Bicycle Maintenance Workshop for Schools?
Ran into a high school student in downtown who was riding a bike that was in my mind unsafe. He had no brakes, the hubs on both wheels were loose and needed rebuilding. The reflectors were painted over and the shifters didn't work. Since it was a Walmart bike that had been sitting in the bottom of a creek for two years, I was amazed it was in that good of shape. I got his rear brake working again but without a weekend and all my tools, I couldn't do much more. I directed him to sheldonbrown.com and gave him a few pointers about what the bike needed.
I think we need to have a bicycle maintenance workshop for middle and high school students. We need to go over the basics like brake/shifter adjustment, tube and tire changing, the importance of proper bicycle cleaning, lubrication and the basic tools they need. We also need to teach them how to recognize when the bike needs more major service.
Probably the best format would be a after school event for interested students. They would bring their bikes and we would show them what they need to know.
Agreed
Over the last few months I have given this same idea a considerable amount of thought. About two months ago I decided I did not know enough about bicycles to feel fully comfortable using one for 90% of my transportation needs; so I found an old beater and set out to restore it. I ended up rebuilding almost every aspect of the bike and learned more than I ever thought I would about true bicycle mechanics. If Conway is going to become a bicycle community people need a way to learn what I did without having to pay for it.
I would like to see this go one step further and be open to the entire community. My utopian plan would include a community workshop where people could come in and fix their own bicycles. There would be all of the tools and expertise they need there and waiting. This kind of facility would also be a good headquarters for the bicycle collective that we were talking about.
All we really need is a place, a few tools, a knowledgeable mechanic or two, and some folks with time to devote to the effort. I am in!
Chad Files - http://www.chadfiles.com
Good Idea
I like the ideas. I'm also willing to help. I'm not much of a mechanic, but I can certainly learn.
Greg Reddin