Unless otherwise scheduled, these classes will take place on the 1st and 2nd Thursdays of the month at 6 pm. (Please bring your bike)

When Joe got his very first full suspension trail bike, he couldn’t believe how great it was. Joe had left the factory settings on the front and rear shock, assuming that the shop or the factory knew better than him exactly how this fancy bike should feel. He POGO’d around for a while with the biggest grin ever before going to the trail to meet his friend. As they started their ride, his friend stopped him. Here is the paraphrased conversation that ensued:
Not Joe: “Nice bike”
Joe: “Thanks”
Not Joe: “Do you know what any of these knobs are for?”
Joe: “Nope”
(The miracle of knowledge about suspension occurs)
Not Joe: “See how much better your bike feels?”
Joe: “Holy Sheep Sh*t”
Not Joe: “Pass it on”

And so we are. We want to show you what is going on with your suspension frame and/or your suspension fork. All those knobs are there for a reason. And we understand how confusing setting suspension up on your bike up can be. Our solution is a hands on real world class.

SUSPENSION THEORY

Forks: We want to show you how suspension forks work. We will cover the premise behind how suspension mechanics work, so you can have a grasp on what is happening when you turn a knob and how it will change your ride. This understanding leads to seeing how different adjustments make certain aspects better/worse/indifferent.
Goal: Tune your fork properly for your ride to make you safer, faster and so you just have more fun on your bike.

Fox Fork!

Rear Shocks: Rear shocks work much the same way as front shocks, so this will be a brief review more of the differences than the similarities. The class will have you understanding what you are feeling on the trail, so that you can make adjustments to your likes and dislikes.
Goal: Tune your rear shock so that your bike handles predictably up and down.

Frame Designs: We are going to cover the basics of pivot placement and wheel path theory. We have to call it theory because in the end: you will like what you will like, despite how the marketing appeals to you. Upon having this information within your grasp, you can make informed decisions regarding future purchases (and forum debates).
Goal: To empower you with the knowledge to pick a full suspension bike that works for you, without having to listen to a bunch of marketing fluff.

TIRES

Tires make the difference between pretty fast and oh-my-god-my-eyes-are-burning-from-flying-through-that-corner fast.
We want to teach you how to read a tire. This is a pretty simple thing once you know what to look for. We want to give you a peek into the thinking behind the engineers at companies like WTB, Maxxis, Kenda and Continental. They (for the most part) aren’t just making patterns and crossing their fingers that you will buy it. Each tire has a story that it wants to tell, you just have to know how to listen. Different riders and different trails have a multitude of variable that the right tire can help. Once you get a feel for this, you will be faster.
Goal: You will be able to pick out tires that help your riding.

Maxxis Ignitor

COST (IT IS FREE, BUT NOT REALLY)
Signing up for our Suspension and Tire Class is free. We ask that if you sign up, you show up, because seats are limited.
Contact Joe at Salvagetti dot com to sign up.

FULL DISCLOSURE
In the grand scheme of things, we want you to enjoy cycling. That is why this class is free. We are only charging to ensure that you make it to the class.

And by taking this class (for free), you will absolutely learn something that will make your cycling experience better. But our plan does not stop with you taking our class and having more fun. Oh no no no. We want you to spread your knowledge like wild fire. Get everyone to set up their suspension correctly. Make everyone realize that tires make a HUGE difference on the trail. Give the gift of knowledge to anyone who will listen, so the good times keep on coming. And if they need more info than you can throw at them, send them down for a class. JUST MAKE IT HAPPEN, DAMMIT!

IT SHOULDN’T BE SCARY
Coming into a new sport that uses words like chamois and derailleur is scary enough. Now you are telling me I need to get some arm warmers? Aren’t those just sleeves?

WE KNOW, WE USED TO NOT WEAR LYCRA, TOO
We are gonna start at the tip of your head and move down to the bottom of your feet in the first of our Demystification Series Workshops. We want you to know for yourself what you need to wear for your style of cycling and why you need it. We would like to set you free from all the hype and marketing and give you some good old fashioned facts about technical bicycling apparel for Spring and Summer.

Having the right gear makes life on a bicycle so much better. Being happy with your gear will help you to want to ride further and more frequently. We want to help you select what you need based on just that: WHAT YOU NEED. We are going to arm you with just enough knowledge to be dangerous.

APPAREL WILL INCLUDE:

Helmets
Sunglasses
Jerseys
Arm Warmers
Gloves
Bibs
Shorts
Socks
Shoes

NO NEED TO SIGN UP
Come in on Monday at 6:30pm and we will get started. We should have everything pretty wrapped up by about 7:30pm unless the crowd gets a little too restless!

And bring questions, we love questions.

So much gear, so much gear

No, seriously. We are going to take you through building a wheel.

We’ll take you all the way from picking out quality components to finishing with those touches that cause your wheel to pretty well never break.

We are limiting each workshop to only a few students: 3 to be exact.
Contact phillip@salvagetti.com to sign up. The first 3 (three) to pay for the class will get in.

We are having two of these workshops for March.

The first workshop is broken down into these 2 sessions:
1. Parts and Lacing – Monday 3/8/10 at 5:30pm until you are done around 8ish.
2. Tension and Finishing – Saturday 3/13/10 at 9:00am until you have an amazing wheel (about 1:00pm).

The second workshop is broken down into these 2 sessions:
1. Parts and Lacing – Monday 3/22/10 at 5:30pm until you are done around 8ish.
2. Tension and Finishing – Saturday 3/27/10 at 9:00am until you have an amazing wheel (about 1:00pm).

Sign up quickly, the price is sliding depending on what parts you buy from us. It will range from $50 to $90 (as you buy more to less stuff.) You are also welcome to tip if you like Phillip’s work.

If you want to take the class, but these days don’t work. Let us know what will.

This is what it sounds like. Our free (FREE!) flat change class, twice a week.

We are going to empower you to change your own flat. You will know how to figure out what caused your flat, make the necessary changes and get rolling again.

And to make matters even better, we are going to give you a free tube for listening to our entire class. (Regular tubes, not sealant or long valves).

WHAT THE HECK?
You will be shown what the heck can cause a flat tire through investigating the rim, tire and tube. This can help prevent future flats as well.

HOW THE HECK?
How the heck to remove the wheel, take off the tire and tube and put it all back together.

WHY THE HECK?
Why the heck there are all these numbers on the tire and what are these spoons? Why are there two types of valves on tubes? Why do I have to fill my tires so often if there isn’t a big hole in it?

WHEN THE HECK?
Thursdays at closing (7pm) and Sundays at 5pm. It’s free and (even) you will learn something.