Why Is This Course Longer?
This approach was created for the Bicycle Assembly and Maintenance program, which I taught in Toronto under the auspices of the Bicycle Trade Association of Canada. Graduates who went to bicycle shops with several weeks of real repair experience on bikes were not made to assemble new bicycles for sale (which is the task usually assigned to new mechanics). Instead, they were often assigned right away to repair bikes for customers. I have continued this approach to teaching bike mechanics when I moved the course to Quadra Island.
The main reasons for a longer course are: You learn your initial skills and theory on new bikes.
• You also true up new wheels and assemble wheels from spokes, rims and hubs. Which entails a fair bit of theory as well as lots of practise. Not to mention a few mistakes!
• You then spend several weeks repairing old bikes brought in by customers for tune-ups and rebuilds. Which means you have to analyze and assess the condition of the bicycle components and decide which parts can be repaired and which have to be replaced. Developing the judgment and analysis of what and how to repair on a bike is what makes a good bike shop mechanic.
You are able to then clearly explain, as well as show, each customer why a component was beyond repair and got replaced. Or you can demonstrate, for instance, that a tire was cracked right down to the casing.
Doing all this repeatedly with a wide range of different bicycles, both high-tech and simple, will make you a more competent mechanic than one who simply trues up a brand new set of wheels and tunes a bike assembled right out of a box!
But wait! There’s more!
Exceptional scenery – mountains, ocean and luscious forest!
Amazing trails to ride and hike
AND student accommodations right next to the bike school.
Students living together next to the school means you also bond as a group. There are only four students per course, which means you have more personal attention than at any other school. Access to the shop facilities in the evenings means you get to spend extra time practicing your skills!
And that's what the Quadra Bike School is about!
(This section was enthusiastically re-written by a graduate.) Thanks Dominique.
