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

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

APRIL 20th, 10-4pm: Fixing common issues with 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 three 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 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

To be confirmed.

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 (the women-only classes are taught by a female mechanic)

MARCH 23rd (Sat), 2-5pm, women-only

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

To be confirmed.