Justin, an unsolicited suggestion: Start off your volunteers who want to learn to turn wrenches with a basic maintenance course. Maintenance vs. major troubleshooting/repair. Follow up with lubricating wheel bearings. After that "On the Job Training" in the repair facility/coop, shop, what ever your local colloquialism is. 

Emphasis on "Gee, I don't know. Let's see what Park or Bartlett's offers." as they learn. You can run a basic maintenance class over a 3 - 6 hr period with-in a month or even a single day.

Advantages
  • Minimal of time investment for everyone so if the volunteer finds it isn't for them, the coop hasn't lost a major time investment
  • Shorter classes provide time to run more classes
  • Option to teach basic maintenance classes and have the new volunteer attend one or more
  • Volunteers all have the same "base-line" with emphasis on maintenance, not major repairs
  • Under supervision volunteers can quickly start using what they have learned
Disadvantages
I'm sure others will think of many more disadvantages than I can. 

I have a class syllabus, always in "Draft" as it always needs more detail and application of lesson's learned, I'm happy to share. Where it lacks detail please refer to the applicable Park or Bartlett's manual. It's a quick three hours, hands-on emphasis on removing/installing both wheels , tire/tube remove & re-install, patch a (shop) tube ("A"), and adjust their own front brake ("B"). Then "show and tell" on cable inspection & lubrication; chain inspection & lubrication ("C"); and a detailed explanation of friction vs. indexed shifters, derailleur high/low screw function, demonstration of their adjustment on one bike, inspection & lubrication ("D"). 

Students are encouraged to return to the coop for their first go-around on "C" & "D."

Any new volunteer who goes through this gets a good understanding of the parts of a bike, what they are supposed to do, safety (roll and stop), and starts building familiarity with basic hand tools if they don't possess one already.

Just my $.02

Ron
 


On Thu, Dec 5, 2013 at 4:20 AM, Jerry <danceswithcars@gmail.com> wrote:
Do you call a coop a shop?

Implies sales instead of recycled and commerce instead of community, imo

Fwiw: wasn't there but program lit should have that unless done uncon / crunchy granola whiteboard style 8:/

Haven't a clue what this gadget thought I typed, so TIA for understanding anyways...


On Dec 3, 2013, at 17:03, wormsign@gmail.com wrote:

It was the coop in Ventura, CA

Enzo Loconte
Board Secretary
Bikerowave

On Dec 3, 2013, at 1:28 PM, David Eyer Davis <davey@bicyclecollective.org> wrote:

Hi Justin, all,
we weren't the shop in question, but at Salt Lake Bike Collective we teach a weekly mechanics class based out of the chapters of the park tool book, published here:
http://www.bicyclecollective.org/en/programs/classes/368-2013-park-tool-school-bicycle-mechanic-classes-slc


On Tue, Dec 3, 2013 at 2:23 PM, Justin Pogge <oldfieldcycles@gmail.com> wrote:

At bike bike this year there was a great workshop on doing a mechanic training course. I cannot remember the shop that did the workshop but they offered up their curriculum to anyone who wanted it. They took everyone's email but the documents never got emailed out. Anyone have them? Out remember who did the workshop?


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David Eyer Davis
Executive Director
Bicycle Collective

The mission of the Bicycle Collective is to promote cycling as an effective and sustainable form of transportation and as a cornerstone of a cleaner, healthier, and safer society. The Collective provides refurbished bicycles and educational programs to the community, focusing on children and lower income households.

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