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Workshop on Bike repair and maintenance
Does anybody know of anywhere you can learn more about Bike repair and maintenance?
I can get by with the normal wear and tear stuff and have even dabbled in some fork maintenance with a little assistance from a mate who knows a bit himself. But I would like to learn more and become a little more handy. Amatuer mechanic maybe?
I am sure LBS's won't be planning events that effect their bottom line, but there must be somewhere?
I know some clubs in the UK hold regular classes at night over a few pints. Seems like a really good idea! er the classes that is.
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Northside - i think KOM do - check out their website at the bottom of the page i am sure there was some mention of workshops
and maybe CRANKS and Renegade Cycles - not sure of these 2, they re maybes
chk the bike shop websites around your area as they will usually advertise this sort of thing
Had a chat with one of the mechanics at bike addiction some time ago, and he said they can do workshops as well..
-Frank
I'd be keen to take a workshop on bike repair/maintenance also! Next time I'm down at Bike Addiction I'll ask them ... I seem to be down there every other day at the moment =)
What sort of stuff are you looking to learn? I must admit I've been working on bikes for 30 years and most of my knowledge has come from trial and error. Admittedly the errors used to cost a lot less when I was working on my old 10 speed or BMX. Best tip I have is observe and note as you disassemble then it's easier to put back together.
The net is a great resource now. There are plenty of vids and articles plus forums like these. The guys on here are often willing to show things as well. on the net to help with tricky stuff and is a great way to learn.
run workshops on a Thursday night but I suspect it may be too basic.
Hey - thanks to all for your replies. Seems I was wrong about the LBS's.
The KOM one looks good - (attached). Close to home as well - unless BA have one going?
Advance Seminar Course Purpose: To build on the skills learnt in the basic seminar course and move you one step closer to being a first rate mechanic. Due to the in depth nature of this course, class sizes are limited to three participants per session. There are two streams within this course to ensure that both road and mountain bike skills are covered. Please let us know when you are enrolling as to which stream you would like to book into.
Skills covered: Mountain bike course – Brake and gear adjustment, stripping and cleaning suspension forks; overhauling hubs/headset/bottom bracket and bleeding disc brakes. Road bike course – Brake and gear adjustment, installation of both front and rear derailleurs and also the crank set and stripping and re-taping the bar tape.
Duration of course: 3 hours
Fee: $139.95 per person
is the difference between 'doing the job' and 'doing the job *well*'. The internet can teach you how to do the job (eventually), professionals can teach you how to the job well. It really depends what you're after.
None of the knowledge included in the $139 is particularly complicated (of course, that easy to say - I get someone else to bleed by brakes because he has an Avid kit), learning not to over tighten certain components or even just having someone explain all those items on your specific bike with its specific quirks (e.g. spacers in the bottom bracket) I would say is a good investment, unless you have time, lots of time (and a spare bike for when you can't fix the one you are working on). Despite my best efforts I couldn't find good (any) information on DT Swiss 370 hubs. I read in numerous locations DT Swiss hubs work well with regular maintenance, finally I was told by a mechanic what to do with the 370s (and why other DT Swiss hubs should be maintained). For the record, Zinn don't cover this well either (I know you love this book Hawkeye!).
Andrew
hey woftty, over the last couple years my DIY skills around a bike have come a long way. and the best resource i have found is a special maintenance issue of Australian MTB magazine (May 2009). it has excellent instructions in simple, casual terms with colour pictures of common, current mountain bikes. the reason i rate this manual so highly is because you will undoubtedly forget much of what you learn at a skills clinic unless you happen to need to undertake the task the next day or week. with a book or magazine, you can look up the procedure you want when you want and have it in front of you while you work. this magazine is pure gold in my mind and I encourage anyone to try and buy a copy from ACP magazines if they are still selling that old issue. I'd pay about $50 for it!
I just got an email if you happen to be in Melbourne.
http://www.cycling-inform.com/bicycle-maintenanc...
Thanks Sensai, I am sure I must have that May 2009 edition. I am going off to look for it now in amongst Singletrack, Enduro and all those other mags you should never thow out.
Hmmm.... not in my edition April / May 2009. Unless it was an additional pull out to the magazine?
yeah i double checked and it's def May 2009. must have been an extra issue around that time. it wasn't a 'pull-out', i remember buying it on its own, but might have been extra issue around that time. worth seeing if you can order i reckon... it allows me to do most things to my bike DIY
I spoke to the guys at the Bike Addiction workshop, and they said that for $300 a session they'd do a complete strip-down rebuild class. Maximum 6 people, so with those numbers it would work out to $50pp which seems like a bargain!
Greg
Sign me up, 50 bucks you'd easily save that doing your own work just once or twice.
True enough... on both counts.
The market never stops moving, so print editions are always going to be slightly out of date.
There is a new edition just out that I haven't bought yet. It will cover the most recent technological changes, but it won't cover *all* of the fine detail about *every* make and model of hub, fork, shock or brake on the market. Probably not realistic to expect that it would. But it does cover the most common brands and types, and gives you the information you need to stay out of trouble. Still an outstanding buy for that reason, IMO. Saves me a lot of time looking up general how-to stuff on the interwebz.
I picked up the 5th edition which is dated 2010 so I assume that's the one you're referring to. It came very handy at 2am at the Jet Black when we needed to work out how to bleed Avid brakes so it paid for itself already. I got a copy through Amazon and it was dirt cheap ($18 from memory) so you'd be mad if you didn't have a copy on the shelf
I picked up the most recent print of Zinn's, for reference in my project to build my own bike. It was incredibly useful in a lot of areas, but I still found there were a few areas that it didn't cover so well.
I also found that in some areas it actually went into to MUCH detail ... at least for me. It references a lot of systems/hardware which is 10+ years old, which may be useful for a bike tech in a workshop but not for me!
For help in maintaining a bike, it's gold ... for building one, I found it lacking in a few areas =)
Hi Rune
great work - I am interested for sure at 50pp. So you me and HLH so far - any other takers so we can get the 6?
Woftt.
depending on dates...
also depending on dates
Keen as well too!
$50pp sounds like a great investment.
Count me in too, also depending on dates! My mate is also interested.
+1! Pending dates also
I rang BA and asked about dates/times, and they said they'll do it pretty much any day of the week except mondays (So Tuesday through Friday), and they can also do it on the weekend if they're given enough notice (a couple weeks they said). Run time should be approx 3 hours.
I've got three friends interested who have already confirmed, so that leaves room for 2 more people. Slots are on a first-come first-served basis, so book in!
When: Wednesday, Feb 23rd
Time: 6:30pm
Duration: Approx 3 hours
Where: Bike Addiction (in North Manly)
Sounds like there's enough interest to even put together a second workshop, if someone wants to organize that =)
-Greg-
Hi Rune
are you able to count me into this first workshop?
Woftt
Me too?
Hey guys, wofft and hairylittlehobbit were the first to reply so unfortunately that takes up all the free slots.
I'll speak with BA today and make sure that this date is available. If you don't hear back, assume it's booked in!
Cheers!
Greg
Thanks Greg
Woftt (Tony)
Hi Greg
organising things like this with others you don't know is always a little risky, so I am just letting you know that I am definetly coming along. I will see you down there just before 6.30pm.
Regards
Tony
Yeah ill definatly be there, ill be the guy with the squeaky meta 5.
Thanks guys, appreciate it! I've got both of your numbers, so if anything changes last minute I'll be in touch. I'll PM you my details, just in case.
The mechanic suggested to bring 3 or 4 bikes ... but i figure everyone can bring theirs, and we can work out what exactly we're doing when we're there! He said he'll cover pretty much anything we want, except for Fork maintenance. My bike is pretty much brand new at this point, so shouldn't need any work ... I'm mostly keen to just get some experience in the maintenance.
Greg
it already needs some adjustments.
See you both down there - I am looking forward to it.
Tony
We had the maintenance workshop last night at Bike Addiction, which was excellent. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who is interested.
Our instructor, Garret, was very helpful and knowledgeable and was willing to cover pretty much anything that was of interest to us.
-Greg
Garret is an awesome bloke and a great mechanic!
For those who missed out on the first maintenance workshop and wanted to know what went on.
We arrived at the BA workshops at 6.30pm and were greeted with Pizza and refreshments.
Our Instructor Garret had an existing agenda but we were welcome to include whatever topic we wanted.
The session went for a little over three hours, and we covered the following
How to clean and lube your bike (properly)
Replacing Cables (properly)
Replacing and Bleeding Brakes (generally) since there are so many variations.
Pad and Rotor wear
Wheel Truing
Adjusting Headset
Adjusting Front and Rear Derailleurs
Adjusting Front and Rear Hubs
Talked about bottom brackets
General Maintenance Tips - tools and cleaning and lubricating products
(All work was done on our own bikes - so the $50 paid had even more value)
Garret was an excellent instructor, very friendly and informative. I think he is from BC?
I highly recommend the BA maintenance workshop to anyone.
Anything I missed guys?
Totally agree with the comments so far.
It was a good fun night had by all (pizza & drinks was a nice touch).
Garrett (and I'm sure also the other guys at B.A.) really know bikes.
Pity I'm a westie - I'd like to use B.A.'s services some time but it's a long drive!
To those that missed out on this session get onto B.A. to organise your own night soon.
Chris
If only I hadn't stuffed my shoulder at Lake P. the night before!
I'll have to wait a while to put any of it all into practice and even longer to get back on the the bike!
Hey guys - Torpedo 7 have a workstand on sale for $99 I have just ordered one. The reviews seem pretty good so I am hoping it will be a good one.
Check it out.
You can get the same stand cheaper here
http://cyclingdeal-px.rtrk.com.au/buy/cycle-pro-...
or on ebay
I bought one recently. it seems fairly sturdy, the spring on the quick release mechanism on the head seems a little weak but overall for the money it's a decent product.
The one I bought was:
http://cyclingdeal-px.rtrk.com.au/buy/alloy-workshop-bike-bicycle-repair-stand/SC-911 for $99.
Which seems to work pretty well. It has a tendency to tip over if i don't keep the rear leg weighted down though ... but the added convencience of having a stand is well worth it!