Bicycle Mechanics Course – for Women, Trans & GNC Folk

The CERES Bikeshed Bicycle Mechanics Course is for folks wanting to upskill in diagnosing and fixing your own bike both at home and on the trail. The course is for beginners, no prior mechanical knowledge is required. All skill levels are welcome, but we'll be moving at a beginner's pace.

This iteration of the Bicycle Mechanics Course is for women of all kinds, trans and gender non-conforming folk. If you think this includes you, this course is for you! We also offer the same course, open to everyone – next term starting on 17 March.

The course will consist of 5 x 3-hour sessions, Sundays from 9:30am - 12:30pm

Sun 5 May - Week 1: Wheels: Tube changing & patching, tyre quality & sizing, truing wheels, spoke removal and replacement

Sun 12 May - Week 2: Brakes: Types of brakes, pad replacement & maintenance. Cable & housing repalcement. Setup & adjusting of brake systems. We'll endeavour to cover all mechanical brake types but will focus on what the cohort is most interested in learning.

Sun 19 May - Week 3: Gears: Front & back derailleurs, limits. Cable and housing replacement. Setting up and adjusting gear systems. Cleaning and replacment of shifters.

Sun 26 May - Week 4: The drive train: chains, cranks, cassettes, bottom brackets. Chain maintenance and replacement. Chain sizing & types. Assessing cassette and chain ring wear, calculating ratios. Is that creak really my bottom bracket? How to remove, clean, and re-assemble all of the above.

Sun 2 June - Week 5: The “cockpit” – headsets, stems, handlebars. Bar tape wrapping, bike sizing and geometry. Test all your new knowledge diagnosing some problematic bikes. If we have time, as a group we’ll choose one last area to focus on – hub servicing, tubeless setups, or choose your own adventure.

Please note:

What we learn over the course will be accumulative, so please only reserve a spot if you can make all five sessions. This course will run again throughout the year if you're unable to commit this time around.

This course is likely to fill up fast. If you miss out and would like to join the waitlist, email bridget.mary.chappell@gmail.com and we’ll email you if a spot becomes available. The course will also run again throughout the year.

Participants will be provided tools to use and donated bikes to work on each day at the course. You don’t need to bring anything along, but you're welcome to use your own tools to work with if you prefer. If you have a specific problem with your own bike you're hoping to fix, we recommend coming to one our our Fix Your Own Bike days to work on it there, as one-on-one servicing is unfortunately beyond the scope of this course.

We have 6 waged-price tickets available, and one low-income subsidised place available – if you feel that the subsidised place is for you, don't be shy.

Access info: The Bikeshed is located outside on flat, semi-paved ground. It is partially shaded. There are plenty of shaded nooks if you need a quiet break. Seating is available throughout the class, with activities involving a mix of sitting and standing. Generally the learning environment is low stim: working in pairs or small groups, not too many loud noises, no flashing lights. We aim to have a good balance between demonstrating and hands-on learning, and to create a supportive environment where anyone can ask questions at any time without feeling silly. One-on-one help will be available from the instructor and volunteers throughout. If you have any questions or requirements regarding access or learning styles, please get in touch so we can make it work for you :)

And if you have any questions at all about the program, please reach out to the Bikeshed at education@thebikeshed.org.au