Bicycle Maintenance evening class - Tues 22 Feb 2005 - Cambridge

Sandy Morton wrote:

It is amazing though that I get more please and thank you from
the kids using them than from most anyone else and the kids come
from all parts of the social spectrum.

I don't find that surprising at all.

--
Dave...

David Martin wrote:


On one occasion, age about 13, I had stripped the thread on the rear
derailleur. Not wanting to go over the 'big hill'[1] in top gear I had
to fix it and my dad was away on business. I raided the shed, found a
die for the next size nut down, a compatible nut and cut a new thread on
the stub bolt. Add the nut and all was right and happy.


Wandering off topic here, I am having trouble visualising what your
problem and repair were, what is "the thread on the rear derailleur" ?
The one holding the cable ? The one holding the mech onto the frame ?

Graham wrote:
I don't mean to be too cynical, but...

There does seem to be a general move toward courses for everything -
of course I'm in danger of being "why when I was a boy", but isn't
this the sort of stuff we use to know about at the age of 13? (by
doing) ..........

Sorry, but there does seem to be a philosophy of we need a course
for everything currently being promulgated.

Not everyone has been messing around with bikes all their lives.

At the GlaxoSmithKline HQ in Brentford, one of the things we were able
to do was to offer maintenance courses for anyone who wanted them. The
instructor was Francis Thurmer, which is about as good as it's possible
to get. People worked on their own bikes either using their own tools
or Francis' if necessary. Francis' time was paid for by the company,
and the students paid Francis for any parts they needed and
occasionally bought tools from him. Course difficulty ranged from
"winterising your bike" upwards.

I heard not one negative word about any of the courses. Many of these
people were cycle commuting for the first time. One young woman told me
that the fear of a puncture had almost prevented her from using her
bike, but Francis had made her remove her wheels, take the tyres off,
swap the tubes, then put it all back together. A few days later she had
got a real live puncture and to her amazement had dealt with it.

That story was not unique. A number of people, mainly women but also
some men, told me that Francis' courses freed them from the tyranny of
bicycle shop and gave them the confidence to use their bicycle as a
legitimate utility vehicle. What's wrong with that?

--
Dave...

On 10/2/05 11:02 am, in article , "MSeries"
wrote:

David Martin wrote:


On one occasion, age about 13, I had stripped the thread on the rear
derailleur. Not wanting to go over the 'big hill'[1] in top gear I had
to fix it and my dad was away on business. I raided the shed, found a
die for the next size nut down, a compatible nut and cut a new thread on
the stub bolt. Add the nut and all was right and happy.


Wandering off topic here, I am having trouble visualising what your
problem and repair were, what is "the thread on the rear derailleur" ?
The one holding the cable ? The one holding the mech onto the frame ?

The one holding the nut which clamps the cable. It was a nut rather than a
bolt on this aged simplex mech. I had overtightened the original nut and
stripped the thread.

...d

David Martin wrote:
On 10/2/05 11:02 am, in article , "MSeries"
wrote:


David Martin wrote:


On one occasion, age about 13, I had stripped the thread on the rear
derailleur. Not wanting to go over the 'big hill'[1] in top gear I had
to fix it and my dad was away on business. I raided the shed, found a
die for the next size nut down, a compatible nut and cut a new thread on
the stub bolt. Add the nut and all was right and happy.


Wandering off topic here, I am having trouble visualising what your
problem and repair were, what is "the thread on the rear derailleur" ?
The one holding the cable ? The one holding the mech onto the frame ?


The one holding the nut which clamps the cable. It was a nut rather than a
bolt on this aged simplex mech. I had overtightened the original nut and
stripped the thread.

..d

Ah right so. Thanks.

dkahn400 wrote:
That story was not unique. A number of people, mainly women but also
some men, told me that Francis' courses freed them from the tyranny
of
bicycle shop and gave them the confidence to use their bicycle as a
legitimate utility vehicle. What's wrong with that?

Nothing, but =A331 for a 10 hour group course is a bit pricey.
You could join Cambridge Cycling Club for a year for half that.

On 10/2/05 1:13 pm, in article
, "Al Grant"
wrote:

dkahn400 wrote:
That story was not unique. A number of people, mainly women but also
some men, told me that Francis' courses freed them from the tyranny
of
bicycle shop and gave them the confidence to use their bicycle as a
legitimate utility vehicle. What's wrong with that?

Nothing, but £31 for a 10 hour group course is a bit pricey.
You could join Cambridge Cycling Club for a year for half that.

You will be taught how to do basic maintenance to the same standard in a
year as a member of CCC? Two very different things, methinks. I don't
consider the cost to be unreasonable, and compared to the cost and hassle of
getting the bike fixed at the LBS, it is a good investment.

...d

Nothing, but £31 for a 10 hour group course is a bit pricey.
You could join Cambridge Cycling Club for a year for half that.

Don't f***ing go then. Jeez.

Al Grant wrote:
Nothing, but £31 for a 10 hour group course is a bit pricey.
You could join Cambridge Cycling Club for a year for half that.

And get shown how to do all this in a short space of time that you can
plan into your schedule?

Jon
--
Durge: http://users.durge.org/~jon/
OnStream: http://www.rowing.org.uk/

[ All views expressed are personal unless otherwise stated ]

Al Grant wrote:

Nothing, but £31 for a 10 hour group course is a bit pricey.
You could join Cambridge Cycling Club for a year for half that.


How much do you pay a bike shop for even a simple fix or service?

Tony