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Bike maintenance courses

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  • November 11, 2014 at 8:51 pm #22718
    jonathan mitchell

    Hi,

    I’d appreciate some recommendations on bike maintenance courses

    I’ve been riding seriously for a year, and my maintenance skills are a bit hap-hazard. Would appreciate some advice on good courses or ways to learn maintenance skills

    Cheers

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Viewing 8 replies - 1 through 8 (of 8 total)
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  • November 13, 2014 at 9:20 pm #820595
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    jonathan mitchell

    Thanks everyone, thats most
    Thanks everyone, thats most helpful!

    I have found youtube pretty help, certainly with tuning the front derailleur

    There is a place in Norwich which does an open group session for 5 pounds an hour, will keep an eye out for free ones!

    November 13, 2014 at 2:00 pm #820593
    0
    robert posts child

    Local transport authorities
    Local transport authorities may run courses for free…eg transport for greater manchester run free courses…as well as running learn to ride courses,also for free.

    November 13, 2014 at 1:34 pm #820591
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    Simon E

    The above are spot on.
    Velo
    The above are spot on.

    Velo News post ‘Ask a Mechanic’ articles with https://www.youtube.com/user/wwwartscyclerycom/videos

    GCN’s ‘How To’ and ‘Roadside Maintenance’ playlists might help – https://www.youtube.com/gcn

    Jobs like replacing cables, pads, cassettes and so on are very simple and don’t take much time.

    Preventative maintenance saves time & money – grease/lube things adequately so they don’t seize in the first place, clean stuff regularly to reduce wear. This is important in wet weather and absolutely vital when there is salt on the roads.

    When dismantling look carefully at what you are taking apart and how it fits. But even if you get it wrong there is help at hand via google and forums like this one or Road > Workshop at Bikeradar.

    November 13, 2014 at 11:49 am #820589
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    MKultra

    What they said.
    Sheldon, you
    What they said.

    Sheldon, you tube and also the Park Tools webpage who show you how to do almost anything. Don’t buy the Haynes guide unless you have a wonky work bench that needs something under one leg.

    Some local colleges run basic(very basic) courses. Just don’t shell out for anything like Cytech as it’s a bit of a “training provider” racket these days.

    November 12, 2014 at 4:16 pm #820587
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    pants

    Unless you want to
    Unless you want to qualification for something other wise just do what the above posts said and look it up, youtube have pretty much everything you need to know.

    November 12, 2014 at 10:17 am #820585
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    Martyn_K

    The two most valuable sources
    The two most valuable sources of maintenance guidance are Youtube, as already mentioned, and also club mates.

    If you are a member of a cycling club then a large number will have resolved routine and not so routing maintenance issues.

    I built a bike this year solely on Youtube instruction and some common engineering sense.

    November 11, 2014 at 10:08 pm #820583
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    massspike

    The late Sheldon Brown was
    The late Sheldon Brown was the best resource. You could email him questions (even stupid ones) and he would get back to you within 24 hours. His web site is probably still the best if you have older gear (e.g free wheels).

    I agree with Blue_Brevatto that nowadays there is so much information on line you don’t need to bother with courses (or even books). Spend your money on the tools you will need. I used Park Tools (http://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help) a lot when I started my bike maintenance hobby…I even set up an old computer in the work shop so I wouldn’t have to run upstairs to my main computer 2-3 time during each procedure.

    November 11, 2014 at 9:36 pm #820581
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    Blue_Brevatto

    Youtube. Honestly ! That and
    Youtube. Honestly ! That and Sheldon Brown. A reference book with some picutres can help too although they never cover every type/model/job. Problem with all training courses is that unless you come back and put it straight into practice you soon forget. If you’re starting work in a bike shop it’s different. But on your own bike you’ll likely go months or even years between some tasks. So when you do finally need to change that BB you’ll have forgotten most of it and you’ll need to look it up anyway.

    If you’ve really got a phobia about doing anything on a bike – e.g. even adjusting brakes and gears brings you out in a rash – then a course might help. But I’m not sure you really need one. Just take it slowly and make sure you can reverse anything you do to put it back how it was. Simples!

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