Bike Maintenance – REI Class

I am a firm believer that one should never stop learning and should seek out every opportunity to expand their knowledge.

To that end, I freely admit that yes, I can take my bike a part but am I doing it right, I have no idea. To be honest, I am probably doing my bike more harm than good.

When I receive an email from REI last month that they were providing a bike maintenance class at the store near my house, I signed up. After all, the class was free.

I really didn't have any expectations going into the class and was very surprised when I entered their little store conference room and found 20 to 30 people already present.

My first thought is "Wow". This many people are interested in keeping their bikes in good shape.

And while the majority of the attendees were women, there were more men that I expected.

The class was slated for 1.5 hours but ran just a little long and covered the following topics: Changing a flat, Bike cleaning, and Lubrication.

Did I learn anything? Yes. Some of the stuff like how tight to clamp on my wheels, how to clean the chain and cassette, and what is the best stuff to lubricate your bike. A lot of stuff that will help keep me and my bike on the road.

REI plans to hold another class next month. He called it an advanced class, but wasn't specific to the agenda. If my schedule permits, I will probably try to check it out.

 

Thoughts from the Cool Down Runner