has anyone ever done a bike maintence course?? are they any good?? are they worth the money?

We are doing a free one at our cycle club and I am helping run an event at work .These are both in Springtime next year as a way of encouraging newbies to get cycling.

Look around your local area ,there may be something similar going on.

where about are you? I’ve looked on the internet and can only find course that cost money!! can you recommend a good site!!

I am in Dundee ,but if you have a decent local cycle club,that would be my first call.
I see that Evans do a basic maintenance course for £15 Link .
After something like that you could find out how to do most things from YouTube and internet sites .Not forgetting that STW has a lot of helpful posters that do all their own spanner work ( and much more ),so just shout out if you get stuck on anything.

Try your local authority adult education courses, and if they don’t put in a suggestion that they do.

Where are you Buzz? There are a fair few community initiatives/bike recycling organisations that hold either free or good priced courses all over the place.

I run one in East Dunbartonshire.

I taught myself to do most things just by watching Youtube and through trial and error.

Still can’t properly adjust derailleurs though, even after the local mechanic showed me how to do it.

I’m from Dudley! I can pay for a course in sedgley which is £250 but didn’t want to pay for something that isn’t worth it!!
I’m struggling to find anything going for free or any less than £250.

I got one of the edinburgh bike coop ones for xmas a few years back, it helped a lot and the only things I wont touch now are hubs or truing wheels. And have built 2 bikes from scratch since.

Probably should learn how to service my hubs myself, but watched the you tube video and it involved a big hammer, I am likely to f. that up!

Hi have a look here

half day course, 1 day courses to a full 2 day course is available and the day and 2 day courses held on dates that best for the customer.

Finely Tuned Ride is about to do a maintenance course offer for people who like to do a custom bike build, if they spend more than £700 (frame/parts etc) they get a free maintenance course that covers building the bike from the frame up, fitting, set up tools etc all covered.
Ideal for riders who like to build a bike (FTR do sell Cotic’s) but don’t have the tools or limited know how, and can save money in the long term.

(now for the flaming and how you don’t need a course as every one is a pro mechanic on this form…. 😀 😉 )

All bike service and maintenance information is available for free on the internet. So no, they’re not worth it.

Thanks for that mtb rob but I can get if for £250 round by me!! didn’t no if I could get if for free else where or cheaper than £250 else where!!

Only thing is with internet or watching video they make it look easier than what it is!!! (or is that just me).

Bought a Thorn with discs and rohloff gears bugger maintance!! Helpful when your bone idol.

I went on one a few years back run through British cycling but this is their site. It was very good but quite road orientated though the guy assisting was a downhiller.

Every time I’ve ran a class I’ve been told after that it was well worth it. Helps that the courses are way cheaper than accredited ones, but the hands on assistance from one of the courses is really beneficial to those who may not be confident just going from an idealised youtube vid.

All bike service and maintenance information is available for free on the internet. So no, they’re not worth it.

Drivel.

Basic course full one day course is from £120.

I bite, Yes you right Davidtaylforth if you know where to look the info is on the net, BUT if you take the “simple” task of removing the Bottom bracket, they need to find out what type/standard it it with the bike they got, then get the right tool for that standard, which could take a lot of time to find out on the net (and cost) or 5 mins on the course and run through of the tools and correct use of them!
Also some people just like to learn from another person. 😉

i did that Evans basic course not long back when i was working away and looking for something to do. its very very basic. repairing punctures, changing brakepads, taking off pedals sort of stuff…

Id love to do a course that educated me in wheel building & shock servicing etc, just out of interest really, id still never trust myself to repair my own bike. i would like to be better at troubleshooting tho, ascertaing what the problem actually is – at the moment when i hear a squeak or rattle i just roll it into the LBS and tell him its broke.

buzz, you know when you looked on the internet, and couldn’t find much – how were you spelling “maintenance” in your searches? You might want to have another go, if you’ve been putting “maintence”…

If you are close to Milton Keynes then MBRS do a days course for £80 now (and various others up to Cytech levels) I did a 2 day course there quite a few years ago.

info is here

I did the Park Tool School maybe 10 years ago at the LBS. It wasn’t cheap, but we basically tore the bike apart and rebuilt it. It definitely made me more confident than I was.

Online videos and writeups are good. But there is no substitute for the hands-on part where someone shows you how to adjust something properly (like a cup and cone bearing) and what it feels like, then loosens it up and has you adjust it again.

Agreed. I get participants to strip and rebuild the drivetrain, hubs, headsets, setup gears from installation pretty much strip and rebuild including knowing what to look out for damage wise.

I love delivering the courses its great to teach and good for troubleshooting.

🙂

Maybe I should go national….

This one –

http://www.bikemaintenancecourses.co.uk/

The Instructor is outstanding :o)Not that I am bias in anyway :o)

edit. “blah, blah, blah…..”

🙁