At Reno Bike Project we offer a 9-week, 2 hour-long class on Thursdays to teach members the basics of bike repair. We use donated MTBs with rigid forks and braze ons for racks - good, sturdy commuters; and we try to select bikes either with caliper or V brakes only. When the class/bikes are finished. they are set aside for our create-a-commuter program.
Week 1 – Bike Inspection, Strip Cables & Housing
Week 2 – Wheels: Inspection, Hub Overhaul
Week 3 – Wheels: Truing & Dishing
Week 4 – Bottom Bracket & Headset Overhaul
Week 5 – Makeup & Review
Week 6 – Cables & Housing
Week 7 – Brake Setup
Week 8 – Shifter Setup & Chain
Week 9 – Makeup & Review/End-of-Session Party
After several curriculum edits, we think this order makes the most sense. We start each class with a brief discussion and demo of what we're working on (including going over variations on the component to give students a more broad introduction than just what style of BB/brake setup/etc. their class bike has), then get into the hands-on work, overseen by two instructors for a class of ~10. Having a small student-to-teacher ratio ensures that everyone gets the one on one attention they need to absorb the lesson and get their work for the night done.