The Revolution

The REVOLUTION is back!

The Revolution is a six week, female focussed bike repair workshop series program. Learn the skills to build and maintain a bike, build a bike to be re-purposed within the community and walk away with your own bike after 6 weeks.

If you are interested in participating in this program please email us at info@firebirdcycle.ca

This workshop series is made possible through the City of Barrie’s Recreation and Sport Community Grant Program, and support from the Canadian Mental Health Association.

Workshop Outline

This program is subject to change but this represents the gist of our goals and how we’ll get there.

Safety First!

. Wear close-toed shoes
. Leave headphones/ earbuds in bag
. Respect people around you, the tools and the space

Bike Repair Workshop Program 6 Weeks

~2 hour sessions

In this program participants will gain a thorough understanding of how to repair and maintain the main systems of a bicycle. They will have a chance to work on a re‐build for Firebird to give back to the community, but also to work on their own bike after the workshop session.

Each week, when participants finish their planned work on a shop bike, they can move on to addressing similar components on their personal bike.

Bike Repair Workshop 

Week 1
– Welcome, get to know each other
– Types of bikes (characteristics and terrains, touring bicycles, mountain bikes, road bikes, show examples)
– Parts of the bike (show)
– Mention common problems and what we will learn during the classes.

– Common tools and sizes used (wrenches, allen keys, tire levers, pump, etc) what tools not to use

– Choose a bike that fits you 

– Changing and adjusting the saddle

– The stem and how to adjust
– Brake lever and your position, etc 

– Road safety elements
– Tighten a headset and correct position of handlebars

– Practise making adjustments to bikes in pairs

Week 2
– How to check your bike and detect problems (show how to do it / I propose in pairs to check bikes and on a paper write down what they detected)
– Changing the inner tube and patching
                     Materials and tools needed
                     Measurements of inner tubes
                     Check what type of valve your bike has.
                     Check the condition of the tire and direction of rotation when riding.
                     Perform in pairs a tire/inner tube


Week 3
We will see everything related to brakes
– Types of brakes
– When should I change the pads or pads
– How to change the brake shoes (show)
– How to adjust the brakes (show)
– In pairs we will repair the brakes of a bicycle

Week 4

– Fix the chain, either by fitting it or by replacing it with a new one 

– Lubing a chain/cleaning a chain

– How to measure your chain and know when to replace it with a new one

– How to identify which chain my bicycle uses?

– Change pedals (show)

– Identify pedal size
– Change grips (show)

– In pairs change pedals, grips and chain on a bicycle 

Week 5

See all about shifting gears
– Show how to adjust it correctly
– When to use which gear?
– Models of derailleurs and derailleur lengths depending on the bike.

– Shift models (types?) and their precision.
– In pairs to adjust the front and rear derailleurs of a bicycle.


Week 6

Mostly Review and Catch-up on missed topics or topics of interest

If advanced group then:
  We will see bottom brackets and wheel bearings
– Tools we need
– Types of bottom brackets
– How to detect when to change

– How to perform maintenance (show)
– In pairs perform bearing maintenance

Additional – Open Shop Drop-In Hours – Open shop hours after the session will provide time for participants to continue working on their own bike.

Don’t forget your ABCs!
A air (tire, tube, wheel)
B brakes (cable, lever, pads)
C chain (derailleurs, wear)