CLASSES
Here at Back in the Saddle Bikes we have a range of different classes on offer (listed below).
If you’re after a relaxed, friendly session during a weekday lunch time, why not try one of our £10 Lunch and Learn classes? Whether you’re from Hounslow or a different borough (or different part of the UK!), tickets can be booked at bit.ly/BIKEFIX-Lunch-and-Learn
On the other hand, if you have a bit more time to spare and live, work or study in the borough of Hounslow, the council funds a range of free two-hour classes we provide on some Saturdays. Tickets can be booked at bit.ly/BITSB-LBH-classes
Finally, if you’d like something more in-depth that covers more than one topic, we have sessions that last four hours or more, again on some Saturdays. Tickets can be booked at bit.ly/BIKEFIX-In-Depth-sessions
Once you’ve chosen a class(es) from the schedule below, please head over to our Eventbrite page where we list them (links below) to book and pay for your place. When that’s done, we look forward to seeing you in class! If you find that you have Covid, flu or cold symptoms on the date of the class, don’t worry, we can reschedule your booking to another date as the classes take place on a regular basis.
LUNCH AND LEARN CLASSES
In these 30-40 minute sessions, one of our mechanics will use a demonstrator bike to show you how to keep your bike working as it should, whether it’s brakes, gears, keeping your bike clean or one of a range of other topics. These classes cost £10 per person and have a relaxed atmosphere and you’re welcome to bring along your lunch so you can have something to eat and drink during the session (we have seating but no kettle or microwave in the workshop). You can book your place here: bit.ly/BIKEFIX-Lunch-and-Learn
NOVEMBER 16th (Thurs), 12.10-12.50: Rear gear set-up and maintenance
FEBRUARY 6th (Tues), 1.10-1.50: Roadside repairs (dealing with snapped cables and chain problems)
FEBRUARY 15th (Thurs), 12.10-12.50: What problems to look out for when buying a used bike)
MARCH 5th (Tues), 1.10-1.50: V-brake set-up and maintenance
MARCH 14th (Thurs), 12.10-12.50: Rear gear set-up and maintenance
APRIL 2nd (Tues), 1.10-1.50: Cable disc brake set-up and maintenance
APRIL 11th (Thurs), 12.10-12.50: V-brake set-up and maintenance
IN-DEPTH MAINTENANCE CLASSES
These longer classes are aimed at people who want to learn about more than one topic in a class, and do so in more depth. For example, our first session on Saturday, November the 4th, covers both rim brakes and rear gears while our second (in early December) deals with wheel truing (straightening), changing cassettes and chains, and setting up front gears. The approach is very hands-on, so you’ll be getting plenty of experience working with the relevant tools and parts.
The classes run from 10am to 4pm (with a break for lunch) on a Saturday and cost £40 per person.
You can book your place here: bit.ly/BIKEFIX-In-Depth-sessions
DECEMBER 2nd, 10-4pm: Wheel truing, changing cassettes and chains, and setting up front gears
FEBRUARY 3rd, 10-4pm: Rim brakes and rear gears
HOUNSLOW COUNCIL FREE CLASSES
We’re currently working with Hounslow Council to provide free bike maintenance classes to anyone who lives, works or studies in the borough of Hounslow. The classes are listed below and at bit.ly/BITSB-LBH-classes
These free classes take place at the Heston branch of the Royal British Legion at 79 New Heston Road, Heston Central, Hounslow, Middlesex,TW5 0LG.
There are three classes (punctures, brakes and gears), each of which lasts two hours and takes place on a Saturday. There is a £10 deposit required to book a place on any of these classes, the deposit being refundable once you’ve completed the class.
During these classes, you’ll be able to get hands-on experience of working on bikes (provided by us) with four or five other people, as there’s no better way to learn than by doing the repairs yourself!
We have the dates below available in 2023 and early 2024.
Puncture repair
Don’t let punctures become the bane of your life on two wheels! In this class we cover how to remove a wheel and take off the tyre and punctured tube, before replacing the tube and refitting the tyre and wheel. We’ll also cover how to fix puntures (so you can reuse your tubes rather than having to recycle them) as well as a brief, pre-ride safety check to help keep punctures and other problems at bay. The classes are listed at bit.ly/BITSB-LBH-classes
Puncture class dates on the following Saturdays in 2024 are:
3.30-6.30pm on January 13th
Brakes
Learn how to get your front and rear brakes working properly, including how to replace cables and brake blocks. This class will deal with a number of different types of cabled rim brakes, like V-brakes (often found on mountain bikes), dual-pivots (often found on racers), and others. It will not cover hydraulic rim brakes, disc brakes, roller brakes or hub brakes, though we may add classes for those in future. The classes are listed at bit.ly/BITSB-LBH-classes
Brakes class dates on the following Saturdays in 2023 are:
3.30-6.30pm on December 9th
Gears
Learn how to get your back gears working properly, including how to replace cables and fine-tune the indexing. This class will deal with derailleur gears which are cable-actuated, not electronic shifting systems or hub gears. We may add a separate class in future for indexing front gears and replacing chains and cassettes. The classes are listed at bit.ly/BITSB-LBH-classes
The next gears class dates will be in 2024 and will be added here as soon as they’ve been scheduled.