Shop Manual

This manual is designed to help you have a better time volunteering. It's much easier to have a good time if the job you're doing is easier, and we hope to make it easier by providing explanations that you can use to learn new tasks or remember how to do ones you've done before. Enjoy!

Shop Jobs

Each article below will teach you how to do a specific job at the co-op. Each covers what you need to know to begin, and gives instructions on how to proceed with the task. The tasks are divided by how much you need to know to attempt each task.

Beginner

Despoking Wheels - Despoking wheels
Inflating Tubes - Inflating tubes / tires
Wheel Care - Cleaning and lubing wheels

Intermediate

Checking Tubes - Checking innertubes for leaks
Tired Wheels - The OCBC procedure for handling wheels with tires on them
Removing Tires - How to remove a tire

Advanced

Wheel Evaluation - How to determine whether a wheel is good or worth fixing
Bike Evaluation - How to evaluate a bike and decide its fate
Tuning for sale - How to prepare a bike to be sold

General information on parts and using tools

Parts

Handlebars - Types of Handlebars and how to sort them
Tube Valves - The two types of valves commonly seen on tubes
Wheel Sizes - The different sizes of wheels and tires

Tools

Using Calipers - How to measure using calipers
Measuring Spokes - How to measure the length of a spoke
Spoke Wrenches - How to know which one you need
Truing Stand - How to place a wheel into the truing stand correctly

Evaluating Parts

Evaluating Saddles - Saddles are either good, free, or ruined
Evaluating Handlebars - How to tell whether handlebars are usable
Evaluating Pedals - Which things are ok, and which can't be fixed
Evaluating Stems - How to know that they have their parts and aren't cracked
Evaluating Brake Levers - Making sure they are ready to be used
Evaluating Hubs - Our standards for keeping hubs
Evaluating Front Derailleurs - All of the important parts
Evaluating Derailleurs - The important parts for rear derailleurs
Evaluating Helmets - How to sort helmets by condition

Sorting Parts

Sorting Spokes - Measuring length and width, and how to use the motel
Sorting Saddles - Sorting saddles by width and construction
Sorting Handlebars - Separating road from mountain and good from free
Sorting Pedals - Sorting pedals by size and type, and pairing them
Sorting Stems - Sorting quill stems by length and diameter
Sorting Brake Levers - Sorting flat bar levers from road levers
Sorting Brake Calipers - Telling caliper from cantilever, and sorting caliper brakes
Sorting Cranks - Different kinds of cranks and what to do with them
Sorting Derailleurs - Separating front from rear
Sorting Front Derailleurs - Sorting doubles from triples
Sorting Rear Derailleurs - Sorting the four categories of rear derailleurs