Bicycle Maintenance Basics Workshop

7:00 PM - 8:00 PM Wednesday, May 25, 2016

Location:
City Hall Annex
344 Broadway
4th Floor Conference Room
Cambridge

Contact:
Jennifer Lawrence, jlawrence@cambridgema.gov, 617/349-4671

Bicycle Workshop Schedule

The City of Cambridge is proud to offer bicycle education workshops throughout the year, free to those who work or live in Cambridge.  All classes are lecture-style workshops unless otherwise noted. To register for classes, please email jlawrence@cambridgema.gov or call 617/349-4671. See the bottom of this page for class descriptions. All classes are paid for by the City of Cambridge and every participant receives a free helmet.

Come to one or both bicycle maintenance lectures!

Wednesday, May 25, 5:30 P. M. to 6:30 P. M.

  • Bicycle Maintenance Basics
  • City Hall Annex, 344 Broadway

Wednesday, May 25, 7:00 P. M. to 8:00 P. M.

  • Beyond Maintenance Basics
  • City Hall Annex, 344 Broadway

Bicycle Maintenance Basics

This workshop is one hour in-class presentations designed for up to 30 participants. These workshops are great for businesses, communities,
universities, or any group looking to promote healthy transportation options. This workshop covers the following topics:

  • The anatomy of the bike
  • Removing wheels
  • Fixing flats
  • Chain Maintenance
  • Pre-Ride check
  • Seat height
  • Portable tool kit
  • Keeping your bike healthy with preventative bike maintenance

Beyond Maintenance Basics

This workshop is one hour in-class presentations designed for up to 30 participants. These workshops are great for businesses, communities, universities, or any group looking to promote healthy transportation options. This workshop covers the following topics:

  • Basic repair tools
  • Thoroughly cleaning and lubricating your bike
  • Removing both wheels
  • Completely changing a flat tire
  • Pinpointing squeaks and rattles
  • Removing pedals
  • Adjusting front and rear brakes + derailleurs,
  • Dealing with a broken spoke

Other Workshops

Thursday, March 24, 3:00 P.M. to 4:00 P.M.

  • For Cambridge Rindge and Latin School students
  • Introduction to Hubway / Urban Cycling Basics
  • CRLS - you must be a high school student to attend this workshop.

Thursday, April 14, 2:45 P. M. to 4:00 P. M.

  • For Cambridge Rindge and Latin Students
  • Bicycle Maintenance Basics 
  • CRLS - you must be a high school student to attend this workshop.

Saturday, May 14, 11:00 A. M. to 2:00 P. M.

  • On-Bicycle Refresher Course
  • RSVP required
  • Location sent upon registration
  • This class is an on-bicycle course, outside, rain or shine.
  • Please bring your own bicycle in working order.
  • You must know how to ride a bicycle.

Wednesday, May 18, 6:00 P. M. to 7:00 P. M.

  • Introduction to Hubway / Urban Cycling Basics
  • Cambridge Main Library, 449 Broadway

Thursday, May 19, 2:00 P. M. to 3:00 P. M.

  • Healthy aging and bicycling - ages 50+ 
  • Urban Cycling Basics
  • Citywide Senior Center, 806 Massachusetts Avenue

Thursday, May 19, 6:00 P. M. to 7:00 P. M.

  • Healthy aging and bicycling - ages 50+ 
  • Urban Cycling Basics
  • Citywide Senior Center, 806 Massachusetts Avenue
All RSVPs to Jennifer Lawrence, jlawrence@cambridgema.gov, 617/349-4671. 

Bike riders and buses at night along Massachusetts Avenue

Class Descriptions

On-Bike Refresher Course

The Basics of Better Biking class is a four hour class designed for adults who want to get back into bicycling, improve cycling skills, learn to ride more effectively and safely in traffic, and/or participate in a large-scale benefit ride. This four-hour weekend session provides guided instruction with simple practice drills in a parking lot, easy-paced riding on local roadways for short distances, and group-discussion breaks along the way. Topics covered include bike and helmet fitting, starting and stopping your bike in traffic, shifting gears, scanning and yielding, choosing the correct lane position in the road, handling intersections, and more.

Some notes about the class:

  • A bicycle in good working order and a helmet are required.
  • Preregistration is required.
  • This class is intended for participants 18 and older, unless otherwise noted. To register, please contact Jennifer Lawrence, jlawrence@cambridgema.gov.

Winter Cycling Basics

This workshop covers the following topics:

  • Benefits of biking, including better personal health, saved money, environmental benefits, and others
  • Staying at a comfortable temperature no matter what the weather is like
  • Route planning
  • Locking
  • Multi-modal commuting
  • Staying dry and clean
  • Using safety equipment, including helmet, lights, and reflective gear
  • Rules of the Road and staying safe while biking

Riding with Families

  • Options for biking with children, such as front seats, rear seats, front cargo bikes, bike trailers
  • How is biking with kids different than biking solo?
  • How can I bike with my children when there are no routes with bike infrastructure?
  • How young is too young for children to be with parents while biking?
  • What does the law say for children?
  • How is buying bikes for children different from buying bikes for adults?
  • How do I appropriately fit a child to a bicycle?
  • How do I teach children the rules of the road?
  • What is the Safe Routes to School program? 

Rules of the Road

This workshop is one hour in-class presentations designed for up to 30 participants. These workshops are great for businesses, communities,
universities, or any group looking to promote healthy transportation options. This workshop covers the following topics:

  • Bike safety statistics
  • Rules of the road
  • Bike-specific laws and legislation
  • Car-specific laws and legislation
  • General safety tips
  • Current legislative efforts
  • Motivation for obeying traffic laws

Hubway Bike Share

This workshop is one hour in-class presentations designed for up to 30 participants. These workshops are great for businesses, communities,
universities, or any group looking to promote healthy transportation options. This workshop covers the following topics:

  • Features of the Hubway bike
  • How to dock
  • Route planning
  • Locating Hubway stations
  • Clothing
  • Proper helmet use
  • Rules of the road and safety tips

Urban Cycling Basics

This workshop is one hour in-class presentations designed for up to 30 participants. These workshops are great for businesses, communities,
universities, or any group looking to promote healthy transportation options. This workshop covers the following topics:

  • Finding the right kind of bike
  • Route planning
  • Safety equipment, including lights and a helmet
  • Locking properly
  • Transporting small loads or children by bike
  • Multi-modal commuting
  • Rules of the road and safety tips.

For More Information

For more information about bicycle workshops or bicycle education in Cambridge, please contact Jennifer Lawrence, jlawrence@cambridgema.gov, 617/349-4671.