Love bikes and working with your hands? Then this apprenticeship is for you.

Get paid to learn how to look after and fix bikes while working in a busy local bike shop.

Wage

• £13,936 for your first year, then could increase depending on your age
• National Minimum Wage rate for apprentices
• Minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)
• Wage will increase in the second year to £10/hour.

Training course

• Bicycle mechanic (level 2)
• Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)

Hours

• 33.5- 40 hours a week, Tuesday - Saturday between 9:30am and 5:30pm.
• 33 hours 30 minutes a week

Start date

• Monday 5 October 2026

Duration

• 1 year 6 months

Positions available

• 1

Most of your apprenticeship is spent working. You’ll learn on the job by getting hands-on experience.

What you'll do at work

• Open and close the shop
• Deal with customer enquiries in person, on the phone and online
• Book in bikes for servicing and repair
• Clean and tidy the shop
• Carry out repairs to bicycles
• Learn new types of repairs
• Carry out bike services
• Build bikes
• Search for parts needed from suppliers

Where you'll work

• 2 BROUGHAM STREET
• LEICESTER
• LE1 2BA

Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.

Training provider

• ACTIVATE LEARNING

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.