Last weekend I headed up to Chicago for the Park Tool Tech Summit. This is an intense two day certificate program for professional mechanics where they learn the latest tech info and work hands on bleeding brakes, rebuilding shocks and truing wheels. So, you ask, what was I doing there, well, little did you know, but, my first real job was at Wheels West in St. Louis, where Tom Maher, the owner of the store taught me the ins and outs of bicycle repair. When I took the job, I was in high school and racing BMX, I thought it was going to be an easy job, a great place to get paid and get to hang out at the bike shop with my other BMX buddies. Oh, no, Tom had other ideas. Thanks to Tom, who is a meticulous mechanic, I had to learn EVERYTHING. Things like how to take apart, clean and repair a Sturmey Archer 3-speed coaster brake hub, how to work on fine-French derailuers (thats a Tom joke) and how to build and true wheels. I think that I enjoyed the wheel work the most, and cannot thank Tom enough for teaching me.
Here we are doing an Avid Brake Bleed
Christian and brother Ward--the Shock MASTER!
ready for surgery on the Sid Rock Shox
Ward- more bleeding
Calvin from Park Tool was the best instructor here we are in the tech wheel class.
The Park Tool Tech Summit was great, I highly recommend it. I went to the SRAM, FOX, CAMPY, PARK TOOL, SHIMANO and ROCK SHOX classes.
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