Britain's Best Bike Mechanic

Earlier this year we asked for your help to find Britain’s Best Bike Mechanic. After we tallied the nominations, the three finalists did battle for the coveted title

- James Shrubsall

Some say the high street is dead. Tell that to the bike shop mechanics.

While the places they work mightn’t be selling bikes like they once were thanks to competition from cyberspace, anyone buying a bike from Wiggle or the like can quickly find they need the services of a spannerman or spannerwoman.

They are the often-referred-to ‘beating heart of the local bike shop’ — or, as we like to say these days IBD (independent bike dealer). Multitaskers who are playing a significant role in doing for the industry exactly what they’ll do for your bike if you ask them nicely — keep it ticking over.

There are a lot of good road bike mechanics in Britain, but the best? That’d be Scott Jones. He works at the Mickey Cranks shop in Oxfordshire. He was nominated by dozens of very happy customers for our Britain’s Best Bike Mechanic competition and, having got through to the finalsstage, went up against two other road mechanics in a timed and judged contest. His steady hand and a cool nerve impressed the judges, and he emerged as the sharpest tool in the box.

“I am absolutely chuffed to bits,” he said after being given his winner’s award. “I didn’t want to get my hopes up as I didn’t want to get disappointed — I just went out there, did what I do best essentially, tried as hard as I could.”

Having grown up “taking stuff apart, putting it back together” Jones eventually found himself a job at Williams Cycles in Cheltenham, and found his vocation in the workshop, before ultimately moving to Mickey Cranks four years ago.

“It’s kind of a hobby turned into a living. I don’t know what I’d be doing if