Learn how to maintain your bike. It's easier than you think!

IMPORTANT

Our booking service on our website is experiencing difficulties at the moment. This means we are unable to take payment on line.

If you wish to book a course, you can still do so, but need to either send a cheque or pay over the phone. Courses will run at the Jakes Bikes on the first Sunday of the month (and also the third Sunday of February and March). Courses last for 6 hours and cost £49.95 (unless otherwise stated). Ffi contact Charlie

Who is it for?

You will either have attended a ‘Know your Bike’ course, or will already have good working knowledge of the bike maintenance techniques that we cover on this course. If you are a beginner, we strongly recommend that you attend our ‘Know your Bike’ course.
 

What does it cover?
 

• Comprehensive M-shape check. (an M-shape check is a routine for checking the condition of your bike).
• Brakes covered in depth; changing brake cables and brake blocks.
• An overview of disc brakes and the differences between cable and hydraulic disc brakes.
• Headset adjustment, threaded & threadless.
• How gears work + correct use of gears (cycling skills).
• Comprehensive gear adjustments, front and rear + changing the rear gear cable.
• How to check chain wear (and the consequences of leaving it too long) and removing/splitting the chain. 

 
What bike should you bring?


This is a hands-on course and you will be working on your own bike. If you have access to more than one bike, you will get most from the course if you bring a "well-loved" bike that is in sound working order, but ready for a service...  It's probably a good idea to choose a bike that is representative of the type you are most likely to work on in the future.


Please note, if you bring a bike with hydraulic disc brakes you will not be able to work on your bike for some of the session covering brakes. Additionally, if you have a road bike with cables routed underneath bar tape, you will not be able to change the outer cables on the course. If you have access to a bike with cable brakes (rim or disc) with accessible outer cables you may wish to bring this instead. 


What tools are available?



You will get to use a wide range of tools and a professional bike work stand, and we also supply some parts.
 

Cost


£49.95
 

Location and times

Bike maintenance workshops run at Jakes Bikes on the first Sunday of the month starting at 9.30am. The course length is around 6 hrs

8th January (fully booked) * 5th February (fully booked) * 4th March * 1st April * 13th May * 3rd June * 1st July * 2nd September * 7th October * 4th November * 2nd December

To book, go to our Resource Centre or call 0117 353 4580. We'll email you a few days before the course starts with all the information you need. If you book online, you'll receive a confirmation of payment, which confirms your place on the course. Please contact us if you don't receive this email.
 

If the course is not on the shop, it means it is fully booked.

 

What people say...



The Bristol and Bath listings magazine Venue sent one of their journalists, Mike White, to road-test a Life Cycle BMW. Mike's article describes the experience and concludes:

"It's fast-paced but beautifully explained and, best of all, we all get to try each new skill on our own bikes. I beam to myself all the way home. It feels like I'm riding a new bike, I've acquired a wealth of really useful skills..."




Book a group course



We also run bike maintenance workshops for groups of up to 4 people for the reduced rate of £175 - Sundays only. Contact us for details: 0117 353 4580.