I am doing a bit of freelance work for an FE College who are hoping to set up a cycle mechanics course for young people who have largely been excluded or unsuccessful in their previous education.
Could anyone give me a ball park figure to kit out a workshop for say 5 trainees. The space is already provided, so I was thinking things like good stands and a complete set of decent tools? Also would you have any idea of a budget for a stock of parts to set up such a workshop?
Obviously the above is a bit of a broad question, but the college are hoping to bid for some external funding so a ball park figure will suffice.
Many thanks in anticipation of your help!
Check with Park Tools, they must sell a workshop 'setup'.
Yep.
https://www.parktool.com/category/tool-kits
If suggest somewhere between a **** load and a shit ton
It's difficult to say but even my budget setup must have cost me quite a few hundred once I add everything up. And even though I have a lot of tools there are still plenty I could buy. Are you expecting to have 5 of everything or just 5 of the fundamentals and more niche tools can be shared?
Another downside to brexit. Previously there were lots of grants to help projects such as these but alas not now, and getting money out a tory is harder than blood out a stone.
All the same, I would see what grants are available, as there are still charitable institutions that strive to help people get into employment via training.
Thanks for the replies.
@dc1988 - they will probably have a set of basics for each workstation and specialist / niche tools that can be shared.
@dyna-ti - they are applying for a grant from the metro council which have a fund to get young people with some form of learning difficulty or who have been excluded from the education system into vocational training. They are planning to do this through setting up a bike workshop at one of the the college's campuses in an area devoid of bike shops where students can gain a relevant qualification and the workshop operate on social enterprise principles by repairing and maintaining bikes and also selling refurbished bikes to the local market.
It would be interesting to know what to budget for to purchase a stock of the key parts, components and materials such as lubes. I assume they will try and get an account with Madison who are the distributors for Shimano and several other key brands.
My very 4AM ballpark and I think OP, that Bikerevivesheffield is the man to really know.
Stands £500 x 5 - £2500
Tools £1000 x5 - £5000
Pool tools £3000- £3000
Cables, lubes - £300
Basic parts - £2000
Annual wear and tear of above £2000
PPE - £500
Stools - £500
So about £15,000. Of course everything will go AWOL, get blunt, partially missing. So you will need go up to £20K to get a good system of tool security and wall storage so it's extreemly obvious to trainer what £200 tool has been missplaced this session. Trainer will be another £xx,xxx of costs, min wage is £14k, so add on £25. Insurance, there must be a public liability element to this £1k, because suing the school no-one really has to pay right and the kids will hurt themselves and others in immediate vancinity, often.
£45K.
Source of bikes to do up? - currently priceless. They are either totally ****ed or on ebay because shops are empty of run around bikes.
Lastly, are any assumptions/ fundamental flaws being made about how technically easy mechanic work really is?
As a pro mechanic my tools cost way less than £1000. If you don't go down the Park tool route you get much better tools for much less cash.
Each station will need:
Set of allen keys
Set of 4 screwdrivers
8, 9, 10, 13, 14, 15 & 17mm spanners
Cable cutters
A couple of pairs of pliers
13,15,17mm cone spanners
A couple of different bb removal tools
Crank bolt tool and crank extractor.
C spanner
Chain tool
Spoke key
Pedal spanner
I've probably forgotten something but that's most of it.
Everything else can be shared. £250 each should be ample.
Everything else can be shared. £250 each should be ample.
You forgot the stand, and then the consumables (PPE etc), cable cutters, torque wrenches...
Forgetting which tools for a moment; the most important thing will be trying to prevent tools from disappearing. Having been involved with similar projects, this was always a bigger issue than anything else really. Kids are kids; those in PRU/Exclusion type situations are invariably from economically deprived backgrounds, so without wanting to judge (I come from such a background myself), theft will be an issue. More often than not, it's just so they can have a set of allen keys to do work on their own/mates bikes really, things like that. So it might be a good idea to set aside part of the budget, to supply each pupil with a mini set of bike tools that they can keep as a 'reward' for doing the course. I think the basic Park folding pocket hex key sets are like £5 or less, at trade. Give each pupil one at the start, and then it's their responsibility to look after it. That way, they've already got something for 'nothing' as it were, and might be less inclined to pinch (in my experience, it's more about the opportunity rather than a real need). The main aim of the course should be about teaching skills and helping people gain a sense of individual responsibility, and self worth. And the key, vital element for any such course to succeed, is that the kids have FUN. So even if they don't learn much, if they've gained a bit of self esteem, and personal responsibility, and had FUN, then that's a massive positive in their lives.
Good luck; it won't be easy, but it might be a lot of FUN.
when I ran bike training classes we had it set up so that there was a main tool wall, with the weird tools you don't know you need until you need them, then each trainee had a mini tool kit (one of these: https://www.wiggle.co.uk/lifeline-performance-39-piece-tool-kit-1).
As long as you don't expect all it to last particularly long, it's not so expensive that the trainees will be ruining pricey tools. Then just replace individual tools as they wear out.
The tool wall should have all that is in the box, but more robust versions either Unior, or park, for example.
add to this headset removal tools, brake bleeding etc, it really depends on what you want to teach though.
As a pro mechanic my tools cost way less than £1000. If you don’t go down the Park tool route you get much better tools for much less cash.
Not a mechanic, but Halfords sell reasonably priced car and bike tools and some of the range comes with a lifetime warranty, I snapped a T10 and had the whole set replaced no questions asked.
Also some none bike tools, my bradawl is in constant use for poling bits out of tyres, cleaning muck out of confined spaces etc. Oh and buy the best tyre levers to can get as you're going to snap cheap ones constantly.
my bradawl is in constant use for poling bits out of tyres
that's one of the tools I used to tell my trainees was one of the most important things!
that and a decent JIS standard crosshead screwdriver for shimano stuff.