Hey
Can anyone recommend a good maintenance course provider. I have checked out Cytech, anyone done a course with these guys?
I recently did a basic 1 day course with the CTC as I got a job with the council as a guided ride leader. I was so chuffed as this is my first job after being a stay at home Mum for 5 years! I have been bitten by the bug and now want to train further, if I find a good course the govenrment can help with funding, yippee. I live in Hampshire and Cytech are in Aylesbury but cant seem to find anything near by.
Lou x

I'm sure I saw one advertised in the back of MBR for a week long course at about £350 but can't seem to find it now! Also Park Tools do courses try them and also worth buying "Zinn and the Art of Mountain Bike Maintenance"

These folks have been doing courses for years and sell some very nice cycle tools

http://www.bike-inn.co.uk/training_courses.asp

I did a great course with Dales Mountain Biking, a heck of a long way from Hampshire I know being in Yorkshire, but a great excuse to do some great riding up there too. It got me from puncture repairs to most things.

http://www.dalesmountainbiking.co.uk/

Cytech are pretty much the accepted standard in the british cycle industry.We tried to get on a course a while back, but there was nothing local available at the time so we ended up having an assesment on the shop premises.It seemed both very thorough(torque wrenches for everything,facing and thread chasing BBs etc), and a complete joke at the same time(build a bike with rim brakes-all our stock had discs, true a wheel to British Standard-within 4mm runout, multiple choice questions, some of which didn't actually have the correct answers etc.)
If you're doing a job that requires you to work on bikes, or if you are working on other peoples bikes, then you really should have a qualification for your own benefit. Try to get involved with your LBS mechanic or ask at a club for somebody competent to show you the ropes, and then book up with Cytech for an assessment, they're expensive, but nowhere near as steep as a full course.

Do a basic course and learn as you gain experience, as there is a lot to take in.

Bike shop mechanics are bodgers in my experience, not engineers. The only thing I use them for is wheel building, the last two wheels I've had built, they've (different shops) fecked up a rotor or another part of the hub in the process. I now need to add a wheel building stand to my kit!!

By the time you've done a basic course, ridden your bike through a couple of winters, had various parts fecked up by shop mechanics (spotty kids – normally), and read the odd book or magazine article – you'll be competant at fixing and building your own bike. Plus some expenditure on tools of course!

🙂

See if you can get some hrs in your lbs, all depends how busy they are.
For what you will be doing basics are all you need.

If someone turns up with a dodgy bike then you should really ask them to go away, return when bike is road worthy.

I give out a bike mot sheet to people I am asked to work with.

You need to be aware of the dreaded hse/council policy on unqualified mechanics doing repairs.

Basic puncture/chain and brake repairs during a ride is really all any leader should attempt or get rider to affect. As you probably know having done a CTC course. Do you do a bike safety check before leading group, own bikes/council bikes?

Woodsman, shame you've had bad experiences with bike shops, they're not all like that I assure you 😉
Park Tool School is run by some shops, but varies in quality, Cytech is the industry standard as stated, of which there are three levels with specialist subjects you can choose within them, depending on how far you want to go. I did mine with the ATG, really nice bunch of people.

http://www.the-bike-doctor.co.uk

http://www.bikebiz.com/news/30923/Boris-backs-the-Bike-Doctor

http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/bike-doctor-academy