Doctor Bike

I wrote this text in an e-mail having been asked about the need for professional mechanics to be "Doctor Bike".

The vast majority of bikes that come to Dr Bike in my experience need really basic things done like tyres pumped up, brakes adjusted, gears adjusted, chains lubricated and (on kids' bikes) saddles raised. These are pretty straightforward jobs which many volunteers can tackle or help with, given enough tools, pumps, lubricant, etc. Ideally the bike's owner or parent thereof pays attention to this and learns how to tackle it independently. Sadly, many are just taking advantage of the free service and not taking the opportunity to learn.

Whilst the vast majority of bikes need these basics, there are relatively few that need ONLY these basics, and this is where there skilled / professional mechanics come in. What I think works well is "nurse bike" working the queue dealing with basic problem as above and referring people to the mechanic only for skilled / more complex jobs. Sort of triage.

Unfortunately there will probably be a fair amount of bikes that are beyond fixing (at least by Dr Bike). I've seen ones with major components missing - brakes typically. I don't know if these people are expecting free spare parts or a miracle, but either are a tall order. The poor quality of some machines as new and the lack of proper bike shops means the condition of some bikes is lamentable / worrying. Or major jobs that the mechanics can't fix for lack of spares are a key issue and the mechanics will need to know what to to to reach a successful outcome. Referring people to their local bike shop when there isn't one is no good - but it is a risk with people from outside the area. Again back up from local groups may help with this.

Another fairly common fault is knackered tyres. Replacing tyres is not that difficult once you've got a replacement, but with the lack of bike shops, actually getting replacements can be tricky, unless you really know what you're doing, which many don't. Wilkinsons (for eample) sells bike tyres, but I really doubt anyone who works there will know how to match the required size. Even bike shop websites can be misleading / confusing about tyre sizes.

If an event organiser is going to pay for mechanics to be Dr Bike, it will be a good plan to try to get volunteers together to work with them and do simpler stuff. Some triaging may involve turning people away with information/advice if it is clear that the mechanics won't be able to help.

The volunteers will have varying levels of skill / confidence and there are a few people in local LCC branches that are skilled mechnics - some pro some perhaps best described as pro-am.

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Volunteering at a Dr Bike can help in three main ways - first, dealing with the basic jobs as described above and freeing up the mechanics to do the more complex things. Second, learning from the mechanics so that you will be able to tackle incresingly more skilled bike fixing jobs. Third, helping to get bikes back on the road.