I have been wanting to get more hands on with my bike for a while now, both to save a little cash when taken it in to the local bike shop to get minor things tweaked and serviced as well as not having a whole weekend ruined when something goes wrong in the first 10 minutes whilst on the trail.
So when the opportunity arose to attend a 1 day intensive cycle maintenance course with the team at Edinburgh Bicycle, I jumped at the chance.
The course costs around £49 per person for the day, and accommodates a group of 8 people plus the mechanic.
On arriving at the store we were all shown to the workshop where we would be spending the day. The mechanic introduced himself and we all introduced ourselves whilst making tea and coffee and also choosing what we would be having for lunch which was provided as part of the course from the local deli menu.
Prior to arriving for the course, we were all invited to bring our own bikes along, so we could work to the level we required for our own bikes on the day. By the end of the day I found this to have been of a huge advantage.
After that it was first things first, puncture prevention, detection and cure. We were shown how to get each of the wheels off, the removal of the tyre and inner tubes and then how to fit them all back on again. All of which was done by hand, without the use of any tools, including tyre levers!
After that it was onto hub servicing and being shown how to remove and replace the crank sets. This I felt was very worth while, as not only did you get to learn the techniques, you also got introduced and used to the tools to get the job done quickly and efficiently.
As well as learning how to remove the crank, we got right down and dirty to the ball bearings, given the hub a complete service. After practicing on one bike, I then give it a go on mine, to discover although I could get access to the hub, the bearings were sealed like large polo mints, handy in way, but at the same time, disappointed, I could have easily have wasted a few evenings in front of the TV playing with bike!
After that, towards the end of the morning it was onto servicing the headset. This involved demonstration of removing and adjusting the headset as well as making any required adjustments to the spacers and ensuring the wheel and stem were aligned correctly.
After that, it was onto lunch, a quick half hour baguette with a drink and a cookie, not bad seen as it was all included in the price! Even though it was lunch time, the questions kept getting fired to the mechanic, the guy never got a break! But to be fair, he kept coming up trumps with the answers.
After lunch, it was on to break adjustment and servicing, due to the range of bikes which were used by the people attending the course, we had demonstrations of various break types including V-Brakes, Cantilever, Calliper, Mechanical Disc Breaks and Hydraulic Disc Breaks. This included removing and fitting pads as well as adjusting the wheels and braking surfaces for better braking as well as removing, fitting and maintaining the brake cables themselves.
It was at this point, I discovered, that my Hydraulic Disc Brake pads were completely gone, both front and rear. But to be fair, they hadn't been replaced for over 18 months! So the mechanic kindly recommended some suitable replacements and popped into the shop to get me sorted out. After which he talked me through fitting them myself, so I know for next time!
Towards the middle of the afternoon, we moved onto the gears. This is what I was dreading! We covered topics such as removing and fitting cables as well as replacing and adjusting the front and rear derailleur's.
After all that, with an hour or so to spare it was quick fire time. A time to ask any questions we had and to get any minors things sorted on the bikes as well as give the mechanic the chance to give each of the bikes a once over to ensure they were safe to use after all of the fiddling prior to everyone riding home!
All in all, a very worth while day. Certainly worth the money, as for the £49, you can get a lot of work done on the bike yourself, which may cost you closer to £90.00 when sending it in for a service at a local bike shop or high street retailer.
Ultimately, you don't walk into the course as a novice and come out an expert mountain bike mechanic, it simply gives you the confidence and pointers to know where to start and to get comfortable with the bike and actually know what each bit is called as well as knowing what tool you need to use with it and to learn your own limitations.
It offers piece of mind for both your bank account as well as when out on those trails of a weekend or when commuting to work on a dark and miserable morning, having that little extra confidence to know that, providing you have a hand full of tools, you can get yourself on the trail again. As at the end of the day, there's nothing worse then entering into a week of mountain biking miles from home, to find on the first day something goes wrong and even more so when you end up paying the over inflated prices at the bike shops when visiting trail centres and a like.
I reckon, given how much love and affection I like to think I pay to my bike, I can get my money's worth out of the course within months. If not immediately, seen as I managed to get the whole bike serviced under the eye of a trained professional, which would have cost £89 alone, Bonus!
For more information on cycle maintenance courses visit:
www.edinburghbicycle.com
Article by:
AC
