Originally Posted by
UniChris
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There should be a camp where you build your own - there's a huge market for both adult "experiences" and summer programs to fill kids time, and nothing creates self-reliant ownership like knowing how all the parts went together. And while the prebuild has machine assembled wheels, for the camp on day one you're handed the front rim, hub and spokes and walk through lacing it as group, day two you do the dished rear...
Overall the linked article was a bit of a angst stretch at times...
However, as a long time rider, this concept of a camp or course is an really great idea.
Back before they went TU, the local Performance Bicycles Shop had evening classes on various areas of basic to moderate bike maintenance. Attendees could also buy tools at a small discount. Most were not in it to become DIY mechanics, but more to familiarize themselves with what was serious and not and what the limits of their own skills/knowledge was. The tire repair and brake maintenance classes were the most popular. I went to one on drivetrain as I had just migrated from friction DT shifters, freewheels, and a vintage bike to new bike indexed brake lever shifters, aero brake levers, cassettes, and Hollowtech II BBs. I wanted to see for myself what was involved in both adjustments and maintenance and see if I was set with tools. In 90 minutes I learned a lot and picked up a cassette lock ring tool.
We had a similar session in the early 1960s at Boy Scouts on maintaining our coasterbrake bikes to include packing bearings and truing wheels where I also learned that a vise-grip pliers is ALWAYS a tool of last and final resort. Never forgot that one.