Working -- Larry Pritchard

* Story by Deirdre Newman, photo by [tk]

HE IS:

Getting your bicycle up to full pedal power

HOOKED ON BIKES

Larry Pritchard grew up around bikes -- riding them, taking them

apart, putting them back together. So it’s no wonder he shifted his hobby

into a career as a bike technician.

Pritchard, 42, has worked with bikes for the past 23 years, most

recently for the Bike Doctor in Newport Beach.

He owns a unicycle and a tandem among other bikes and is “thoroughly

engulfed” in hawking, selling and trading personal bikes in his spare

time.

He also adheres to the philosophy that biking is not just for

recreation, commuting on his bike every day from Fountain Valley -- a

40-minute ride.

“I see the utility side of bicycles,” Pritchard said.

OLYMPIC-CALIBER TECHNICIAN

Pritchard works in all facets of the business -- selling and ordering

parts and repair.

“I try to find out what the customer’s complaint is,” Pritchard said.

“Then I verify that and inspect for other problems.”

Often bikes need more work than the owner is aware of, Pritchard said.

Flat tires and bent wheels are the most common problems.

Pritchard deals with all kinds of bikes. Recently he even serviced a

rusty 1948 jalopy. And he is an Olympic-trained mechanic -- attending a

training camp at Colorado Springs in the past.

“It was geared toward a different genre of mechanic, but it was still

a really good experience,” Pritchard said.

When customers come in and aren’t sure what kind of bike they want, he

has them test ride a few to see what they’re comfortable with.

The challenge, he said, is trying to finish the repairs in a timely

fashion while still making a profit.

“The rates we charge aren’t very high, and it can be slow work,”

Pritchard said.

BIKING IS IN HIS BLOOD

Pritchard, who has worked for big chain stores in the past, said he

prefers the intimacy of a smaller shop like the Bike Doctor.

“You can get lost in a big company,” Pritchard said.

And while he has taken some time off from working with bikes in the

past, it’s an addiction he can’t permanently escape.

“I did gardening on my own -- it’s a really hard job,” Pritchard said.

“Bikes have always been in in my blood.”