This Saturday, the Hostel Shoppe in Stevens Point is teaching a free roadside repair clinic so you can learn how to deal with a minor bicycle mishap while out riding.

The clinic will take place on Saturday May 17 at 10 AM. The Hostel Shoppe is located at 3201 John Joanis Dr in the Portage County Business Park east of I-39.

If you want to bike to the repair clinic, there is a great non-motorized path under I-39 connecting Joerns Dr to the business park. Going eastward on Patch St/Industrial Park Dr, jog northward to Joerns using the non-motorized path along Hoover and you’ll find the I-39 underpass at the east end of Joerns. Once you get to the business park street system, head south, take the second left, and the Hostel Shoppe will be straight ahead.

I recently spoke to Scott Christophersen, who will be teaching the clinic. He said that he will cover topics such as how to fix a flat tire, how to repair a broken chain, and how to deal with derailleur and brake cable problems. The class will also suggest a collection of tools to bring along to handle common bicycle breakdowns. This free class will last approximately an hour.

All skill levels from novice to advanced are welcome. Christophersen told me that participants will get a free tire lever – useful for fixing a flat – and a coupon good for a discount on tools and supplies talked about in the class.

Although fixing a bicycle problem might seem intimidating, most bicycle repair is actually pretty easy once you learn the necessary steps and get a bit of practice. This clinic is a great way to learn how easy emergency road repair can be, thereby increasing your confidence in riding your bicycle more often.

If you cannot make it to the repair clinic this Saturday, the Hostel Shoppe will be repeating this clinic on Saturday June 21.

To get more information, visit the Hostel Shoppe website or call them at 715-341-2453.

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