The Winter Bike Mechanics Class kicked off two weeks ago with a packed house. Claire, Justin, and Ben are co-teaching this session of 14 students. Due to demand, we’ll be offering more of these courses in the future. Stay tuned for future offerings.
The One Speed Open is happening! Check out the One Speed Open blog for updates. The Bike Co-op has a history of supporting this event…just make sure you’re ready for 30-40 miles of winter gravel grinding at race pace. Rumor has it, there will also be a One Speed Open “Lite” option for those who don’t want to kill themselves trying to keep up with Dan Lionberg. Rafael always finds a great local non-profit to support and all of the $15 entry fee goes to charity.
Most people view bike fitting as a scientific discipline, especially those who treat cycling as a sport. Why don’t you view the following images of several bike fitting professionals in action and then decide for yourself.
Do you want this bike fitting professional to massage your shoulders while you’re getting your bike fit?
We’ll, if you’re paying $175 and you’re already riding on a trainer without a shirt on, why not? It’s included in the package, right?
Maybe this is standard procedure. It appears that this second bike fitting professional is tickling the knee of this male cyclist, sporting the always classy, bibs only look.
“Knee, tell me which way I should move his saddle.”
And yes, ladies, bike fitting is for you too. You can pay these two gentleman $100 to inspect your buttocks and say things like “from the way you’re moving your pelvis, it’s clear that we need to go the custom route.”
Enough fun. Here’s the handout - QnD_Fit. There is some truth to Bontrager’s 3 basic measurements and KOPS, but the best way to figure out what fits you is to ride a lot on many different bikes.
It’s brakes, not breaks! Every cyclist should now how to adjust brakes because in most cases, YOU NEED them to finish a ride. I once witnessed Bike Co-op founder, Rafael, use a piece of bark in place of his brake pad when it mysteriously disappeared mid-ride. A lesser mechanic would have called it a day and walked back down the trail. Instead, Rafael rode that piece of bark all the way down Hewlett’s Gulch. The point of this story is that you should learn to work on your brakes! They won’t stay properly adjusted forever.
During class, we introduced the most common brake styles and discussed common brake issues with wear and adjustment. We also discussed some of the fundamentals of cable routing. Check out the handout - QnD_Brakes.
Week 6 was packed with useful information. What are those screws on the front and rear derailleurs? In what order should you make the various adjustments when installing a new derailleur? What shifters work with which derailleurs? What is needed to index a shifter and derailleur?
We answered all this during week 6! Check it out - QnD_Drivetrain2.
