Bike Life is a project created by a co-operative called Oxford Cycle Workshop Training Ltd. After three years of building our business we have 450 members, a wide range of courses but we realise that our courses are just the start of the journey for our cycle maintenance students. Once they left the workshop they struggled to get the on going support they needed.
So what's the solution? Towards the end of 2011 we trialled a Puncture Repair App for iPhone and Android smart phones. It was a light bulb moment!
Why not create a series of smart phone apps to mirror the content of our courses. The apps will constantly be growing with FAQ's and tutorial videos to explore and support all those people who start their journey in cycle maintenance with us! So....
4 x Introduction to Cycle Maintenance smart phone Apps (for iPhone & Android) based around bearing, brake and gear adjustment and puncture repair.
A wheel building App (for iPhone & Android) full of notes, tips and approaches to building beautiful wheels
A set of postcard teaching notes for all our courses for those without this smart phone stuff in their pocket: Introduction Course, Wheel Building Course, Home Mechanic Course, and Master Mechanic Course.
Through finding like minded people, crowd funding a project to create a supportive range of smartphone apps and postcards will not only benefit those who pledge here. It will also benefit the projects we work with training Oxford's homeless population and the city's disengaged young people, it will also empower the next generation of bike fixers!
Other Rewards
We'll be rewarding everyone who pledges with a range of treats. Everyone will appear on the roll of honour on the apps. We have also commissioned limited edition t-shirts and prints to say a special thank you, and to top it all we'd find it hard not to send you a thank you letter too.
A Life Long Learning Relationship
As a community of like minded people we'd hope that this project would be the start of a two way relationship with those people who pledge.
Once you pledge you'll become members of the co-operative, giving you benefits like access to the workshop space to fix your own bike. We also offer our members all kinds of ways to get involved and exchange skills for training, parts or support.
Introduction To Cycle Maintenance Course
This is our course for introducing folk to using tools and maintaining your bike. You don't need to have any knowledge of bicycle mechanics or even handling tools, because this course is designed to be a very friendly introduction to taking care of your bike.
This course will cover safety checking your bike, becoming comfortable using tools, diagnosing problems, making adjustments to brakes and gears. You'll also get a master class in puncture repair.
This course takes one day and will run from 10am to 5pm.
Home Mechanic Course
If your interest in cycle mechanics goes further than just fixing the occasional puncture then this course could be the one for you. It could be the next step after doing our Introduction to Cycle Maintenance course, or an opportunity to develop a love of fixing your own bike at the weekends and evenings. The course covers headset and bottom bracket removal and fitting, wheel truing and spoke replacement and cabling to name a few things.
Taught over either two Saturdays or a weekend from 10am to 5pm
Master Mechanic Course
This course is going to introduce you to advanced tasks in bike building. Frame preparation, thread chasing and alignment are all topics covered in this course. Tasks that even the enthusiast won't need to do that regularly, though knowledge of the processes and considerations are invaluable and the tools we'll be using very expensive.
Level 2 Qualification in Professional Cycle Maintenance
The level 2 certificate in professional cycle maintenance is the industry standard qualification for bicycle mechanics. It covers everything in the courses mentioned above from puncture repair through to frame chasing and facing. In addition because it is a vocational qualification, this course covers a wide range of topics related to work in the bike industry ranging from customer service through to how the British Standard should be applied to bicycles. Though the qualification doesn't assess wheel building it will also be taught.
This course can be taken in two ways, either as an intensive course over 12 days (including 2 days of practical assessments), or as a modular course. In the modular course you attend our Introduction, Home and Master mechanic courses and then signing up to practice and assessment days.
Your course will take place during 2012
Once all the pledges are received, we'll open up our course calendar for bookings and you'll be able to select the course date that suits you on a first come first served basis.
Courses will largely be on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays with intensive Level 2 courses taking place through out a two week period.
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You can also keep up to date with news, videos, courses and all sorts on the Cycle Oxford App for iPhone or Android
So what kind of organisation are we?
Oxford Cycle Workshop Training Ltd is first and foremost a community owned co-operative business, and by pledging towards this project you will become a share holding member. We do plan to make profits and can distribute a percentage of those to our members.
So what do we actually do from day to day? We're a training organisation that offers a range of courses, support services and events both within Oxford and further a field. Through our work with project partners we use bike maintenance training to give practical life skills to both Oxford's homeless population and our cities disengaged young people.
Who are we and where are we?
We're based in the east of Oxford, a city with a real cycling heart. Well connected by public transport Oxford is easy to travel to from London by coach (even with your bike) and train, but also has direct services from many other major UK towns and cities. Oxford is also the perfect city for a weekend break, with plenty of accommodation, distractions and places to ride your bicycle.
What is our background?
Our courses are taught be people with a lot of bike industry and cycle mechanic experience, and because we deliver our courses to such a wide range of people, we have been able to mould and shape our approach to teaching to be as accessible and engaging as possible. Our introduction course has been taught to primary school children and Oxford University lecturers, and we learn so much more about what we're teaching from the primary school children!
If you have any questions please get in touch;
t: 0845 313 8431
