Outspoken Cycles Park Tool School courses are aimed at home mechanics who wish to have an in-depth knowledge of their bikes as well as those individuals required to maintain bikes for friends, schools, clubs, businesses and other organisations.
The 4 Day Advanced course teaches you advanced mechanical skills following the Park Tool Big Blue Book of Bicycle Repair syllabus in order to help you gain the confidence to take on bicycle repairs involving various manufacturers and systems. Completion of assessment leads to the award of a certificate. You are encouraged to work on your own bike. Please be aware for some elements of the course certain bikes may not be suitable, however, there are also a number of classroom bikes to work on where necessary. We can provide a classroom bike if you’re unable to bring your own.
Course Detail
Over four days you will cover:
Workshop Practices (Health and Safety, Safe use of tools, PPE, etc.)
Tyres & Tubes (Inspection, sizing, systems, puncture repair)
Cassettes & Freewheels (types, compatibility, wear, removal and installation)
Hub Service (full strip down and rebuild, different systems)
Gears and Cabling (identify issues, re-cable, set up and adjustment)
Headsets (a-Head and Quill types, strip down and reassemble)
Wheel Truing (spoke replacement, introduction to truing, demo wheel construction and lacing)
Frame Assessment & Preparation (damage, tools, frame preparation etc.)
Bike Setup (choosing the right size bike, saddle height, basic bike fit)
Cranksets & Bottom Brackets (different types discussed, removal and replacement)
Rim & Disc Brakes (mechanical disc and rim brake set up and adjustment, demo of hydraulic brake bleed)
Price
The course costs £500 inc VAT. This includes Park Tool Big Blue Book of Bicycle Repair and the use of all tools and equipment while on course.
If you’re a Cambridge Cycling Campaign member, we offer a 15% discount to support the good work that they do. Please email us for access to your coupon code.
Refunds for courses are only given under exceptional circumstances and never within 7 days of the advertised course. In the unlikely event we have to make the difficult decision to cancel a course, participants will be offered a refund or the option to reschedule. Please read our terms and conditions for full details.
Pre-requisites
Course participants must be 18 years old or above. We may be able to accommodate younger participants 16+, we accept these on a case by case basis based on prior experience. Please contact us to discuss.
Participants should have a good knowledge of the key content outlined in the Basic: Ride With Confidence and Intermediate courses before booking the Advanced course as this level of knowledge is assumed by the instructor on the day. There will be a brief refresher, but if you are unsure do get in touch to discuss.
Course Timings, Assessment, Location & Travel
Courses run 9am-4pm over four days, or 9:30am – 4:30pm for weekend courses. Courses take place in our dedicated training workshop at our offices in Cambridge. We have an abundance of bike racks, and we are close to Cambridge North Station. There is limited parking on site on a first-come-first-served basis and we are close to parking at Cambridge North Station. There is some limited on-road parking (at owners risk). You may also park for free at the Milton Park & Ride, which is only a short 15 minute cycle to our workshop.
Further details
If you have any further questions, please do please get in touch to discuss. For more information, please read our Terms & Conditions.
I would like to say a big thank you to all the teachers for the knowledge they have given me, I’ve loved learning it – Simon Spry, PTS Advanced Participant July 2022