[AT] Bicycle program

[Stephen Offiler]

I'm not sure what your point is.  But these are topics where I have some
broad expertise, since I work in manufacturing, I am involved with
manufacturing education, and I am a serious cyclist, rolling up at least a
couple thousand miles a year for the last 30 odd years.

So first of all, your typical 16 year old boy in the modern day has spent
too much of his formative years playing video games, and has not developed
much in the way of mechanical curiousity.

When Harry Ferguson left the farm to work as a bicycle mechanic, bicycles
were a legitimate alternative to equestrian transportation, not a hobby.
That was a move into what would have been a valuable and mainstream career
at that time.  In the modern day, there is very little money to be made as
a bicycle mechanic.  I happen to be good friends with a bicycle mechanic
who is probably among the top couple dozen in the USA - bicycle
manufacturers actually seek him out for assistance with their designs.  He
makes a very good living compared with his peers, but it's still just a
small fraction of what my peers make in the manufacturing industry.

There is no such thing as an Associate Degree in Bicycle Mechanics.

The program in the link provided is not intended to train bicycle
mechanics.  It uses the bicycle as a case study in modern manufacturing,
encompassing welding and fabrication of a variety of materials (advanced
high-alloy steels, aluminum, titanium) plus composite (aka "carbon fiber")
techniques, plastic injection molding, CAD design work, etc etc.  I find it
a very clever way of engaging the students.

SO



On Thu, Apr 11, 2019 at 12:57 AM James Peck <jamesgpeck at hotmail.com> wrote:

>
> A 16 year old boy I interact with has told me that he is not interested in
> being any kind of mechanic. I was pointing out some power company linemen
> to him and explaining how many of them earned in the 6 figures.
>
> Harry Ferguson left the family farm to work as a bicycle mechanic and did
> well for himself. Someone with an Associate Degree in Bicycle Mechanics
> would likely find out that there is not much money to be made working on
> bicycles but ag equipment could be a different story.
>
>
> https://www.thefabricator.com/article/additive/bicycle-design-program-rethinks-manufacturing-education
> ?
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