Bicycle Mechanic Apprenticeship
THAME CYCLES LTD
THAME (OX9 3UH)
Closes on Wednesday 15 October 2025
Posted on 10 September 2025
Contents
Summary
Join Thame Cycles and turn your passion for bikes into a career! We’re a friendly, community-focused cycle shop offering expert sales, service, and repairs. Be part of a supportive team, work with the latest cycling tech, and help riders of all levels enjoy their best ride.
- Wage
-
£14,722.50 for your first year, then could increase depending on your age
National Minimum Wage rate for apprentices
Check minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)
Apprentice Minimum Wage
- Training course
- Bicycle mechanic (level 2)
- Hours
-
Number of Hours: 37.5 hours, Monday, Wednesday to Friday, 10am to 6pm (off Tuesday); Saturday 9am to 5pm, not including lunch break of 30-minutes
37 hours 30 minutes a week
- Start date
-
Monday 20 October 2025
- Duration
-
1 year 6 months
- Positions available
-
1
Work
Most of your apprenticeship is spent working. You’ll learn on the job by getting hands-on experience.
What you'll do at work
Thame Cycles is looking for a skilled and enthusiastic Bicycle Mechanic who can also support our main shop team. This role is ideal for someone who enjoys working hands-on with bikes, has a strong eye for detail, and takes pride in delivering great customer service.
As a key part of our workshop, you’ll carry out bike servicing, repairs, and safety checks to a high standard, ensuring every customer leaves with a bike that’s safe, reliable, and ready to ride. Alongside workshop duties, you’ll also help in the main shop - advising customers, assisting with sales, and sharing your knowledge and passion for cycling.
Key Responsibilities:
- Complete bike builds, servicing, and repairs to industry standards
- Diagnose mechanical issues and carry out safety checks
- Provide advice and guidance to customers on bikes, parts, and accessories
- Support sales in the main shop, ensuring excellent customer service at all times
- Help maintain a tidy, organised workshop and shop floor
- Assist with stock handling, displays, and day-to-day shop tasks
- This is a varied role combining technical skill with customer interaction. You’ll work with a wide range of bikes and cycling products, develop your expertise, and be part of a small, friendly, and passionate team
If you’re and looking for a career as a bike mechanic who enjoys helping customers and wants to work in a supportive, community-focused shop, we’d love to hear from you.
Where you'll work
6C STATION YARD
THAME
OX9 3UH
Training
Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.
Training provider
ACTIVATE LEARNING
Training course
Bicycle mechanic (level 2)
Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)
What you'll learn
Course contents
- Use specialist bicycle diagnostic equipment to identify fault and formulate a plan to solve the problems; identifying when it is uneconomical to proceed.
- Use cycle workstand correctly to safely and securely hold a bicycle on the appropriate part of the frame.
- Service a cup and cone type hub, identifying worn parts and correct replacements.
- Remove and replace sealed cartridge bearings using appropriate tools.
- Service cable operated brake systems, correctly sizing and routing cabling using the correct spare parts and torque settings.
- Bleed hydraulic brake systems.
- Service derailleur gear systems, correctly sizing and routing cabling using correct spare parts and torque settings; straighten a derailleur hanger.
- Tap the crank arm threads.
- Identify the different standards of cranks and bottom brackets; remove and replace crank arms, bottom brackets and tap and face the bottom bracket shell.
- Identify chain wear; assess compatibility issues, taking account of chain line and correctly split and install a quick link based chain.
- Tape road handlebars.
- Remove and replace a set of forks, taking account of the correct way to cut a fork steering column to size. Hydraulic fork servicing, disassemble and clean stations and cartridges and re-grease properly.
- Remove, replace and service a headset, taking account of sizing standards.
- Perform alignment checks to a bicycle frame.
- Hand-build a wheel of differing complexities (for example, from simple 3-cross to manufacturer specific wheel systems) in the patterns required for non-disc, front disc and rear disc to the required tolerance and correctly dished and tensioned.
- Set up and adjustment of internal gears.
- Conduct quality assurance check of build or repair work completed.
- Complete handover once completed build or repair is finished, including advising on further and future work required, changes to operation, required on-going maintenance and complete paperwork as appropriate.
- Serve customers or clients on any required area of the store; refer them on to a more senior colleague or to ask for help; seek after market sales.
- Communicate via suitable means with customers (telephone, text, email, social media) in order to ensure good service is maintained.
- Use catalogues (hard copy and online) to identify parts and order to fulfil customers needs.
- Use manual system and workshop diary and complete any associated paperwork.
- Deal with complaints, following employer and manufacturers policies.
- Identify when something has failed or is not fit for purpose.
- Maintain proper tool maintenance and general workshop cleanliness and tidiness.
- Use specialist bicycle diagnostic equipment to identify fault and formulate a plan to solve the problems; identifying when it is uneconomical to proceed.
- Use cycle workstand correctly to safely and securely hold a bicycle on the appropriate part of the frame.
- Service a cup and cone type hub, identifying worn parts and correct replacements.
- Remove and replace sealed cartridge bearings using appropriate tools.
- Service cable operated brake systems, correctly sizing and routing cabling using the correct spare parts and torque settings.
- Bleed hydraulic brake systems.
- Service derailleur gear systems, correctly sizing and routing cabling using correct spare parts and torque settings; straighten a derailleur hanger.
- Tap the crank arm threads.
- Identify the different standards of cranks and bottom brackets; remove and replace crank arms, bottom brackets and tap and face the bottom bracket shell.
- Identify chain wear; assess compatibility issues, taking account of chain line and correctly split and install a quick link based chain.
- Tape road handlebars.
- Remove and replace a set of forks, taking account of the correct way to cut a fork steering column to size. Hydraulic fork servicing, disassemble and clean stations and cartridges and re-grease properly.
- Remove, replace and service a headset, taking account of sizing standards.
- Perform alignment checks to a bicycle frame.
- Hand-build a wheel of differing complexities (for example, from simple 3-cross to manufacturer specific wheel systems) in the patterns required for non-disc, front disc and rear disc to the required tolerance and correctly dished and tensioned.
- Set up and adjustment of internal gears.
- Conduct quality assurance check of build or repair work completed.
- Complete handover once completed build or repair is finished, including advising on further and future work required, changes to operation, required on-going maintenance and complete paperwork as appropriate.
- Serve customers or clients on any required area of the store; refer them on to a more senior colleague or to ask for help; seek after market sales.
- Communicate via suitable means with customers (telephone, text, email, social media) in order to ensure good service is maintained.
- Use catalogues (hard copy and online) to identify parts and order to fulfil customers needs.
- Use manual system and workshop diary and complete any associated paperwork.
- Deal with complaints, following employer and manufacturers policies.
- Identify when something has failed or is not fit for purpose.
- Maintain proper tool maintenance and general workshop cleanliness and tidiness.
Training schedule
- Apprenticeship in bicycle mechanics (ST0622) Level 2 (intermediate)
- Remote (but the apprentice will have to attend a training centre to complete Cytech qualifications)
- Ongoing in the workplace
- 18-months + (up to 3-months) for End Point Assessment
- Functional Skills maths and English if applicable
Requirements
Essential qualifications
GCSE in:
Share if you have other relevant qualifications and industry experience. The apprenticeship can be adjusted to reflect what you already know.
Skills
- Communication skills
- IT skills
- Attention to detail
- Organisation skills
- Customer care skills
- Problem solving skills
- Administrative skills
- Logical
- Team working
- Initiative
- Non judgemental
- Patience
- Physical fitness
About this employer
Employer Description At Thame Cycles, we’re more than just a bike shop — we’re a hub for the local cycling community. From high-performance road bikes and mountain bikes to everyday commuters and e-bikes, we help riders of all ages and abilities find the perfect ride. Alongside our carefully selected range of bikes, parts, and accessories, we also provide expert servicing, repairs, and advice to keep our customers rolling smoothly. Why Work with Us? Joining Thame Cycles means being part of a passionate, knowledgeable, and friendly team that lives and breathes cycling. We take pride in offering personal service, building lasting relationships with our customers, and sharing our love of bikes with the community. As part of our team, you’ll: • Work with a wide range of bikes and the latest cycling technology. • Share your passion for cycling with customers and help them find their perfect fit. • Gain hands-on experience and develop your skills in sales, service, and workshop support. • Be part of a welcoming, close-knit workplace where your contribution really matters. If you’re enthusiastic about cycling, enjoy working with people, and want to grow your skills in a supportive environment, Thame Cycles is the perfect place to ride your career forward.
http://www.thamecycles.co.uk (opens in new tab)
Company benefits
Workplace Pension for qualifying workers, Staff Purchase at Discounted rate.
After this apprenticeship
- Full-time post upon successful completion of the apprenticeship
- Ongoing training and development
- Internal career progression
Ask a question
The contact for this apprenticeship is:
ACTIVATE LEARNING
Jenny Hyam
faculty.enrolments@activateapprenticeships.co.uk
The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC1000341454.
Apply now
Closes on Wednesday 15 October 2025
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