Training Courses

We are currently delivering bike maintenance courses in partnership with Cycle North, with funding from CityConnect.

These are all free of charge and open to anyone aged 16+. All participants must be 16+ to attend this course. If the attendee is between 16 and 18 and will not be accompanied by an adult, please contact us before you book.

Basic Bike Maintenance | Intermediate Bike Maintenance

Basic Bike Maintenance

This two-hour session is aimed at people who would like to understand their bike a bit better. You don’t need any previous experience of bike maintenance but if you do, that’s fine too. We encourage you to bring your own bike along and we hope that by the end of the session you will feel more confident in keeping your bike running smoothly and safely.

Click here to book a place on our basic bike maintenance course (this will take you to Eventbrite)

All participants must be 16+ to attend this course. If the attendee is between 16 and 18 and will not be accompanied by an adult, please contact us before you book.

We will keep adding more dates soon, so please check back if you can’t find a date and time that works for you.

Session content

M-check

The M-check is a simple way of making sure your bike is safe to ride by identifying any adjustments that are needed and repairs to be made. Together we will work through the M-check and carry out simple adjustments. The tutor will walk you through the check and you can carry it out on your own bike as we go along. We will also discuss when it’s best to get your bike seen by a professional.

tyre and TUbe removal and replacement

We will discuss why punctures occur and how to avoid them. You will all have the opportunity to practise removing a wheel, removing the tube from the tyre and then putting it all back together again. We’ll share tips for getting tyres off and on again.

Cleaning

We’ll talk through where and when to clean and lubricate and what to use. The tutor will demonstrate how to check a chain for wear and how to clean the chain.

Click here to book a place on our basic bike maintenance course (this will take you to Eventbrite)

All participants must be 16+ to attend this course. If the attendee is between 16 and 18 and will not be accompanied by an adult, please contact us before you book.

---

Intermediate Bike Maintenance

Our intermediate course is suitable for those who have already attended our Introduction to Bike Maintenance course or otherwise know the basics about their bike e.g. can carry out a general check, remove/replace a wheel, repair a puncture and clean and lubricate in the right places. We encourage you to bring your own bike along.

Click here to book a place on our intermediate bike maintenance course (this will take you to Eventbrite)

Session content

Brakes

We will provide examples of different brake types and discuss the differences in their mechanisms. The tutor will demonstrate how to remove, replace and align brake pads; how to centre your brakes; how to adjust cable tension; and how to replace cables. You will then have the opportunity to practise some of these tasks on your own bike. For those of you with hydraulic disc brakes, we will look at the similarities and differences to rim brakes, how to adjust and centre your brakes and how to replace pads. We’ll talk through the principles of bleeding hydraulic disc brakes.

Gears

We will then look at how gears work and discuss common problems. The tutor will demonstrate how and where to check for wear and tear including whether the chain/cassette is worn and what condition the cables and housing are in, followed by how to replace the chain, cassette and cables.We will cover how and where to inspect the components for damage, how to set the limit screws, how to correctly set the position of a front mech and how to index your gears by adjusting the cable tension. There will then be the opportunity for you to spend time practising some of these skills on your own bike.

There will be a 30 minute break for lunch. Please bring a packed lunch that you can eat cold. We encourage you to bring a flask with a hot drink but we can make you one if needed.

Click here to book a place on our intermediate bike maintenance course (this will take you to Eventbrite)

---

General information for all courses

Covid-19

Please do not attend if:

• You or anyone in your household are suffering from any one of the following COVID-19 symptoms: new continuous cough, fever, loss of taste or smell.
• You have been told to self-isolate.

What to expect

This session will take place indoors inside the Leeds Bike Mill workshop. There will be 1 (or occasionally 2) tutors and a maximum of 4 participants. Please wear a face covering at all times when inside the building, unless you are exempt (please inform us beforehand if this is the case).

You will each have your own workstand and set of tools and we ask that you maintain a distance from others in the workshop. Windows will be open for ventilation; for this reason please make sure you bring a warm layer. We will provide nitrile gloves (or barrier cream if you’re unable to wear gloves) and aprons. Handwashing facilities and hand sanitiser are available. There is a toilet.

Basic course: no food in the workshop. Please bring your own hot drink.

Intermediate course: There will be a 30 minute break for lunch. Please bring a packed lunch that you can eat cold. We encourage you to bring a flask with a hot drink but we can make you one if needed.

Access

Our workshop is on the first floor up a flight of stairs. The tutor will offer to carry your bike upstairs however if you have accessibility requirements that mean you would be unable to access a session on the first floor, please contact Leeds Bike Mill to let us know as we do have the option of booking a ground floor space to run a session in. This would need to be arranged in advance so please hold off booking a place until you have spoken to us.

There is some limited free car parking outside the workshop and payable parking in nearby streets.