Mechanic Monday p/b Abbey Bike TOols

#mechanicmonday honors Lane Herrick

​Welcome back to Mechanic Monday! We took a two-week break at the end of June to build our queue of interviews, and we are excited to share a brand new feature with you today. This week’s honoree is Lane Herrick of Westlake Village, California!
 
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.
 
Lane Herrick is a neutral support mechanic, team mechanic, shop mechanic, and all-around good human. He worked in shops all over the country and with teams all over the world, before finding his home at Win’s Wheels in Westlake Village, California. We caught up with Lane to learn more about his time in the world of cycling, and hear some of his “legendary” stories firsthand. Here is some of what he had to say, in his own words!
 
 
PBMA:  How did you become involved in cycling and/or cycling mechanics?
                                                                                                                                                                         
LH:  Like many other cyclists, I got started as a mechanic by working on my own bike from a very young age. I hung out in bike shops and read every magazine I could get my hands on. I worked in shops after high school and a bit in college, all while racing and working on my own bike. In the fall of '98, my buddy Maynard and I were having coffee and he told me about life on the road with the traveling circus of the racing circuit; I was hooked. I went to the Mechanic's Clinic in Colorado Springs that winter and immediately went to volunteer with Mavic at Sea Otter, Redlands, the Cascade Classic, and Altoona. I was lucky enough to go to The Powerbar Women's Cycling classic with a women's team which stands out as a terrific memory. I moved across country and held positions in various shops in NYC and Brooklyn from sales, to Assistant Manager, to Manager, and finally Service Manager. When I moved back to California I was Service Manager in several shops before finally finding my home at Win's Wheels. It was here that I finally learned how to be a professional mechanic. I've learned more here in the past three years than I ever knew from wrenching in previous positions.
 
 
PBMA:  Do you have a favorite moment or story from your time in the cycling industry?
 
LH:  I was volunteering with Mavic at Redlands on the Fontana Time Trial course in '99. It was pretty busy and it was really my first time working with Mavic; I was fairly excited and nervous. Jeannie Longo came up with a pair of wheels and asked me to swap cassettes for her. I was a bit starstruck and since the cassette she was asking me to remove was on an aluminum freehub body, it was a real challenge getting it off. I finally got it off after fighting and getting more and more nervous because I'm trying to do it efficiently while she was watching me and slammed the cassette on and gave it to her. She very politely pointed out that I had removed and installed the exact same cassette.
 
 
PBMA:  What motivation or advice would you give to an aspiring professional bicycle mechanic?
 
LH:  Take every opportunity to learn something new; there are so many professional educational seminars and classes - jump on it.
 
 
PBMA:  What is your favorite tool?
 
LH:  Enduro Bearings Hub and Pivot Bearing Press Tool BRT-005.
 
 
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!