ABC's of Bicycle Maintenance

Who needs to know "fill in the blank"?  This is the question I ask when developing programs.  For a very good reason, bicycle maintenance popped in my brain as the obvious answer for May.  Having great friends who are bicycle advocates, this program was easy to pull off.  The turn out of attendees made this one of my best-ever-program-efforts!

Too crowded Room

Weather was against us for this outdoorsy program, so we tried to host it inside a community room.  No Dice!  The amount of bikes you see above nearly doubled in 10 minutes. 

Outside is the best side

The answer was obvious to move outside and the rain held off for most of this 3 hour session.  Tara Escudero from Elmira Bikes and John van Otterloo from Corning Bikes led participants through the ABC's of Bicycle Maintenance.

The A of ABC's stands for Air.  John van Otterloo shows these twins the proper way to pump air into bike tires.  There are several learners and one statuesque gawker.

The B of ABC's stands for Brakes.  We each learned a few important lessons on brake maintenance.  This empowerment is gratifying.

The C of ABC's stands for Chain.  Tara showed our group how to check the quality of the chain.  "Avoid water puddles, they lead to rust!"

Tara shows a simple chain cleaning trick using a towel and a buddy to turn the pedals.  We purchased a chain cleaner that can be used by any biker riding through town.  Remember during those hot summer days, the library is a designated cooling station.  Stop in to cool down and spruce up your ride while you're here.

This was our Saturday scene at the Southeast Steuben County Library.  I love to see this community building  and wide age range of learners.  Each person helped one another to get their bikes ready to roll.  Teamwork makes the dream work!

When we work and learn together, we grow together.  This little test in community proved successful.  There were more adults than teens, but we are always nursing that inner child.
If you have a program suggestion, post your ideas in the comments section.  If you have a skill you wish to share, I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!