Bike Repair Classes

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For info on classes and programs for young people ages 9-18, check out the Youth section of the Bikes Not Bombs website.

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We run in depth bike repair courses for adults several times a year.

Next Adult Basic Mechanics Course $120 TBA

Next Wheel Building Course
5 Tuesdays, 8:00-10:00 PM, September 21 through Oct. 19. $120 + parts

The first session is a consultation where we’ll help you pick out and purchase hubs, rims, and spokes for your new wheelset (estimate ~$60-80 for rims, $64 for spokes and ~$50-100 for hubs; all students receive a 10% discount on all parts bought for the class, including any tools you want for home). We’ll also cover some wheelbuilding theory and start spoke length calculations. The second session will focus on lacing. The third and fourth sessions will focus on tensioning the spokes. The final session will give students time to focus on finishing their wheel(s) and to discuss other aspects of wheelbuilding. To ensure a successful first wheelbuilding experience, we strongly recommend buying the parts for your wheels from Bikes Not Bombs. We stock high quality DT Swiss straight gauge and double-butted stainless steel spokes and we can order any hub or rim available. Feel free to contact us ahead of the first class if you have questions about a specific wheel build or availability of parts.

See all course descriptions at the bottom of this page.

Free Clinics

We offer free, single-evening clinics on topics relevant to the urban rider. These sessions will last 1.5-2 hours and attendees may want to bring a notebook. Come to one or collect them all. Registration isn't necessary, but feel free to call the shop at 617-522-0226 or check back here on the day of the class to confirm the time.

Bicycle Commuting for Beginners Monday May 3, 8-9:30PM
We'll discuss the hows and whys of riding your bike to work or school. This class is meant for those who want to start riding to work but aren't sure how to start, as well as those who are already doing it and want to share ideas or learn more. Free.

How to Fix A Flat Monday, May 10, 2010 8:00PM
We’ll show you how to remove a tire from the rim, patch the tube and re-install, plus tips to prevent it from happening again. Save time, money and rubber! Free.

Check back for updates or call the Bike Shop at 617-522-0226

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

BASIC MECHANICS

$120
Learn to repair your own bike! This basic mechanics course gives you the skills to maintain your own bike. Classes cover fixing a flat, adjusting brakes, gears, sizing a chain, and overhauling a hub. The final session gets into the basics of wheel truing but can cover other topics depending on the needs of your bike.

The course meets at the Bikes Not Bombs Bike Shop once a week for 5 weeks, and you bring your own bike to work on and improve.

There are only six spots per class and you must enroll in advance. Call the bike shop at 617-522-0226 to pay by credit card over the phone, or stop by the shop. You can send a check, but note that we'll reserve a space for you only AFTER we receive payment, and classes fill quickly.

WHEEL BUILDING

$120

The first session is a consultation where we’ll help you pick out and purchase hubs, rims, and spokes for your new wheelset (estimate ~$60-80 for rims, $64 for spokes and ~$50-100 for hubs; all students receive a 10% discount on all parts bought for the class, including any tools you want for home). We’ll also cover some wheelbuilding theory and time permitting do spoke length calculations. The second session will focus on lacing. The third and fourth sessions will focus on tensioning the spokes. The final session will give students time to focus on finishing their wheel(s) and to discuss other aspects of wheelbuilding.

For a wheel to be perfectly round, the tension on each spoke must be adjusted and balanced, each slightly different to account for the flex response of the rim. These days most wheels are built by machines, which do an alright job, but can't achieve the finesse that a human set of hands and eyes can. A hand-built wheel is substantially more durable and will last longer, ride smoother, and need truing less often. When you build your own wheels, you can choose the quality and type of your hub, spokes, and rim. Learning to build your own wheels will also give you the skills to understand problems in used wheels and to true them by adjusting spoke tensions.

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All of the above classes for adults are held at the Bikes Bombs Not Bombs Retail Shop and Training Center located at 18 Bartlett Sq. Jamaica Plain, 02130.

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Apprenticeship Job Training In Bike Mechanics

Bikes Not Bombs offers this bike mechanics apprenticeship course designed to graduate participants into jobs at local area bike shops. See this page for info.