When – Mondays 7:00 to 8:00 P.M.
Where – The Bike Stand (corner of 4th and Adams)
Feb. 14 Drive Train Overhaul- During this class the drive train of a modern multi-speed bicycle will be completely disassembled, cleaned, and reassembled. This is a job that every cyclist should learn how to do. In this climate drive train overhauls need to be preformed often. The job requires only a few special tools and is well within the skill set of almost anyone with the will to do the job. If you were to ask your friendly bicycle mechanic to perform this job for you he would charge you somewhere in the area of $90.
Feb. 21 The Care, Feeding, and Adjustment of Bicycle Drive Trains- During this class the adjustment of front and rear bicycle derailleurs will be demonstrated and discussed. In addition derailleur cable replacement will be demonstrated. This is another class that requires few special tools and no special skills . Perfect for the “budding” bicycle mechanic.
March 7 Cable Activated Brakes, How they function and how to adjust them-During this class the various designs of bicycle brakes will be shown as will the various methods of adjustment be demonstrated, As will brake pad replacement This is an important skill for the cyclist to at least understand due the serious safety aspects. Cable replacement should be done at least annually and is easily accomplished by most new mechanics. Few special tools are required and parts are quite inexpensive.
March 14 Bicycle Wheel Building- During this class a tried and true method of spoking a wheel will be demonstrated. However, the intention of the class is not to turn loose a new batch of wheel builders on the community but to use the process to make a complex subject more accessable. Particular emphasis will be placed on making good component choices. Numerous secrets of the dark art of wheel building will be revealed.
March 21 Wheel Trueing- Proper “tensioning”, “dishing”, and “trueing” will be demonstrated and discussed as we take the wheel we spoked last week from loose to tight round and straight. Once pointed the right way most “budding” mechanics can relatively easily acquire this skill if riding regularly will find it particularly useful.
March 28 Bicycle Gear Ratios- How to compute, use them efficiently and change them if necessary. Learning these skills can change your life as a cyclist. This is literally the “Holy Grail” of cycling. This class is a little dry but even if you only “get” part of the it every cyclist can benefit from learning some of these secrets.
April 4 Bicycle Bottom Brackets- This bearing unit which allows the crankset to turn smoothly and quietly will be disassembled, cleaned, lubricated, and reassembled during this class. In addition national thread standards will be explained and discussed. Several examples of new designs will be shown and there virtues and vices explained. As always, tool requirements and costs will be part of the discussion. Like most bearing surfaces bottom brackets should be lubricated at least once a year.
April 11 Bicycle Headsets- During this class examples of both threaded and threadless headsets will be disassembled, cleaned, lubricated and reassemble. Required tools and their costs will be discussed as will national thread standards. In addition examples the newest technology in headsets and fork design will be shown.
April 18 Bicycle Hubs-During this class a front and rear hub will be disassembled, cleaned, lubricated, and reassembled. Axle threading, bearing size, and required tools will also be discussed. Again this job should be done at least once a year and requires only a few relatively inexpensive tools for most hubs. This is a perfect first job for most aspiring mechanics.
April 25 Emergency Repairs- During this class problems that are common during cycling which make the bicycle not functional, but can easily be dealt with on the side of the road. Particular emphasis will be placed on tire repair, including basics such as wheel removal. Time will also be spent on other problems that can make the cyclist a pedestrian such as broken chains and loose cranks. An emergency tool kit will be discussed, as will various tire inflation devises. This class is particularly aimed at beginning cyclists.
