Picture the scene: you’re miles from home, cycling your favourite loop and enjoying some rare peace and quiet. There’s not a soul in sight and there’s zero chance of that pesky phone interrupting your reverie – because you’re deep in a reception blackspot.
All well and good if your bike’s in tip-top condition, and you know how to keep it that way.
But what happens if you’re one of the many cyclists whose knees turn to jelly at the thought of a little bike maintenance? How would you cope with a puncture? What if your brakes needed adjusting? Or your gears?
If you still don’t know your bottom bracket from your drop-out, or your stem from your spoke tool, don’t worry – you’re not alone. In fact, research shows 41% of people admit to a lack of basic bike maintenance knowledge.
With that in mind, we’ve put together a series of bike maintenance classes, aimed at demystifying the dark art of tinkering with these two-wheeled wonders.
The facts is, a little maintenance can really prolong the lifetime of your bike – not to mention help keep you safe when you’re out on your own – and something as simple as adjusting the amount of air in your tyres can make a huge difference to how your steed rides.
The classes are suitable for total beginners and will build in technicality across three sessions, which run next month and again in January.
Session one – Ready to Roll – will look at some simple safety checks you can do at home to ensure your bike is fit for purpose, as well covering puncture repair and tyre changes.
Session two – Brake it Down – will examine brake maintenance. Learn how to check pads for wear and change them, install a fresh brake cable and adjust your stoppers.
Session three – Ideas for Gears – will demystify the notoriously tricky workshop challenge of setting gears up correctly. We promise – it isn’t as difficult as you might think!
The course has been designed by our head technician Tom Sturdy, who has a degree in aerospace engineering. We promise, bike maintenance isn’t rocket science, but if it was we’d have that covered, too!
Each two-hour tutorial (10am-12pm) costs £28, or book the full course for £75.
We’re offering special rates for 14-16 year olds of £14 per session or £35 for all three.
Vouchers are available if you’d like to gift the classes. Dare we say – Christmas is coming!
Course dates are: 10th, 17th and 24th January 2015.
Contact us on 01497 822 419 or via [email protected] for more info or booking.