Bike maintenance course....yay or nay?

[Noodle Legs]

I have expressed an interest in go sky ride's bike maintenance course as although I can fix a puncture I'm by no means savvy with maintaining my bike.

The thing is, it's £125 - which I suppose isn't too bad a price for an all day course- but before I commit myself to such an investment (especially this side of christmas) I wondered if any of you folks had been on one and if so, is it worth the money?

My ultimate aim would be to be able to service and maintain my bike myself and cut out the LBS where necessary but also I'm planning on taking part in a few audaxes next year so I figure that a little knowledge would be beneficial should any problems arise.

Any advice appreciated!!

Cheers! :-D

 

[Andy_R]

Forget the maintnenace course, unless you're aiming to go into the trade. There are loads of online resources such as Park Tools, The Bearded Wonder (RIP) and umpteen videos on Youtube. Have a go first as even at their most complex, bikes are really simple machines. Take your time, and use good quality tools.

 

[sidevalve]

If you have any mechanical ability at all a little thought, the internet [as said by Andy_ R] and a bit of care will cover almost anything. Better to spend the cash on decent tools. One thing I would suggest is to have a good long look at everything now while it's working, it helps to spot what's wrong when it isn't.

 

[Noodle Legs]

Thanks for the advice guys, I have a fairly good mechanical aptitude but I guess I was apprehensive in case I Knackered something my tinkering with it....plus I found that the videos on YouTube can sometimes be contradictory with regard to a particular issue- one video might say one thing another video will say something else! Park tool did look good but not took the time to study it thoroughly..

As for tools what would you class as decent? There are loads of tool kits out there but what do you recommend?

 

[Andy_R]

Thanks for the advice guys, I have a fairly good mechanical aptitude but I guess I was apprehensive in case I Knackered something my tinkering with it....plus I found that the videos on YouTube can sometimes be contradictory with regard to a particular issue- one video might say one thing another video will say something else! Park tool did look good but not took the time to study it thoroughly..

As for tools what would you class as decent? There are loads of tool kits out there but what do you recommend?

Just buy the tools you need, when you need them. Don't be tempted by the multi-part tool sets, as a lot of the tools you won't need (or ever find a use for). Find out what tools you need to be able to work on your own bike, and concentrate on getting those (for example, all of our bikes at home have square taper bottom brackets, so I don't need any other type of crank extractor). A good chain splitter, a set of cone spanners, good quality allen keys (with ball ends), chain whip, cassette lockring remover, bottom bracket tool, 32mm spanner (fits on to my bottom bracket tool), and a good quality large adjustable spanner (Bacho for me!) are enough to get you going. Over time, you will probably end up adding cable cutters, socket sets, torque wrench, combi spanners.

 

[accountantpete]

You are only going to cover the basics in a one-day course and then I suppose half of the basics won't apply to your bike.

Far better to get select one item on your bike, get a youtube video and then take it off and re-install.

 

[MisterStan]

Just buy the tools you need, when you need them. Don't be tempted by the multi-part tool sets, as a lot of the tools you won't need (or ever find a use for). Find out what tools you need to be able to work on your own bike, and concentrate on getting those (for example, all of our bikes at home have square taper bottom brackets, so I don't need any other type of crank extractor). A good chain splitter, a set of cone spanners, good quality allen keys (with ball ends), chain whip, cassette lockring remover, bottom bracket tool, 32mm spanner (fits on to my bottom bracket tool), and a good quality large adjustable spanner (Bacho for me!) are enough to get you going. Over time, you will probably end up adding cable cutters, socket sets, torque wrench, combi spanners.

+1

 

[Andy_R]

oh, and if you're attempting something for the first time, take lots of photo's so you can see where stuff goes when you re-assemble

 

[Noodle Legs]

oh, and if you're attempting something for the first time, take lots of photo's so you can see where stuff goes when you re-assemble

Sounds like real good advice that! I'm not looking to rebuild my bike as such, but I'd like to be prepared should the worst ever happen. I'm ok with the basics like brakes, punctures, cleaning and lubing....it's more the gears than anything else- adjustment, cable replacement etc.... Chains I could probably manage! I have quite a few good quality spanners/Allen keys/chain whip already but no "specialist" bits. Or any clue how to use them! Lol

 

[TonyEnjoyD]

No idea about the sky ride course.
I did the Edinburgh Cycles one day advanced ourselves at £45 including lunch and it was excellent. Really helpful and they basically took you through stripping the main components down (hubs, BB, forks etc) and regreasing and rebuilding. Also gear alignment and indexing. The latter part of the day was specific queries from the group.
I came away with a lot of confidence, bought some lubes etc then stripped n rebuilt my hybrid (did my roadie on the course day!).
Next purchase was a Bikehand and a blooming godsend that is.
I am now not phased by almost anything I need to take on including replacing and upgrading the groupset on my roadie.

Your nearest edinburgh cycles to you is Sheffield so no idea if the round trip is worthwhile.
http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/products/intensive-maintenance-class-call-0845-257-0808-for-dates

 

[biggs682]

the best way to learn is to have a go and admit defeat when it goes tits up and then learn from the experiance .

 

[Noodle Legs]

the best way to learn is to have a go and admit defeat when it goes tits up and then learn from the experiance .

Yeah there's nothing like winging it!! Lol

 

[ashworthacca]

Last night was my last session on a 6 week bike maintenance course run by Recyclebikes in Sheffield. Covered everything needed to be able to carry out most repairs and annual servicing and I'd definitely recommend this to anyone. I'm not a talented DIY'er so having someone actually showing me what to do helped me understand better than watching video's off the tinternet.

 

[PpPete]

or if you want to spend a little less money you could do something really old-fashioned and buy a....








wait for it







book.

Zinn is pretty good.
Wouldnt worry too much on audaxes - they are a friendly bunch who will always help out another rider in trouble

 

[tyred]

Pull a bike out of the dump and pull it to pieces, clean and oil/grease everything and put it back together again and try not to have too many bits left over.

A bike is relatively simply device and there is no substitute for teaching yourself and learning from any mistakes you make.