http://www.ambmag.com.au - 41Queensland, VocTrain in South Australia
and IMVC in Melbourne also run courses
for professionals, or those hoping to enter
the industry.
“We get calls from bike shops who are
employing new staff and who are eligible
for trainee benefits,” Silvy adds. “We
also offer training on location in Western
Australia, ACT and Tasmania and the
numbers are going up and up in terms
of the trainees we are putting through
- which I think is important given the
shortages of skilled bike mechanics that
we keep hearing about.”
Indeed, official figures published by the
government show there is demand for
at least 1,800 more bike mechanics than
are currently in the workforce around the
country – and the shortfall is predicted
to rise to 2,000 by 2020. Silvy is keen to
REAR DERAILLEUR
Ensure you are not getting the H-limit
setting wrong by failing to back off the
cable tension.
Make sure there is no tension on the
cableBEFOREyou do the H-limit setting.
Setting this up incorrectly could cause the
derailleur to go into the wheel and result
in a very costly bunch of replacements.CHAIN
Failure to check chain-wear regularly
means the rear cassette and front chain
rings could alsobe sustaining damage.
That could then turn a $50-$60 cost for
replacing the chain into a $400-$500 major
repair.BOTTOM BRACKET
Sometimes these are not spaced
correctly, which means there is actual
side movement. Alternatively, they can be
too tight and that wears the bearings out
much quicker. Although the replacement
cost may not be so high, having a creaking
bottom bracket could drive you insane!address that imbalance and is planning to
roll out a school-based traineeship course
in 2018.“It would be open for kids in Year 10, 11
and 12 and they’d be able to do a part-
time traineeship in bicycle mechanics
while they are still at school,” he explains.
“Loads of kids are keen to be fixing bikes
rather than sitting in a classroom doing
biology!“For the industry it’s important to have
young people coming through. And
this would be a pathway for the kids
because the bike shops have to make a
commitment to take them on for one-day
a week. One shop in Goulburn said they
would take on four trainees alone. We’re
hoping to have about a dozen schools
involved in 2018, but I think it could easily
increase to 50 or 60 the following year.”So whether you are keen amateur rider
just looking to service your own bike
properly, or want to turn your passion for
mechanics into a job – the opportunities
are out there to improve your skills and
even take it to the next level.* For more info about BMTI’s range of
courses, visit bmti.com.au