bike industry

Lewis A

hi all was wondering what collage/ uni couses to take to get in to the bike industry other than obvious cytech qualification

thanks

nicklouse

what do you want to do in the bike industry?

welshkev

some sort of marketing/business degree maybe?

Lewis A

was thinking working in design and/or maintanance after uni when im hoping to to canada

timpop

Step one, get a job in a good bike shop. Learn some tricks there then get your ass to Whistler and ride lots.

MuddyFunster

Study dentistry, set yourself up in private practice, make a fortune and engage with the bike business solely as a consumer. Dentists are all filthy rich, so you can have the latest kit, drive a shiny new 4x4 to the trail centres, stay in hotels instead of camping / sleeping in the car. And have someone clean your bike for you.

I say this with the benefit of hindsight and many years experience of not being a dentist.

mossmotorsport

MuddyFunster wrote:

Study dentistry, set yourself up in private practice, make a fortune and engage with the bike business solely as a consumer. Dentists are all filthy rich, so you can have the latest kit, drive a shiny new 4x4 to the trail centres, stay in hotels instead of camping / sleeping in the car. And have someone clean your bike for you.

I say this with the benefit of hindsight and many years experience of not being a dentist.

Where is the "like" button when I want to press one :-(

Lewis A

MuddyFunster wrote:

Study dentistry, set yourself up in private practice, make a fortune and engage with the bike business solely as a consumer. Dentists are all filthy rich, so you can have the latest kit, drive a shiny new 4x4 to the trail centres, stay in hotels instead of camping / sleeping in the car. And have someone clean your bike for you.

I say this with the benefit of hindsight and many years experience of not being a dentist.

not meaning to offend or anything but im being serious and was asking what courses were best to get into the industry and what you said was nothing to do with this also this will help with me choose this years subjects(also if its useful im hoping to get my wok experience at LBS to give some more experience).

Lewis A

timpop wrote:

Step one, get a job in a good bike shop. Learn some tricks there then get your ass to Whistler and ride lots.

was actually thinking whistler coincidentally!

Buckled_Rims

Mechanical engineering. It's far easier to get a job after your degree then plodge around selling yourself with a design degree. As you're probably only young I wouldn't worry too much as opportunities only seem to come along once you reach 23+ year old.

Secondly, seriously think about dentistry. I bet if you go to Whistler half the bike mechanics there have a Phd in Dentistry :shock:

Lewis A

but seriously why? other than the money whats the point?

RevellRider

First skill for getting into the bike industry: Learn to make a good cup of tea

Jimbob_no5

What you ride Lewis?? im from through in Thurso

drrastapopulus

£40 for a 5 min check up at dentist = £480 an hour, thats a new bike every hour!

MuddyFunster

I was being serious about dentistry! You can get better paid in high flying business careers, but you pretty much have to give up everything apart from work. Dentisry seems to strike a great balance between a healthy income and sensible working hours. And people need dentists everywhere - GlenTress and Whistler included, so you can be very flexible about where you work.

I think you'll be disappointed if you're thinking that a job in the bike industry will mean spending a huge amount of time riding around the trails in Whistler. It'd be more realistic to think along the lines of long hours, six day weeks and a general absence of cash (in the retail side of things).
If a bike related career is an absolue must, then I'd go with some sort of engineering degree and have a medium - long term plan to start your own business. Think Cotic, On-One, Hope, Orange etc as inspiration. But a six-days-a-week retail job is going to feel like a holiday compared to starting your own business - this route could be the most rewarding but is very definitely the hardest path to follow.

Lewis A

Jimbob_no5 wrote:

What you ride Lewis?? im from through in Thurso

as in what style or bike?

mea00csf

the problem with saying "the bike industry" is it's so vague. What do you want to do in the bike industry.

Above people reccomend engineering degrees, however, a word of warning, if you don't find that sort of thing interesting, doing it in relation to a bike won't make it anymore interesting.

If you find the idea of fracture mechanics, fluid dynamics etc boring, analysing fracture mechanics of a bike frame, the fluid dynamics of hyrdo brakes isn't suddenly going to become incredibly interesting. Similarly, if you find it interesting, it'll still be interesting when applied to a aeroplane wing etc

Lewis A

i wanted to be in design and or marketing so what degrees will i need for that also hopeing to go for cytech aswell

miss notax

The cycling industry is like any other niche sports industry - it's more about who you know rather than what you know. If it's marketing you want to do, then study that, but more importantly get as many contacts and experience in the cycling industry as you can.

I say this as someone who works in publishing for another niche sport (and someone who would love to work in the cycling industry too!)!!

timpop

miss notax wrote:

The cycling industry is like any other niche sports industry - it's more about who you know rather than what you know. If it's marketing you want to do, then study that, but more importantly get as many contacts and experience in the cycling industry as you can.

I say this as someone who works in publishing for another niche sport (and someone who would love to work in the cycling industry too!)!!

+1 I used to work in a niche sports industry too and it was very important to know people and get lots of experience under your belt. Lucky for me I lived in the right places for it so that's why I recommend somewhere like Whistler but you can live anywhere else as long as you're near the action.

So for a degree to do, maybe Design Engineering MEng Hons would do. Stick that in google and see what you find.

As for being a dentist; do you want to be a dentist? Doesn't sound like it to me but if it's easy money you want that is an option. But there are many options.

Find your own path young padawan.

re-cycles

Coventry Uni has a good reputation for automotive design (I know, not bikes), and they've had a few students design and build bikes as a final project. Personally I'd look towards a modular degree that would allow you to include a couple of marketing and engineering modules alongside the design work.

I've not really looked into careers in designing bikes, but I'm guessing its pretty hard to get into unless you're either very good or very lucky! A key part of breaking into the design industry in general is contacts. Make the most of any placements and work experience you can get whilst on the course, and keep in touch with the people you meet there, they're your best chance of getting into work when the course finishes.

Lewis A

timpop wrote:

miss notax wrote:

The cycling industry is like any other niche sports industry - it's more about who you know rather than what you know. If it's marketing you want to do, then study that, but more importantly get as many contacts and experience in the cycling industry as you can.

I say this as someone who works in publishing for another niche sport (and someone who would love to work in the cycling industry too!)!!

+1 I used to work in a niche sports industry too and it was very important to know people and get lots of experience under your belt. Lucky for me I lived in the right places for it so that's why I recommend somewhere like Whistler but you can live anywhere else as long as you're near the action.

So for a degree to do, maybe Design Engineering MEng Hons would do. Stick that in google and see what you find.
As for being a dentist; do you want to be a dentist? Doesn't sound like it to me but if it's easy money you want that is an option. But there are many options.

Find your own path young padawan.

i wouldn't mind being a dentist i suppose but five years of uni 2 a levels and 5 GCSE's sounds quite draining and im not sure how i would fund my self for that long also looking at mechanical engineering quite seriously

Lewis A

timpop wrote:

miss notax wrote:

The cycling industry is like any other niche sports industry - it's more about who you know rather than what you know. If it's marketing you want to do, then study that, but more importantly get as many contacts and experience in the cycling industry as you can.

I say this as someone who works in publishing for another niche sport (and someone who would love to work in the cycling industry too!)!!

+1 I used to work in a niche sports industry too and it was very important to know people and get lots of experience under your belt. Lucky for me I lived in the right places for it so that's why I recommend somewhere like Whistler but you can live anywhere else as long as you're near the action.

So for a degree to do, maybe Design Engineering MEng Hons would do. Stick that in google and see what you find.
As for being a dentist; do you want to be a dentist? Doesn't sound like it to me but if it's easy money you want that is an option. But there are many options.

Find your own path young padawan.

i wouldn't mind being a dentist i suppose but five years of uni 2 a levels and 5 GCSE's sounds quite draining and im not sure how i would fund my self for that long also looking at mechanical engineering quite seriously

Jimbob_no5

where and what do you ride in reply to your post?

Lewis A

Jimbob_no5 wrote:

where and what do you ride in reply to your post?

XC/AM all round the highlands i see youve got a V10 so i guess you ride DH

Lewis A

Jimbob_no5 wrote:

where and what do you ride in reply to your post?

XC/AM all round the highlands i see youve got a V10 so i guess you ride DH

Lewis A

Jimbob_no5 wrote:

where and what do you ride in reply to your post?

XC/AM all round the highlands i see youve got a V10 so i guess you ride DH

monkeypants

I've nearly finished an evening TIG welding course at a local college with the intention of using my skills to knock together a few frames. I have no design experience but I know what I like and I intend to make some kind of business from it.

That and trade stocks online, I have a feeling building bikes won't make me rich.

cycle monster

Retail,/design/racing? As others have said there is a whole world of stuff out there. Think seriously about what you think you want to do, get loads of advice from as many people as you can, choose the right path, work very hard and then pursue a career if oral surgery. Dentists may be minted but my oral surgeon had had £2,000 off me this year for four hours work...

montevideoguy

My bro in law is an orthodontic surgeon (a fancy dentist...how he would love me saying that) and I can confirm that as a career there is serious money to be made. He's into his cycling as well and has about £15k of bikes which he pisses about on (I'd also mention he built a beach front hotel in Tuscany using money he had saved up through his work but I know people here are more interested in terms of bikes).

He always told me to study to be a dental technician as they made more. I had no interest so never bothered. One of my regrets in life that...

Jimbob_no5

Lewis A wrote:

Jimbob_no5 wrote:

where and what do you ride in reply to your post?

XC/AM all round the highlands i see youve got a V10 so i guess you ride DH

yeh im downhill through and through, not much of it to do around Thurso