Mechanic Monday p/b Abbey Bike Tools

#mechanicmonday honors Franklin Haws

​It’s Mechanic Monday again, and we are excited to introduce you to this week’s honoree, Frank Haws of Boulder, Colorado!
 
For those of you who are unfamiliar with PBMA’s Mechanic Monday series, this is where we feature one mechanic each week who is chosen randomly from the pool of nominations that we receive. Mechanic Monday is all about mechanics supporting fellow mechanics, and we are proud to partner with Abbey Bike Tools, Cycling Industry News, and People for Bikes to share these great features with you.
 
Frank Haws is a shop-mechanic-turned-race-mechanic and an endurance machine specialist. Last year, he led a support crew for a solo athlete competing in the Race Across America (RAAM) and he is currently doing some impressive demo work for the MTB industry. We are pleased to share some of Frank’s story with you today, in his own words!
 
 
PBMA:  How did you become involved in cycling and/or cycling mechanics?
 
I got started in a shop in my late teens assembling new bikes and driving deliveries for some rental bikes to local hotels and guest houses. From there, I got more into the mechanical side of things and eventually found myself doing more and more race support.
 
 
PBMA:  Do you have a favorite moment or story from your time in the cycling industry?
 
One of my favorite moments was during Race Across America in 2017, getting stuck in one of the most terrifying/hilarious hail storms ever. Hail stones just shy of baseball size and torrential rain with flash flooding up to bottom bracket height while our rider was on course. We pulled him and ducked into a car wash to wait it out.  Oh hail yes.
 
 
PBMA:  What motivation or advice would you give to an aspiring professional bicycle mechanic?
 
Some advice I’d give to other aspiring mechanics is simply just to observe everyone’s technique, taking your favorite tips, tricks and methods from each mechanic you work with.
 
 
PBMA:  What is your favorite tool?
 
My favorite tool in my box is my Jagwire cable cutters with an awl hidden in the handle to open up housing after cutting. A close second is Park’s Internal Routing Kit in conjunction with some plastic sheathing that we all see so often. A true unsung hero.
 
 
That’s all for this week! Thank you for following along with our series and sharing our support for our fellow mechanics. We’ll be back next week with a new feature. In the meantime, we are still in need of nominations!! You don’t need to be a PBMA Member to nominate or be featured! (All that we ask is for no self-nominations, please.) Click here to learn more about our 2018 Mechanic Monday series, and here to learn more about how to nominate your favorite mechanic!