last in the group when I went off the road no one knew it. 

I was stuck in my toe clips(I had sneakers).  Once I got myself out of the toe-clips and started to ride Steve had come looking for me.  We rode in and I was hooked!

How did I become a mechanic? 
At first I just had the one bike and it was the most expensive thing I had ever bought so I cleaned it all the time.  My parents bought me a book on working on bikes and the shop was hugely helpful.  I did things like buy a set of used pedals, bearings and over hauled them.  I did the same with hubs, built wheels (I paid the shop mechanic to help me learn) and generally read and took things apart and then tried to put them back together on my own. 

I kept going and branched out into working on bikes for people I rode with for free.  Eventually the other local shop in town Ray Willis asked me if I wanted a job as a mechanic when I was 18.  I've been in the business ever since.

What keeps you going as a mechanic?
I could talk about specific instances but the what keeps me going with it is the whole process of learning, being rewarded by the results of my work from my customers success and the constant changes in products that drive me forward.  

Tell us about your involvement with Velotooler.
I have known Yahor Buben (co-founder of Velotooler) for more than twelve years. We raced together on CCB Racing.  We had lots of long car drives to events and plenty of time to talk.  As both of our times racing at a top amateur level wound down we had many conversations about things we would like to change in cycling this ranged from racing to retail. 

Yahor approached me in late 2015 with his idea for Velotooler.  They needed some input from someone with bike shop experience to assist in developing the mechanical job codes.

My official title is "Director of operations" sounds cool right?  Since I actively work in the industry on a daily basis I assist in interviewing mechanics, answering technical questions related to repairs and even being hired through the app to work events for Velotooler.

How will Velotooler affect service in the future? 
Well anyone who has been in the industry and reads a bit will notice that there is a staggering loss of retail locations across the country.  Combine that with a change in consumers being more comfortable purchasing their bicycle related equipment through other channels than shops and a real conundrum comes up; where will people who want their bike serviced go? 

My opinion is that there will not be a reversal in these trends and one solution will be that the skilled mechanic will travel to the customers location.  One goal with Velotooler is to enable skilled mechanics to connect with riders who need those skills.  I could expand on this for hours...

What is my favorite hex wrench? 
Okay I am really torn here, 5mm is SO practical but the 4mm has really picked up steam in the last few years as stem bolts, seat binder bolts etc. have gotten smaller but my secret favorite is the one for  Campy Delta brake cable anchor bolt, the 3.5mm just because it is so odd!   

Any advice for a new mechanic? 
I waffle between the practical "find additional income" to the more passionate "Do it for the love of the work". 

Here is my plan for a mechanic to make a career out of it.  See yourself as being a professional.  Do your best work, learn constantly whether that is about new techniques or improving your communication skills with customers. Be patient, an endless supply of patience is SO useful. Learn to be in your customers shoes; I continue to ride for many reasons but this is one of them.  Seeing the experience through their perspective, it's easy to get wrapped up in our own everyday stuff but there is more going on out there in the cycling world. Get involved, mentor new people; this can be customers or other new mechanics who want to learn.

Do you have a favorite bike? 
Again a really hard question-Do I say my fat bike?  Always brings a smile to me, my road bike because I love speed and competition?  My cross bike because of it's race back ground and versatility?  My fixed gear bike because of my memories of spinning away for hours alone on the roads in the winter looking to improve my stroke? It's a real toss up and I still really want an eBike...

PBMA is pleased to introduce you to our latest Mechanic of the Week, Jordan White, of Los Angeles, California!
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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!

Jordan White has been working as a mechanic for “sometime around five years” according to his friends and colleagues, but he has been riding and racing bikes for many years longer than that. Jordan is originally from Tulsa, Oklahoma, but relocated to southern California two years ago, where he is currently the Service Manager at Empire Bikes in Chino Hills.

While Jordan is still a relative newcomer to the SoCal cycling scene, that community recognized his talents almost immediately. He was quickly invited to work on the crew for a California-based Race Across America (RAAM) team as a mechanic, driver, and navigator. Any RAAM team or solo rider must be hyper-conscious about aerodynamics, and Jordan’s team was no exception. On the second day of their five-day relay, one of the team’s athletes broke the front faring on his Felt DA bicycle. Without a direct replacement part, the mechanics were stumped, and resigned themselves to just trying to ignore the constant whistling of the bike as the team kept pace at an average speed of 25-30 mph.

According to Jordan’s fellow crew members, who nominated him to be featured today, this is where he really shined. Jordan made a faring out of cardboard and duct tape. As his teammates wrote to us, “Jordan was so creative and fabricated the faring so that it was 100% functional, stayed in place, and survived for the remaining three days of the race, through all weather conditions.” To be clear, though, Jordan’s cardboard faring did not just “survive” RAAM; it also helped his athletes secure a first place overall finish in the 2015 team competition. Way to go, Jordan – and congratulations to all RAAM finishers, athletes and support staff alike!

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!

The Professional Bicycle Mechanics Association is pleased to announce three regional workshops designed to bolster individual mechanics’ skills while growing their business acumen. The Denver, Portland, and Washington D.C. areas will each host a three-day workshop starting in November of this year and continuing through February 2018.

Each of the three PBMA Workshops will feature hands-on technical training from Campagnolo, DT Swiss, Full Speed Ahead, Magura, SRAM,  SR Suntour and Stan’s No Tubes.  The PBMA is also collaborating with several e-Bike technology companies to offer a broad overview of e-Bike mechanical training at each Workshop.  

In addition to technical training, each workshop will also feature two presentations focusing on service-related growth, profitability, and efficiency.  Park Tool Company, and Winged-Wheel Development will conduct these presentations.

“One of the goals with training needed to be beyond the basics of nuts and bolts.  Service is an upward trend of profitability for many retail locations.  The more we as a cycling community can do to bolster our service staff, the better off we will all be in the future” said PBMA President James Stanfill.

In addition, PeopleForBikes’ DRAFT Meetups will be coming to PMBA workshops beginning in 2017. Focused on stimulating innovation and growth the in the bike industry, DRAFT: PBMA will feature talks and announcements on the latest, cutting-edge ideas from the association, in addition to great beer and food.

Thanks to the generous support of additional workshop sponsors Park Tool Company, Abbey Bike Tools, BiciSupport, Feedback Sports, Pedros and Presta Cycle, the PBMA is able to offer four scholarships for each workshop with a focus on gender diversity, which will cover the recipients’ attendance and meals.

Costs to attend the workshops are in favor of PBMA members. Individual Mechanic Members save $100 off the cost of registration, and Shop Members save $125 per person when registering two or more participants. Registration is open to PBMA Mechanic and Shop Members only until July 1st.

Locations and Dates of PBMA Technical Workshops:
Denver, Colorado – November 7 to 9, 2017
Portland, Oregon – January 9 to 11, 2018
Ashburn, Virginia – February 6 to 8, 2018

After taking a week off to celebrate all of the active and former military members of our cycling mechanics community, the PBMA is once again ready to feature another outstanding Mechanic of the Week. This week, we are excited to introduce you to the one and only  Josh Boggs , of Greenville, South Carolina.

Josh has been working in the cycling industry for nearly twenty years, and he is currently the Sales Manager at Trek Store South Carolina. He’s also a tour/camp mechanic with Carmichael Training Systems, an experienced race mechanic, and (in all of his free time!) a U.S. Marine.
 
We hope you enjoy our conversation with Josh as much as we did!
 
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How did you become involved in cycling and/or cycling mechanics?

I started mountain biking in 1994, when my cousin and a few other friends decided to get into the sport. I bought a cheap mountain bike and started tinkering with the bikes a bit (because that's what curious teenagers do...), and begged the owner of my LBS for a job.  He suggested I get a lawn care gig, because it would pay better. I didn't stop trying to get in.  I got my first shop job in 2001.  After that shop closed in 2003, I went back to the original shop and stepped into the store manager role for a few years. During that time, I did race support with the Clemson University Cycling Team and with the short-lived Cane Creek neutral race support program for some races in the Southeastern US.  In 2005, I saved up to go to the Bill Woodul Race Mechanics' Clinic, and through a series of connections, I got my first gig with Mavic SSC at the 2005 Tour de Georgia (RIP). I finished out my work that year with the Jittery Joe's/Kalahari Pro Cycling Team. Fast forward to now... I'm not doing a lot of wrenching right now at the shop, but I do some contract work every now and again.  Just finished up my third Tour of California camp with CTS, and I'll be in Knoxville with the Amy D. Foundation Team at Nationals in a few weeks.
 
What motivates you to excel as a professional mechanic?

I like to consider myself a hard worker.  If I touch something, and it isn't done to perfection, I get upset at myself.  I suppose that drive to excel is what motivates me.  I'm the Sales Manager at an LBS now, so I don't get to work on bikes as much as I'd like to, but when I do I hold myself to the highest standards of workmanship and quality.  I love getting back out to the races, more because of the familiar faces and the people I get to deal with on the road, but also to keep myself sharp.  Early on, I found a few folks in the race mechanic community that I looked up to, and I tried my best to emulate their work ethic and aspire to get to that level.  TJ Grove is one of those people that I look up to.  He lived in the same area as me, and I would catch him at local races hanging out, from time to time.  I hoped to someday get to his level.  A few years ago, TJ called me up to pick up the SRAM NRS car and drive it to work the Charlotte race, and I thought, "I've finally made it!"  The problem is, TJ won't slow down, so he unknowingly keeps pushing me to level up...
 
What was your most memorable moment or experience while working as a mechanic?

I've got a few really memorable moments, both race-related.  The first was my first USPRO race in Philly, circa 2005.  The whole experience was surreal; getting beer and burger hand-ups on Manayunk Wall, the crowds, tearing around town in our team's Mini Cooper.  It was great.  Our best finisher that day was Geoff Kabush, in like 22nd position or something.  That wasn't the memorable part. I got back to where the team was staged after the race and told the team's soigneur that I did my first out-the-window repair!  One of our riders got a plastic bag from a spectator caught in his rear derailleur, and I had to go out the window over his bike to fix it.  The fun part was the physical feat of making that happen in the Mini Cooper.  Ken Mills, our team director, had one foot on the clutch, one on the gas, one hand on the wheel, the other on my belt to keep me from falling out the window while I got the bag out of the drivetrain.  The spectacle of he and I, the largest DS/Mechanic duo in the race, in that tiny Mini, was a sight to behold.
 
The second most memorable moment was also in Philly, back in 2013.  After working the race many times with no major results from any of my riders, I landed a one-race gig with the Specialized/Lululemon women's team (Thanks, James!). It was such a crazy race.  We had a crash on lap one, which two of our riders got tangled up in, then at the start/finish line at the top of Manayunk Wall, the race officials pulled us because our van was taller than the height allowed in the caravan.  Luckily, Kristy Scrymgeour (DS) had a friend at the race who had a smaller car. Over the course of the next few minutes, we loaded all our gear from the van into the tiny sedan (something about tiny cars and Philly...), and continued on.  We caught back up to the caravan over the course of the next lap.  The girls blew themselves apart, worked so hard, and Evie Stevens launched on Manayunk Wall and got the win!  It was the first time one of my bikes had won at Philly, and I was ecstatic!
 
You help us moderate a lot of Facebook discussions about “professionalism.” What have you taken away from these, and what do you think it means (or what do you think its impact will be) for the greater cycling industry?

I love the discussions about professionalism surrounding our chosen line of work.  If we want our careers as professional bicycle mechanics to be taken seriously, we have to maintain a higher standard for ourselves.  There are so many different styles/genres of cycling, it's hard to make a "cookie cutter" template that works for everyone's market.  In the shop I work in (a Trek Concept Store), it's tucked in shirts, salespeople greeting you at the door (or in the parking lot, if we see you have a bike that needs attention), and a very customer-friendly environment.  If we were a BMX-specific shop, you would probably lose all street cred if you were as well-kept and tucked in as we are.  Professionalism can take on many different faces.  The thing that ties them all together is consistency with customer service and quality of the work coming out of the shop.  If we take a look at mechanics on the race circuit, it's the same.  It's all about putting in the hard work, taking your work seriously, not cutting corners, and being religious about busting your butt and putting out the best work you can.  I think, as a whole, what the PBMA is doing a fantastic job of raising the bar for mechanics and helping the cause.  Better exposure of our profession and leveling everyone up to a new standard is awesome.  I'm grateful for the work of the PBMA and look forward to helping promote the organization and our profession in any way possible.
 
And finally (because we always ask this), what is your favorite tool?
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My favorite tool is my Abbey Bike Works Crombie/Whip-It combo. I got one a few years back and had my name/personal branding etched onto it.  Those tools are an awesome addition to any toolbox. Got rid of a few heavier tools in my box, which helped a lot when it was time to fly.
 
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#MOTW is all about mechanics supporting fellow mechanics, and Josh is a perfect example of this in action. We encourage everyone reading this at home to follow Josh’s example, connect with and mentor up-and-coming mechanics, and join the conversation by nominating YOUR favorite mechanic today!