Riding all year round in all weather conditions brings higher maintenance requirements on your bike.  The mechanics course at Sigma gave me an opportunity to get to grips with some of the basic servicing myself.

The day long course is held in the workshop facility at the Hampton Wick store.  I suggest arriving early to allow some browsing time through the expansive shop floor or hang by the coffee machine if you want to give your wallet a break.

Mark Haylett (workshop manager) introduced himself to our group of 6 and outlined the days activities.  His relaxed manner throughout the day enabled an interactive workshop with plenty of opportunity to get the hands dirty.  There was scope for everyone to steer the course a little with their particular interests and a good Q&A at the end.

The course covered; tool awareness, chain technology, cassette, headset, wheel basics, transmission, cleaning, gear tuning, di2, wheel truing, brakes and bottom bracket.

It was a mentally exhausting day with a lot to take in however I took away exactly what I needed and with some hands on practical experience to boot.  The workshop facility is impressive and seeing the other mechanics at work was a great added bonus.

The winners for me were:

• Complete understanding of headset removal and reassembly.
• Hands on reassembly of rear cassette.
• Product knowledge for greases and lubricants.

A great relaxed day with lots of knowledge and practical experience.  Perfect for an enthusiastic novice liek myself.  Interestingly no hard sell on workshop tools at the end of the day; refreshing.