United Bicycle Institute (UBI)
Bicycle Mechanic's Course Mar 3-Mar 14 2003
On
March 3rd I attended a course (Professional Repair and Shop Operation) in
Ashland Oregon. My goal was to earn a certification in bicycle mechanics.
The course, offered by the United Bicycle
Institute (UBI) located at the convergence of the Siskiyou and Cascade
Mountains in south central Oregon, was an intense study of every aspect of bike
mechanics which included professional lectures, instructor demonstrations,
plenty of student hands-on, and a comprehensive 100 question certification exam.
We did everything from building wheels to delving into the inner most parts of
every working system of a bicycle. As a finale, we each assembled a
bicycle for a local bike shop.
The fee wasn't cheap (thanks to my employer
America by Bicycle for helping defray some of the cost) as the tuition was $1050
which did not include room and board nor transportation to Oregon. Aside
from the cost, if you are serious about opening a bike shop, learning how to
service bicycles, and/or making a living in the bicycle industry, it's well
worth the admission to get to rub elbows and learn from the school's experienced
staff. In my opinion, they present themselves as professionals who
obviously enjoy what they are doing and they present the material in a way
that's easily comprehended. All activities were prefaced with an
instructor demonstration or lecture before the students were turned loose on
actual bicycles.
Our instructors, Tim Schurr and Ron Sutphin have
forgotten more about bicycles than most of us will ever learn. Ron has
been working in the bicycle industry since 1978 as a retail shop manager, master
mechanic, and master frame builder. He is the President of the school and
has been teaching since the school's beginning in 1981. Ron was amazing
(aside from the fact he wore a shirt most of the time with "Bob" embroidered
over the pocket which was the only part of the entire program I couldn't figure
out). It was scary when he would start quoting part numbers and
operational specs from single speed coaster brakes that were common in the 1950s
or converting complicated inch pound torque ratings to Newton meters without
consulting a chart or calculator. I thought he was gifted to be able to do
that sort of thing, but he seemed to look at it as a curse. Tim has been
in the business for over 15 years and brings vast experience in the areas of
competition, commuting, mechanics, manufacturing, distribution, and bike
advocacy. Both he and Ron have made a living out of sharing their
experiences and expertise with others. They are good at it too. They
have to be...how else could they spend a whole day talking about derailleur
adjustments, another whole day talking about brakes, and another whole day on
headsets?! The school also offers a beginning level class and courses in
frame building, master wheel building, suspension systems, and they even offer a
class especially designed for women...something for just about everyone.
Our class consisted of 17 students from all over
the country ranging from young aspiring bicycle mechanics to several who were
opening their own bicycle shop to those, like me, who just wanted to validate
their skills to work in the
bicycle industry. The Pro Repair Course I attended had no prerequisite
requirements, but I was glad I had 10 years experience as a mechanic...some of
the people were inexperienced and I'm thinking if I'd been completely new to the
game, I would have been overwhelmed with all the technical stuff. Everyone
seemed to benefit especially since almost all of the topics included a student
hands on activity to support the presentation.
All in all, I chalk it up as a great experience
and highly recommend this school for whatever you want to learn about bicycles.
From instruction for beginners to building wheels to building frames, they
provide professional instruction at every level. For more information,
check out their website at
www.bikeschool.com. I'm glad I did...keep riding. Mike
Below are some other images from our class:
One of the important skills of being a
professional mechanic is to be able to take accurate measurements. Here
Darren and Laura cross check the flange hole diameter to determine the spoke
length to build their wheels.
Robert proudly shows off his first hand built
wheel set. I'm sorry to tell you Robert, but now you'll just have to take
it all apart for the next class. Good work though.
Just think...just 2 short weeks ago I didn't know
the difference between a top tube and a seat tube...now I are a mechanic!
Now
let's see, righty tighty, lefty loosey...or is it...?
What a motley looking group...but we are now bike
mechanics. The bike industry will never be the same.