During the holidays, Halfords, the national cycling retailer holds FREE bike maintenance workshops for kids.

We booked a place and went along to the Trafford store in White City.

 On arrival we had to wait a few minutes, as there was a bit of confusion about where the session would take place. I had to lug Boy 2 up the stairs in his buggy, only to bring him back down again, but a friendly member of staff have me a hand.
It turned out that we were the only ones who bothered to honour our booking, which meant a free 1-2-1 session for Boy 1. 😊

After being escorted to the back of the shop, we were introduced to Pete, who decided to tailor the session to my son’s preference.

Pete was really friendly and professional. Given that the shops aren’t really catered towards interacting with youngsters, he did a great job of speaking to Boy 1 at his level – not too patronising, but not too much bike jargon.

He talked through the ‘M check’ process used for checking a bike is roadworthy.

Start at your back wheel, checking for punctures and ensure the chain is positioned properly.

Then move up to your seat to check it is the correct height and firmly in place.

Next, the pedals, up to the handle bars and gears. Then finally the front wheel.

Rather tan just talking at us for an hour, Pete allowed Boy 1 to have a go at tightening screws, pumping tires and fixing punctures.

With a 7 year old who is obsessed with the number of gears on his new bike, Pete kindly offered to explain which setting a and combinations are best.

The verdict 

Whilst it wasn’t the most glamorous way to spend a Wednesday morning, we both found it very useful. I’d certainly recommend it for children age 6+.

Plus, we got biscuits!!

I do think they’ve missed a trick though…. Maybe giving some kind of pack with a certificate of completion, or quiz, or even some good old fashioned stickers. Kids LOVE stickers! Any kind of take-home item to remind them of the experience and what they’ve learnt would work really well.

Rating: 4/5