Want to build your confidence on the road? Sign up for a class this summer!
Hail pounded against the shop windows just before the second session of Women’s Urban Cycling got underway. Twelve women were about to learn how to fix a flat and they weren’t going to let Portland’s moody spring weather stop them.
Instructor and Assistant Shop Manager, Sara Loreno, guided the group, which included college students, a regular bicycle commuter, and a young woman about to begin her job search by bicycle, through wheel-tire-tube removal and
replacement. At first the women gingerly detached the brakes and tentatively pulled at their wheels. Sara and co-instructor, Alice Pennington, roamed the room giving tips and answering questions. With all the bikes reassembled, Sara asked them to repeat the task. After the second try participants were pulling chains and pushing wheels like the pros. The class was lively, chatting and encouraging each other along the way.
By the end of the two-hour class, everyone had mastered fixing a flat tire and was fully comfortable with removing then replacing wheels, tires, and tubes. The smiles and sense of accomplishment evident in the room helped explain why everyone showed up on this stormy weeknight. And why they would be coming back for next week’s lesson: Route planning, including reading bike maps and reviewing rules of the road.
This process of achievement is repeated every time the Community Cycling Center holds a class, whether it’s Women’s Urban Cycling, Intermediate Bike Maintenance, or Family Cycling. The combination of individualized instruction and personal practice are hallmarks of the Community Cycling Center’s hands-on teaching style. And it works. Plus it is an important way the organization is fulfilling its mission of broadening access to bicycling and its benefits.
Interested in learning bike maintenance or increasing your comfort level cycling in Portland’s urban environment? We have something for everyone. Scholarships and earn-a-bike options are available for all of our classes. Every class is limited to twelve participants, has two instructors, and includes scholarship options.
Sign up for class by yourself or take it with a friend. The more knowledge you have, the more confident you will be on the road!
Women’s Urban Cycling begins June 16, 2008
Urban Cycling begins July 2, 2008
Family Cycling Saturday, July 19, 2008
Basic Bicycle Maintenance begins August 6, 2008
Intermediate Bicycle Maintenance begins September 10, 2008