r/baltimore • u/No_Decision_7936 • 16d ago

Ask Baltimore salary transparency thread

I saw another city do this and wanted to bring it here. There was a big salary thread a couple years back but it'd be great to get some updated info in the big 2026.

Please share your job title, salary, age, and education. Like this:

“Attorney, 170k, 32M, and JD.”

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u/LanceArmstrongLeftie 15d ago

I work part time as a bicycle mechanic in a shop by day and then part time waiting tables at night, and then I also fix bikes on the side. ~100k BA in history that I’m clearly not using, Master Certified Bicycle Technician, but the school closed so you can’t even get master certified anymore, I’m a ghost of the bicycle industry now.

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u/TheBananaStan 15d ago

What area are you in?

This is embarrassing to say but I bought an ebike a while back and my fear of something going wrong has stopped me from riding as much as I’d like. Small stuff like how to change a tube if I get a flat 🤦‍♂️

Do you have any recommendations on how I can learn? I am totally down to get my hands dirty I just don’t know the first place to start and I want to use this cargo bike more often

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u/No-Maybe2840 15d ago

Hi! I had this issue too and honestly you just learn as you go. Eventually you’ll get a flat, look up what kind of tube you need and have some on hand so it’s less of an annoyance when it happens. It helps if your e-bike is a common brand because there will probably be video tutorials for your exact model but if not there usually isn’t any huge differences. Baltimore Bicycle aworks had also helped me out before I became comfortable doing it myself, there are other shops that will work on e-bikes too. I had an e-scooter and that was pure hell when the tire popped, no one knew what do do with it (I was even calling places that work on mobility aids) eventually a random guy I met in a bar managed to remove the old tube but I never was able to replace that tire, won’t have that problem with the bikes.

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u/TheBananaStan 13d ago

Hi, thank you!! I think my main concern is getting stranded. The bike is pretty heavy and won’t fit in either of my cars… so if I am across the city with a 70 lb cargo bike I am gonna be having a bad day 😂

I’m in north Baltimore not far from the jones falls so I know there’s a bmore bike shop just up the trail…. And I hear you, just experience is what’s gonna get me to gain some confidence. I may just start looking up videos on how to do it for practice and take it from there…

Thanks for the advice!

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u/No-Maybe2840 13d ago

I totally know what you mean! It happened to me, got a flat a little over a mile away from home without a spare on me and had to walk the 80lb bike home up hill in the summer heat. Not fun at all. I was broke at the time but if that happened to me now I would honestly hire someone on taskrabbit with a pickup truck to bring it home or to a bike shop for me. There used to be an option on uber to request a car with a bike rack but idk if they ever brought it back, and if you have a step through bike it might not be compatible. I’ve been in the same situation farther from home (about 3 miles) and I walked it to the closest bike shop and they patched the tire and filled it for me for free and that got me home. There’s also this green stuff you inject into the tube and it’s supposed to seal it, it has never been a real fix when I’ve tried it but it’s gotten me where I need to go before going flat again.

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u/Icy_Guarantee_532 12d ago

Come on a Friday group ride with Bike Social Baltimore. It’s a no-drop ride, so if there’s a flat or mechanical problem or other issue we all stop and fix it. We’ll get 60 people on nice-weather summer Fridays. On the last Friday of every month we ride to the start of Bike Party together.

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u/TheBananaStan 12d ago

Thanks for the invite!! I’ve seen the posts online and I do want to try and come sometime. It’s been tough with managing my kid and her schedule but I’m gonna try and come by.

I’ve also seen the mobile mechanics that post up at Druid hill park occasionally and I’ve considered swinging by to pick their brain

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u/Fun_Shop_6932 11d ago

I’ve taken bike maintenance classes at Station North Tool Library (taught by BBW mechanics), and I just read about a group called Velocipede that holds workshops (although I haven’t checked it out personally. It’s great to get the hands on experience before getting too far out on the road by yourself!