Courses
Bike Mechanic
Trail Mechanic
Bike Guiding
Chris Clark is a professional bicycle mechanic who has been working in the Whistler area with bicycle retailers since 1997. As an experienced rider, racer and adventurer, he has honed his repair skills and knowledge on a first-hand level and loves sharing his passion for bikes with his students. His background education in business adds a perspective of how to operate a profitable repair center and provide cyclists with the utmost in customer-focused service.
Chris’ background in racing includes racing multiple Test of Metal, Nimby 50, Singletrack 6 events, along with Trans-Cascadia and Samurai of Singletrack events. He adventures further afield with epic Chilcotin rides and bikepacking trips, has completed the Coconino 250 loop in Arizona, and regularly explores off-the-beaten-path rides in search of new terrain.
As a mechanic in Whistler, Chris has seen and worked on the full spectrum of bikes, from early 90’s Stumpjumpers, mid-2000’s dh bikes, up to the latest electronic shifting and road hydraulic systems, custom carbon wheel builds, and assembling custom high-end builds for discerning customers. Knowing how to service older bikes and budget models is often the bread and butter of a repair center, and Chris will walk students through how to stay on budget, work with customers to meet their needs, and balance safety, performance and costs for every level of repair.
Chris has honed his skills to confidently teach most any repair skills, and sets a framework for students to identify when they have the trifecta of Tools, Knowledge and Time to safely perform a repair, recognize when they are missing something, and how to find it.
As a self professed lover of suffering, he’s often seen toeing the line at the weekly xc Loonie race events throughout the summer, ripping it up with some of the valley’s fastest riders. His passion for riding and years of mechanic experience, combined with an educational and workplace background in the bike business give Chris a well rounded view of what it’s like and what it takes to be a professional bike mechanic. As an instructor here at WAS he looks forward to sharing that passion and knowledge with others.
- Bachelor of Business Administration – Capilano College
- Shimano S-TEC Elite member
- Mechanic – Whistler Bike Co, Comor Sports, Katmandu, Situ Studios
- Giant Bicycles Demo Tour Coordinator
- Mechanic & neutral support – various events