Although I have posted dates for upcoming courses these may not suit your time availability.
For those folks I am willing to set up custom course dates.
This can be accomplished in two ways. You can gather a group of at least three fellow students together who would like to participate in a course together and I will try and fit your course into my schedule.
Alternatively, an individual could suggest course dates and I would post these to see if two or three others sign up. - Smokey.
Student testimonial
Smokey offers a great combination of patient & methodical teaching, passion for all-things-bicycle, a wealth of knowledge and experience, and a beautiful island community to take part in. The bike shop and student housing connect to amazing forested trails perfect for walking, jogging, or biking, and lead to the Quadra community centre with weekly community lunch, yoga classes, and island market. There’s so much cycling & hiking on this island, I love that we get free time to explore. Most of all, I'm excited to be feeling more and more confident to handle any bike mechanics challenge that rolls my way...
KH, graduate in February 2012
Spring tire check
Topics
improving traction,
tire damage,
tire upgrades
Yes, spring’s just about here and you’re ready to ride again. Before you pump up your tires, let’s check a few things first. You may be asking “Why are these tires so soft when the bike sat still all winter? The answer is: rubber always leaks whether you are riding or not. If your tires are completely flat you may have to check the tubes for a pinch flat. Next winter hang the bicycle up or stand it upside down so it isn’t standing on the tires. The tires will still lose pressure but you can prevent tube damage.
Before you start pumping squeeze the sides of the tires together checking all around the circumference and look for cracks in the rubber. Pull out any sharp objects that may be stuck in the cracks. If the tire cracks are deep enough to show white at the bottom you are looking at the tire casing which is the inner cloth layer of the tire which gives the tire its shape, flexibility and strength. If you can see this casing you’d better replace your tire because it is worn out. It’s also worn if the sidewalls are deeply cracked or if the tire tread is worn down to the casing. If the tire isn’t worn in any of these ways then inflate it to the maximum pressure listed on the sidewall and ride.
Yet worn tires may be a good thing because you can replace them with better ones for your future rides. Many people were sold mountain bikes or fat-tired hybrids for commuting because those are the bikes people feel safer on at first. New riders often think that fat tires will be safer on the streets. Another common misconception is that knobby tires are good for traction. Yes, they are good for traction, but only on dirt. Unless you ride through forests and fields on your way to work, you will be riding the streets on the equivalent of a tractor tire. This is causing you lots of extra effort. As a matter of fact your whole mountain bike was designed for off road riding. But don’t despair. You don’t need to switch bikes right away, just change those knobbies for something useful.
My wife’s hybrid bike had fat, 26” low knob tires and I replaced them with completely slick (smooth), high quality “Kojack” tires by Schwalbe. She was afraid that a completely slick tire would be unsafe but after just one day, she was sold. Her ride to work was faster with no extra effort. One reason is that slicks have a greater contact patch with the road. Think about it. A smooth tire touches the road with it’s whole surface, even if it’s only 2 square inches. A knobby tire only touches the road with the tops of the knobs on that same two inches. So the slick has better contact for traction and braking. The second reason to upgradeis that higher quality tires have a better casing (The cloth under the rubber) so they can take higher pressure. Higher pressure translates into more speed. The better tires are made with better rubber compounds, which give you increased traction when cornering and better braking too. If your safety in traffic depends on the little patches of rubber making contact with the road, why would you buy cheap tires?
If your bike was a hybrid with 700c wheels you can trade up to even narrower tires. If you had 700c tires with 32 to 35 centimeter widths, try a slick with a 25 cm width. You’ll be fairly flying down the road! Of course don’t forget to keep pumping up your new tires every week. All rubber leaks slowly. And high pressure means speed. You will also get fewer flats when your tires are hard.
The Course
So far the course is amazing. I appreciate Smokey’s teaching style, starting with best practice and moving towards problem-solving. The class size is perfect to allow for different levels of experience and pace of learning. Smokey’s passion, experience in the bicycle activist/mechanics community, and skill create an amazing container for learning. I’m excited to continue learning, 4 weeks to go...
-Kareno
The Quadra Bike School course includes Bicycle Assembly and Maintenance (BAM), Bicycle Repair and Overhaul (BRO) as well as Wheel Lacing. (Wheels)Cost:
The Quadra Bike School course combines BBI’s BAM, BRO and Wheel Lacing for a tuition cost of $1700. Smokey’s residence costs total $300 for the 6 week course, for a total of $2000. Up to 4 students can share a three bedroom house next to the bike shop You will do your own food shopping and cooking. There are supermarkets 3 km away at each ferry dock on Quadra Island.
BAM:
Bicycle Assembly and Maintenance
At the Barnett Bicycle Institute (BBI) this 5-day course costs $875 plus $348 for the residence. The test costs $200 plus $116 residence, for a total of $1539.
BAM Pricing
A similar course is run by Jason Filer & Alan Medcalf at the Winterbourne Bicycle Institute. The course costs $1599 plus HST. Winterbourne
Winterbourne offers accommodations at motels in Guelph.
BRO:
The Quadra Bike School course also includes the BBI’s two-week Bicycle Repair and Overhaul (BRO) course. Bicycle Repair and Overhaul
At the BBI this component costs $1750 plus $754 for residence costs.
The test costs $250 plus $116 for residence, for a total of $2870.
WHEELS:
The Quadra Bike School course also includes Spoked Wheel Lacing. The BBI cost for this is $125. Combined with the wheel truing in the BAM course, you will be a competent wheel builder.
Finishing all three courses at the BBI would cost you $3200.
The residence costs at BBI total $1334, for a grand total of $4534 (plus taxes)
You need to purchase your own bike manual from the BBI in advance.
Course Manual
Both Smokey’s and the BBI course require that you buy your own manual. Winterbourne lets you use a non-digital version during the 11-day course. We strongly recommend that you buy your Manual well in advance of your classes and read it several times to get the most out of your course.
Extra time to learn to repair.
In the first three weeks of the course you will learn all the necessary mechanical theory as well as proper assembly of NEW bicycles. The next three weeks will involve the overhaul of used bicycles so that you will be well prepared for bicycle repair work. The students really appreciate this part of the course as it lets them apply their knowledge and skills to analyze and repair bikes brought in by customers.
Welcome to the Quadra Bike School
Topics
bicycle mechanics training
The Quadra Bike School offers professional level training for bicycle mechanics.
The instructor is Smokey Dymny, who taught the Bicycle Assembly and Maintenance course in Toronto in 2009 and 2010.
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