INFO ON COURSES

INTRO TO CYCLE MAINTENANCE

Prevention is better than cure!

Are you…
…wondering how to take care of your trusty cycle so it keeps running smooth?
…embarrassed about your rusty chain or dirt covered.. everything!
…tentative to do anything not to make matters worse?

Learn which parts of your bike want your attention when, what grease to use, and how you can work out when a sound means something’ really needs a-fixin’!

2 hours. Up to 6 participants.

FIX-A-FLAT

Don’t let that flat tyre stop you from getting where you want to go!

Have you always wanted to learn how to fix a puncture and never got around to it?
Is fear of getting a puncture keeping you from cycling further afiedld?
Are you wondering what trick you’re missing because it seems so blimmin’ hard?

Learn how to easily replace and patch an inner tube, change a tyre, and find out what you can do to prevent punctures in the first place.

2 hours. Up to 6 participants.

RIM BRAKES

Don’t let that rubbing brake take the energy out of your spin!

Do you wonder what you could do when your brakes just don’t… brake?
Are you curious to learn more about how your brakes work?

Being able to quickly stop, is key to any cycle trip. So learn how to replace brake pads and cables, get your brakes feeling sharp and keep them that way too!

2 hours. Up to 6 participants.

GEARS

For a skip in your step, not your chain!

Do you wonder how and why derailleur gears work?
Does indexing your gears seem like a dark art?

Learn how to get your gears runnin’ smooth, replace cables and troubleshoot the most common problems. Note: This class deals with derailleur gears only – not hub gears.

2 hours. Up to 6 participants.

WHEELBUILDING

Is there anything quite so beautiful as a hand-built bicycle wheel? This class gives you a thorough introduction to the craft of wheel-building: calculating spoke length, lacing, tensioning, truing, and dishing a wheel. You’ll put theory into practice by building a wheel for Broken Spoke using our materials (so you won’t experience any annoying parts-compatibility headaches).

Our aim is that at the end of the course you have the knowledge and skills to embark on your very own wheel-building project. Ever thought about building a dynamo wheel and solving the bike light blues forever?

HYDRAULIC DISC BRAKES

Aren’t hydraulic disc brakes marvellous when they work! This awesome class will teach you what to do when they…umm don’t. Learn how to diagnose problems, change pads and bleed hydraulic brake systems.

3 hours. Up to 6 participants.

STURMEY-ARCHER HUBS

In this fascinating 3-hour course, you’ll learn how the classic Sturmey-Archer AW-3 three-speed internal-gear hub works, as well as how to disassemble and service them. Our unique teaching atmosphere lets you explore the complex gearing system with your classmates, working together to understand how the many tiny components transfer pedalling into motion.

You’ll be taking apart one of our Sturmey-Archer AW-3 hubs, not working on your own bike.

3 hours. 4 participants.

Our flagship course, Bike Mechanics 101, runs in two parts and introduces you to the fundamentals of bike maintenance and repairs. Part One focuses on fix-a-flat; changing the inner tube, cleaning and lubing and the M-check. Part Two covers derailleurs and rear gears and rim brakes. Please note that whilst we cater to a variety of rim brakes, we do not cover hydraulic brakes in the Mechanics 101. Please keep an eye on our specialised courses for this. It doesn’t matter what order you do the courses in! Suitable for all levels of experience, it’s both the perfect introduction and the ideal refresher!

We are currently offering a Cycle Training and Bike Mechanics 101 promotion. From now until Christmas, anyone who books a Cycle Training session will get 20% off our Bike Mechanics 101 courses.

COURSE SCHEDULE

FAQs

I can no longer make a session that I have booked, what do I do?

Please cancel your booking, so someone else has the chance to come on the course, and rebook onto a future course. Please have a look at our refund policy and a description of how to cancel your booking here.

How do I find out what courses you've got scheduled?

All our courses can be found on this schedule here.

I want to do a course that isn't on the schedule! How do I know when they will be?

Some of our courses we run less frequently and will schedule another date if we have enough people interested. Let us know here, if you are keen on a course that is not in the calendar above.

Comments from previous students:

I really like the environment and the vibe at the Broken Spoke, it is a very friendly and conducive atmosphere to learn in. The course leaders were both very helpful and knowledgeable and at no point did the course or the content feel condescending.

I learned some great tricks that have made doing the basics much easier and found out about some adjustments I didn’t know were possible, which have really helped!

Brilliantly hands on – I liked that the instructors/volunteers got us to do everything ourselves and didn’t do things ‘for us’ (or would then undo them so we could do them ourselves), which was very empowering! I loved the ‘problem-solving’ approach and how it was tailored to our individual bikes.

The vast knowledge of the trainer and volunteer opened a new view on bikes all together and, even more, the general passion and non-judgmental attitudes towards my ignorance – I really really loved that!