Classes

Classes are a big part of the Bike Kitchen's mission and income. They're a great way to learn teaching skills while inspiring self-sufficiency in newer cyclists. Many mechanics benefit from teaching one or two of these classes, because it's a chance to talk through how to diagnose, overhaul and possibly repair a component in a calmer environment than the usual open hours. Thus teaching classes helps make you a better mechanic for open hours.

We have curricula for three existing classes:

• External Maintenance
• Internal Maintenance
• Wheel Building

Class Sales

• Online: Almost all of our allotted class spots are sold online through Eventbrite and we encourage participants to sign up for a class this way whenever possible. Credit cards and Paypal are accepted through this site. The link to purchase a spot in an upcoming class is available on the BK website.
• In the shop: We have experimented with signing up patrons within the shop. This causes several logistical problems, though. Our classes have been selling out extremely quickly, and so adding people in the shop often makes the class over-enrolled. If you are a mechanic on shift and someone asks you about signing up for a class, it is almost always better to do two things:
  • Look at this page to double-check the protocol.
  • Tell them to send an email to classes@bikekitchen.org for more information. That email address copies to the Education Coordinator as well as recent class instructors. One of us can then follow up with them.

Class Fees (sliding scale)

• $55-$95 for members
• $105-$145 for non-members

If a patron is not a member, they must pay within the $105-$145 scale. In that case, registering for the class also buys them a one-year membership.

Setting Up a Class

The basic steps for teaching a class:

1. Volunteer to teach an upcoming class, either at the mechanics' meetings or on the email list
2. Check scheduling with the Education Coordinator, in order to make sure that your desired time slot is available
3. Set up ticketing through Eventbrite. If it is your first time doing so, you may want to have the Ed Coordinator or an experienced instructor show you how.
4. Email the ticketing link for your class, along with a class description, to the following places:
   • The Bike Kitchen's IT Coordinator, to post to the web site and calendar
   • The Bike Kitchen Staff email list (You must subscribe to post there), so other mechanics know about the class
   • The Google group for class announcements - class list You must be an owner to post to this list. This is a public group linked from our website that people can sign themselves up for. This is highly effective way to publicize the classes to very interested people.
5. Post the classes to the SFBC calendar here: http://www.sfbike.org/events/community/add It will be reviewed it before it goes live. The SF Bike Coalition can then post it on their website schedule of bike-related events and emails to SFBC members
6. Post the classes to the Bike Kitchen's Facebook and Twitter, and the WTF meetup page
7. As people sign up for your class, take note in Freehub whether they're a member. If they are not, create a membership for them (They've paid for one, after all!). You can also add either a service or a tag for "class" so we know that they've taken one. This is useful for us if we need to contact members who have taken a class in the past.
8. Teach the class!