BBC Social Event: Bike Maintenance

Monday evening saw one of an ongoing series of social events and "unrides." Club Social Director Sylvia Stoub is the major force behind creating these events, designed to be social and inclusive. She's prepared a full schedule of such events. Most of these are on Mondays or major holidays. Check club email and the calendar for details.

This week's social event was focused on learning about bike maintenance. We had a a small but lively group. The program was presented by Bob Holahan, owner of Bicycle Garage on Kirkwood.

Bob started by showing us what's in his seat bag and why he has it. He carries TWO tubes AND a patch kit, CO2 cartridges, multi-tool, three plastic tire levers, and either a small hand pump or a larger frame pump, depending on the bike he's riding. He and audience members shared various experiences and anecdotes about times it was good to have back-up equipment. Bob emphasized that one should practice at home in an unpressured situation doing things like changing tires, patching tubes, using CO2 inflators, etc. He shared a variety of tips about changing tires. He also fielded a variety of questions about dropped chains, mechanical failures, strange noises, likely causes of various common malfunctions.

Altogether it was a fun and informative evening.

More people would find these events worthwhile and fun.