Originally Posted by mstateglfr

Good lord, the shortsightedness of so many on BF never ceases to amaze.
It's been stated multiple times already, but there are tangible benefits to teaching mechanical maintenance even on bikes from the 70s or 80s, so pre-indexed. 90s and indexed would be good too.

Taking something apart, understanding how it works, and putting it back together is a hugely valuable learning process. Reiterating how simple machines work is huge. Theath that can come from figuring out gear ratios is huge. The physics lessons that can be easily tied to basic bike maintenance is huge.
Teaching practical life skills is vital to the learning process and to help ensure success as students age.
Someone knowing they can use wrenches to tear down and rebuild a bike can help give them confidence to make simple fixes to household appliances like a clothes dryer or a dishwasher.