Anyone interested in taking a bicycle repair class?

Education Interest Check
#1

I’m an avid Mountain Biker and a toolnut, so I do most of my own bike maintenance. My favorite Trail, Northshore Grapevine Lake is expected to be closed for another few months due to flooding so I have some extra time on my hands.

Two possible classes:
Basic Bike repair - Road bike, Hybrid, kids bikes, bring your bike, lets diagnose and fix it
-Flats, patching a tube, replacing tires
-Bearings, cleaning, repacking, adjusting bearing cones,
-Chains - cleaning, lube discussion
-Wheels - Minor spoke adjustments
-Derailleur - Replacing cables, cleaning, adjusting
-Brakes, Rim brake pad adjustment
-Saddle, height other adjustments

Mountain Bike repair and tuning
-Tubeless setup, sealant discussion
-Bearings, typically sealed, how to tell if they are bad
-Chains, cleaning, lube
-Derailleur, adjusting on the stand, tweaking while riding
-Brakes, Replacing pads
-Brakes, Bleeding hydraulic brakes, this might be its own class
-Fork seals, Why to replace, replacing, this might be its own class
-Common trailside breakdowns, what to prepare for, workarounds.

10 Likes
#2

I’d be in.

#3

I am reminded that all 3 of my bikes have been left to decay in my garage for years now.

Yeah, interested.

2 Likes
#4

I’d be interested.

1 Like
#5

Quite a lot of stand alone classes.

#6

I can talk fast but to actually bleed brakes. Or replace seals takes 60-90 minutes.

1 Like
#7

I meant that there are quite a few classes that would be better as standalone classes. :slight_smile:
I’m sure the students would like to try their hand at patching tubes, and it takes a few tries for someone who’s not fix a flat to remove the tires and put it back without pinching the tube.

#8

Hopefully more people will post what they would like to learn and what type of bike(s) they have and I could tailor the class to their needs. Lots of fixes require parts so if you don’t know what parts to buy it is hard to fix yourself, so there are discussions on prep, and then hands on repairs.

1 Like
#9

I’d be in for both classes.

#10

Thanks for offering to teach! I’d be interested in taking a class on derailleur adjusting and/or general shifting troubleshooting. Also hydraulic brakes and fork seals as It’d be a good excuse to maintain those on my bike, but not sure how many folks have either of those.

I’ve got a Janus road bike and a nicer BMC mountain bike, my wife’s got a Giant mountain bike and a cruiser I’ve always intended to sell, and I’ve got a vintage road frame I was thinking of building up.

1 Like
#11

Sure. I know little about bikes but am looking to buy a road bike here before too long.

#12

Montain biking is way more fun, you are so busy picking a line through the rocks and roots and trees that you can’t think about your legs, its rarely windy or sunny in the trees, no cars to worry about, if you crash its your fault, when you crash you are guaranteed not to land on concrete, night riding is a blast, Dallas has a very active MTB organization, DORBA, 250 miles of trails in dallas area, breakfast tacos taste better after riding on dirt.

With road riding, your life is in a distracted, careless drivers hands, you will be riding with a headwind in both directions in full sun, the hills are brutle, and when you crash cause a tiny rock kicked your tire out from under you, it will almost certainly be on concrete.

But depending on who you are riding with there may be a better view than we get.

2 Likes
#13

This.

Bruce

#14

Sounds interesting to me. If we had the classes would we need to bring out bicycles? :face_with_raised_eyebrow:

#15

Sadly, the soils around here turn treacherous and the trails are closed whenever a drop of rain lands on them. Or the region’s lakes turn DORBA into DORKA (Dallas Off Road Kayaking Association). Judging by DORBA’s facebook page and the impressive amount of water flowing through Denton Creek under 121, I’d hazard a guess that the 3 trails around Lake Grapevine are still largely underwater.

If you want to get into a my dog’s better than your dog argument over road vs mountain biking, I’m sure there are better venues than here. I’ve done both and find it simpler to get in some exercise on the road. It’s not technical and yes there are cars, but I can get in miles starting from my doorstep under a wider variety of conditions on the road.

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#16

I’ve kayaked above the trails at grapevine, definitely sucks when it rains, Northshore usually dries out in a few days, others take a week. We’ve been doing mostly paved rides like the one from Lewisville to Denton along the train tracks, Cotton belt trail from Grapevine towards mid cities, and Campion Trail, it starts near MacArthur and Beltline now, but is flooded just south of Royal. Saw a bobcat, skunk, nutria, and great blue herons last night.

For a class, I was thinking of bringing a newish bike and a old bike to talk about the differences and have a couple of workstands to adjust derailleurs of anyone who brings a bike, hopefully do it outside rather than in a classroom.

2 Likes
#17

Just make sure you have Stan’s No-tubes. My opinion it’s the only way to go. Those goatheat thorns can be a MF. Always have 2 ways to air your tires up. I learned that the hard way. My pump broke while fixing one of my many flats.

I remember doing 3 or 4 flat repairs in 1 ride before switching to Stans.

2 Likes
#18

Stan’s the man! In more ways than one. :smiley:

1 Like
#19

I really like the idea of having the class outside with multiple stands.

#20

I think tubeless conversion and derailleur adjustment maybe the most important, followed by common trailside/roadside repairs.