Event Recap: Basic Bike Maintenance

It’s a rainy week here in Raleigh, and it feels like the sky has opened up, pouring down on all of us and dampening the caffeinated jubilation that is The Espresso Express. On the plus side, it felt great to sleep in on a Tuesday for the first time in a year.

While bike commuting might be tricky with the rain, it’s the perfect time to Try Transit! GoTriangle, GoRaleigh, GoCary, and GoDurham are all participating in an initiative to encourage more people to use the area’s great transit options. So, even though it’s a soggy week, you can still leave the car at home. Learn more here.

Now, to the point of the post: last week marked our first bike maintenance workshop at The Bike Library! This was technically the first-ever Greenway Gear Collective event, largely put on by Board Members Lauren Blanch and Benton Henderson. We had 13 attendees, including one woman who stopped by for a quick fix, saw the class in progress, and ended up learning how to fix the issue herself. It was awesome.

The workshop’s curriculum was simple: Air, Brakes, Chain. We started with hands-on tire changing practice—how to use a tire lever, avoid scraping your knuckles on the spokes (very key!), and how to properly "persuade" your tire bead to get back onto the rim. We also covered tire pressure and how to figure out the right amount for your tires.

The hands-on portion took about half the class, followed by a discussion on different brake types. Benton gave a great overview of caliper, cantilever, V-brakes, and disc brakes. Afterward, some participants mentioned they wanted more hands-on practice adjusting their specific brakes. This sparked some ideas for the next class—like checking pad wear, replacing pads, and more. Practical brake maintenance knowledge is super important, so we’ll be sure to incorporate that in next month's event.

We had so much fun with tires and brakes that we barely had time to cover chain wear. We did manage a quick chat about why chains stretch and what happens if they stretch too much (hint: that cassette is a goner).

Overall, it was a fantastic learning experience for both the attendees and the TBL team. Plus, we sold the Bridgestone to a couple from the Czech Republic. Very cool to see our used bike sales gaining traction.

Our next class will be Sunday, October 13. You can find a full event calendar here Keep an eye out for the signup form!