THE POWER OF LEARNING TO FIX YOUR OWN BIKE

Ride Leader Grace shares her journey into learning bike mechanics, and the reasons why everyone should be able to fix their own bike.

Back in 2018 I bought a second-hand road bike for £150. It was my first ‘adult’ bike and I was motivated by the idea of riding into town or to work in the sunshine. I knew it had brakes, gears and tyres. How each of those components worked and what on earth I’d do if any of those stopped functioning properly was beyond me.

Fast forward to 2022 and I’m hanging out in a community bike project in New Zealand with a kiwi teen call Jonno, fitting a new set of hydraulic hoses and brake levers to a mountain bike. I’d crushed the previous set in a minor accident involving a van, a bike rack and a telegraph pole. We’d been told it was a two week wait for a repair slot at the bike shop, and we had adventures to be getting on with.

Fortunately, I’d been taught how hydraulic brakes worked by a friend. By purchasing the parts and finding a community bike workshop that could lend me the right tools, I was able to attempt the repair the same day.

Two hours later, a few Youtube videos and some moral support from Jonno, the bike was back in working order and we were cheers-ing a celebratory pint to the near-miss of a total derailment of our plans and vowing never to reverse park the van again.

Lauren back on the trail with a brand new front brake.

Back to the present day, I’ll happily spend an afternoon fitting new components, fixing any issues and making changes to my bikes so they’re suited to the types of riding I want to be doing.

What changed? A transformative weekend of learning how to service a bike with a group of other eager women at Badhand Coffee Roastery led by expert mechanic Vicky Balfour. Vicky guided us through each component in detail until they were no longer a mystery. No doubt, without that weekend I’d never have been brave enough to take a spanner to my bike and start my mechanics learning journey, let alone be taking apart brake levers on the other side of the world.

Bike mechanics knowledge has enabled almost every adventure I’ve had on a bike to date. Knowing how to service and fix your bike is the best investment you can make for yourself and your bike. Here’s why:

1.     Bike shops can be scary. Become an advocate for what you want.  

We’re blessed with some brilliant local bike shops on the South Coast, but they speak the language of bikes, and they might have different expectations of what your bike should do. Knowing how your bike works, what the components do, how they work and what skill is required to fix or replace them enables you to be an informed customer and make decisions that are right for you and your bike.

2.     Pre-empt and prevent issues before they arise and save your pennies on new parts.  

Did you know that if you don’t check and replace your chain regularly, you’ll end up replacing your cassette twice as often? Did you know that if you don’t replace your break pads when they’re worn, you could end up damaging your brake calipers? Nope, us either. So many parts of your bike can be saved and their life span prolonged if you can service them at home, and notice any issues before they grow into bigger ones. Avoiding accidentally damaging or wearing out components also helps save them from landfill, so both the environment and your bank account benefit.

3.     Ride confidently in really cool places, which don’t have bike shops nearby.

For me, this is the big-un. If you’ve got aspirations to ride your bike in new places, carrying appropriate spares and having an ability to carry out trail-side mechanics allows you to safely venture into new terrain. The best views and nature aren’t likely to be within walking distance from a bike shop should something go wrong. Knowing how to fit a spare mech hangers or quick links will transform a mechanical issue from ending your ride into a minor bump in the road, and an opportunity to feel proud of yourself for self-sufficiency. 

A solo trip along the Badger Divide route from Inverness to Glasgow, a stunning but remote route.

We’re motivated to organise mechanics events so others can start building their confidence too.

We’re pleased to be partnering with the brilliant Alice Williams, a hugely experienced mechanic and teacher to host a weekend of learning in the New Forest.

Come join us on 14th-16th March. 

Buy your ticket here.

Attendees at our December bike mechanics weekend giving their cassettes some TLC.