Calvin Jones Retiring After 28 Years As The Director of Education At Park Tool

Jim’s Tech Talk

By Jim Langley

Below is Park Tool’s press release about every bike mechanic’s guru at Park Tool, Calvin Jones and his upcoming retirement. I thought it was important news to share because I bet like I have, that many of you have been assisted by Calvin in his books and articles and especially his Park Tool bicycle repair how-to videos on their YouTube channel. If you’re ever stuck when fixing a two-wheeler, the chances are excellent that there’s a video out there on it with Calvin showing the proper way to get the job done. https://www.youtube.com/@parktool

In case you haven’t had the pleasure of meeting Calvin in person, I want to share a couple stories to give you a feel for what an inspiration he was to pro mechanics like me. I first met him in person at USA Cycling’s initial professional mechanics clinic at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. That was in 1989. Budding wrenches from around the USA were there to take the training and hopefully pass the test to get our USA Cycling pro mechanic’s license (required to work professionally at races). Learn more here: https://usacycling.org/mechanics/how-to-become

Calvin was there as an instructor along with the late legendary USA team mechanic Bill Woodul (the clinic is now named after him) and Ric Hjertberg of Wheelsmith, the wheel company (Ric’s now at wheelfanatyk.com). Also teaching was Bill Farrel who invented the Fit Kit (the first bike fitting system for bike shops) and who was also with the New England Cycling Academy. 

With such an accomplished team of instructors, I think most of the other shop mechanics in attendance were just as nervous as I was about whether we could get up to speed, master what they threw at us and graduate with a license. But we needn’t have worried because Calvin and the rest of the guys had only one thing in mind: our success. And I remember it as one of the most enjoyable clinics I’ve attended and where I learned skills I still use today.

Fast forward a few years and I attended another mechanics clinic where Calvin was teaching. This time the subject was wheel building. I’ve forgotten which bicycle company put the clinic on but it was to educate we mechanics on the latest techniques in lacing, truing and tensioning based on the book by Gerd Schraner called The Art of Wheelbuilding (it’s out of print but can be found on eBay.com etc.).

The setting was in a hotel meeting room staged as a classroom, with about 50 chairs for us with a long table for the instructor at the front of the room and a giant screen on the front wall. In the middle of the room between the chairs was placed a small table with a film projector on it aimed at the screen. On the instructor’s table was a Park TS-2 truing stand with a wheel in it. 

We filed in and sat down and gave Calvin a round of applause as he walked in and reached over to the wheel in the truing stand and got it spinning. He then welcomed us and went into a wonderful description of the amazing properties of bicycle wheels and why they are among the most incredible structures in the world.

I think most of us were expecting a standard lecture on how to assemble a bicycle wheel. We had no idea that Calvin Jones was also a poet. Then, just as the wheel in the truing stand slowed down and stopped, the lights in the room went off, the projector came on, and like magic, there on the screen in the front of the room was a lovely oversized silhouette of the bicycle wheel in the truing stand.

But Calvin wasn’t done. As we stared at the silhouette of the wheel, it morphed into a photograph of the first Ferris wheel from 1893 and Calvin continued speaking pointing out that this fantastic amusement park ride that’s been wowing people since its creation is basically just a colossal bicycle wheel using the same hub, rim and tensioned spoke construction.

I can’t speak for the other mechanics in the room but I know that I never thought of bicycle wheels the same after that epic presentation. Those are just a couple of examples of why Calvin’s one of a kind, a bike mechanic’s mechanic and a true inspiration.

Park Tool’s Official Announcement

With gratitude and a little sadness, Park Tool announces the retirement of Director of Education Calvin Jones. Since his hiring in 1997, Calvin has been an indispensable member of the Park Tool team and instrumental to their continued success over the past 28 years.

Today, Calvin is perhaps best known to many as the wrench behind Park Tool’s popular YouTube channel, which boasts over 900,000 subscribers and 13 million annual views. Across hundreds of videos over a 15-year span, Calvin and the Park Tool creative team have created a comprehensive catalog of free high-quality tutorial and educational content, establishing Park Tool as the preeminent name in online bike maintenance education.

Calvin’s role as Park Tool Director of Education has taken many forms over his 28-year tenure at the company. In addition to his contributions to product development and thousands of hours logged fielding customer feedback, Calvin has applied his deep knowledge of bikes and his aptitude for instruction to projects large and small, including but not limited to:

• The Repair Help section of parktool.com, with a library of nearly 200 detailed how-to guides
• The Park Tool School, a full set of curriculum designed for teaching bicycle maintenance in a classroom setting, first published in 2000
• The Big Blue Book of Bicycle Repair, a complete bike maintenance handbook now in its fourth edition
• The Park Tool Tech Summit, a recurring series of in-depth seminars and lectures for professional mechanics from 2009 to 2013

Of course, Calvin arrived at Park Tool with an already long list of accomplishments, from his first bike shop job in 1973 to his roles as team mechanic for USA national teams, mechanics’ instructor at the US Olympic Training Center, and chief instructor at Barnett’s Bicycle Institute. This background, and his continued engagement with the bike industry and the professional mechanics who keep it running, tell only part of the story.

“I think the thing I admire most about Calvin is that to this day he lives and breathes what he teaches. He’s passionate about the science of bikes and is a gifted teacher who can clearly explain even the most complex concepts. Through his writings, videos, and personal interactions he’s helped millions understand how their bike works and how to best keep it working. It’s been an amazing run, and now, nearly 29 years later we owe a lot to Calvin for his unique ability to demystify bike repair and maintenance,” remarked Eric Hawkins, Park Tool’s Owner, CEO and Chief Mechanic.

Asked about his plans, Calvin said, “Moving on from Park Tool, there are some educational projects that I would like to be part of. Plus, I am looking forward to focusing more on my riding and figuring out when to use this dropper post.”Calvin will continue to be involved with the Stillwater chapter of the Minnesota Cycling Association and will maintain his seat on the board for Project Bike Tech. Calvin also doesn’t intend to disappear from Park Tool entirely—his retirement plans already include periodic contributions to future Park Tool video projects. All the same, his presence will be missed in the office, asking about everyone’s latest ride and offering to tinker with their bikes. The entire staff at Park Tool sincerely offer him their best wishes in his retirement.

Calvin will attend iceBike* 2026 in London and Frostbike 2026 in Minneapolis for any industry folks who would like to wish him well in person.

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About Park Tool: Since 1963 Park Tool has been designing and manufacturing bicycle repair products that help professional and amateur mechanics to properly clean and fix bicycles. Today Park Tool products can be found in most bike shops and professional bicycle mechanics’ tool boxes throughout the world. To learn more, check out www.parktool.com.

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Jim Langley is RBR’s Technical Editor. A pro mechanic & cycling writer for more than 40 years, he’s the author of Your Home Bicycle Workshop in the RBR eBookstore. Tune in to Jim’s popular YouTube channel for wheel building & bike repair how-to’s. Jim’s also known for his cycling streak that ended in February 2022 with a total of 10,269 consecutive daily rides (28 years, 1 month and 11 days of never missing a ride). Click to read Jim’s full bio.