Can you do your own bike repairs and mechanics?

Corinne with her repaired Trek

How easy is it to fix your own bike when you're shown how to? We sent Corinne Knoeson for a 5-day maintenance course to see how! Here's what happened...

Last week I attended a 5-day cycle maintenance course at Downlands Cycles in Canterbury. I took with me an old mountain bike which had been sitting filthy and partially disassembled in the garage since a trip away at Christmas. I returned with a perfectly clean bike which had been fully re-cabled, changed at least as sweetly as when it was new, had a new headset, and rode like a dream. Even better - I had done all the work myself, and now feel confident that I can fix (or at least diagnose) most problems I might have in the future.

What a confidence boost it was! Five very enjoyable days which quite painlessly transformed me from a bike rider who would ask someone else if I had a bike problem, to one who can usually fix (or at least diagnose) the majority of bike problems.

Do you ever wish your bike changed gear a little more smoothly, or do you find you don't have the time or money to take you bike to the shop for minor mechanicals? Have you ever found yourself out on a ride and been unable to fix a problem? If you're honest, are you a bit unsure of your skills in mending a puncture? Until the AA offer a rapid call-out service for bikes you would be well-served to learn about how your bike works and how to fix it yourself.

Part of Downlands Cycles workshop [wish my kitchen was that clean! - Ed]

Day 1

Arrived at Downland Cycles' new premises in Canterbury and met up with Bryan who would be my tutor for the week's course. I discovered over the week that Bryan knows pretty much everything about nearly every kind of bike. He built his first bike aged 6 and has a wealth of experience that was extremely valuable on the course. The course runs for 5 days (Mon-Fri) and takes a maximum of 3 people. Downland Cycles has an excellent set-up for teaching, there's a shop, a shop mechanic's area, and next door a spacious teaching room. All tools are provided and each person is provided with a workstand and plenty of bikes to practise on. Each day starts at 11am and finishes at 4pm. It doesn't sound like long, but it's really all your brain can handle. However, if you still want more you are welcome to stay on late and practise.

The benefit of Bryan's experience shows immediately, there is advice available on what chain to buy, which lube to use when, and which workstand is best. First we learnt about punctures and it was extremely helpful to be taught from scratch how to do fix a puncture, both at home and on the trail. Did you know that what you get in your puncture kit isn't really glue at all (it's vulcanising solution), so spreading it on thickly just won't work? We learnt about tyres and sizing (like everything in cycling it's a complete minefield - apparently there are 5 completely different tyre sizes all called 26”!).

It's amazing how many different types of chain there are - and it was very satisfying splitting and rejoining them (as well as understanding how to rejoin the different chains, and how to measure wear and judge the correct length for a new chain). Finally we embarked on a subject we revisited everyday: adjusting front and rear derailleurs. How I learned to enjoy transforming a grinding, clicking, clunking bike into a smoothly changing machine!

Day 2

I arrived early for a bit of practice. The pace is very relaxed and there is always time for a biscuit and a cup of tea. The shop next door is also a great outlet if you start to feel you need some tools of your own to take home with you (or even a new outfit to complement your perfectly running bike).

Lots of personal tuition

Today I started to feel like a real mechanic (although I did wear gloves so I didn't end up with real mechanic's hands!) I learned to remove (and replace) pedals, chainsets, and bottom brackets. I found out about different types of bottom brackets and chainrings, and how to put them together.

For a little R&R in the evening I took my other bike out around the lanes and bike paths surrounding Canterbury to Whistable. An advantage of doing this course in the summer is that you can get a ride in every night. Just don't assume Kent is flat! For once I was slightly disappointed that the bike ran perfectly, I had hoped to be able to put some of my new found skills into practice!

Day 3

Today I arrived to find a bike already in the stand, but Bryan told me it had something wrong with the rear derailleur. It was up to me to figure out what was wrong, correct it, and set the gears up so the bike changed perfectly. Before the course I would have had no idea where to start (and apparently randomly playing with the many screws in a rear derailleur is not an good approach) - but now I could diagnose that the cable was wrongly clamped, and fix it. For the remainder of the day the focus was on gearing and brakes. I learned about the different types of gear selectors and brakes (and Bryan has got examples of all types).

Day 4

As usual we started with a brief reminder of things we had learnt on previous days. In the morning we learned about headsets (different types, how to adjust and replace). In the afternoon we did wheels (how different wheels are constructed, freewheels, cassettes, cones/bearings). We even learned the basics of wheel truing. Learning how to adjust parts of the bike not only keeps it running better, but it will save you money in the long-term as poorly adjusted parts wear out quickly.

Bryan from Downland Cycles

Over the week I worked on a variety of bikes, from worn-out hire bikes, to a £4,000 new Orbea for sale in the shop. But as the week wore on I was itching to get going on my bike. Friday is reserved for sorting out your own bike, but I decided to steal a march on tomorrow by staying late and stripping my bike down in preparation.

Day 5

Today I gave my bike the clean of its life! It was a little worrying to see a bare frame in the stand and a pile of bits on my work surface. But Bryan was on hand at every step to remind me what to do, and give his view on which parts were worn enough to replace. By mid afternoon my bike was back in one piece, sparkling clean (even though it is over 8 years old) and working perfectly. Before this week it would never have occurred to me that I could accomplish this. Many, many thanks to Bryan and Julie at Downland Cycles.

Details

Cost: £320 (5 day course)

Good for: If you are generally interested in bikes and all the different equipment they come with, if you would like to tackle the majority of mechanical jobs, if you are planning a long self-supported tour, or if you have many bikes

Not so good for: Basic maintenance (try the 2 day course - £210)

Best thing: invaluable personal experience of Bryan - completely different from following the instructions that come with a new bike part.

Good idea: Parking is expensive in Canterbury (£6.50 a day), you could book into the local YHA or B&B and cycle in.