These were the workshops of the first BIKE Academy at the FSA BIKE Festival Garda Trentino in Riva.
Drive workshop
Head of the test lab Christoph Allwang, who has been testing every conceivable drivetrain countless times over the past 20 years, talks from his toolbox. Course number one is all about the bike's drivetrain. He explains common mistakes and adjusts the gears together with the participants - from the smallest to the largest sprocket. Even the most experienced mechanics were amazed at the one or other trick. Together with co-host and BIKE mechanic Dominik Scherer, he held further courses on the subject of wheel breakdowns and brake adjustment over the three days of the festival.
Book tip for screwdriver apprentices: The road bike workshop
Suspension setup with BIKE test manager Peter Nilges
The participants of the suspension set-up course rolled up to the BIKE Academy stand on high-priced, well-equipped and very well-maintained bikes. There's not much to improve, our guide thought as he led the participants to the Busatte above Torbole. But not only was the BIKE magazine test track waiting here, but also test manager Peter Nilges and his small open-air workshop. The participants had their first aha moments during the basic course on suspension adjustment. However, as fine-tuning is very individual depending on the area of use, Peter had special tricks up his sleeve for each participant. When are the spring rate and shock set too fast, too hard or too soft? There was still plenty of room for optimisation on each individual bike. But after the final lap on the BIKE test track, everyone's faces were beaming. Even our guide, who brought the participants back to the stand after almost three hours on the course, hardly recognised his bike, which had also been optimised.
Packing a rucksack with Gitta Beimfohr and touring pro Peter Brodschelm
A look inside the rucksack of Germany's most experienced bike guide: Peter Brodschelm from Fahrtwind brought his original packed Transalp touring rucksack to this course. The participants were amazed, because there really wasn't anything in there that hadn't been thought through. There's hardly an item that doesn't fulfil at least two functions. Tools that absolutely have to be there and in which pocket they are stored ready to hand. Peter has even developed a special, space-saving system for clothing in the evening. How to pack all these useful items so that the total weight of eight kilos is evenly distributed and how to adjust the rucksack so that it doesn't pinch anywhere on the tour was another chapter in itself. In the end, participant Klaus Strehle from Neuburg had the biggest grin on his face because he won the Bike Explorer Pro rucksack, which Evoc donated to us especially for the course.
Tremalzo History Tour with BIKE editor-in-chief Henri Lesewitz
Henri Lesewitz gave us a hands-on history lesson. For his excursion up the Tremalzo, the first test track of BIKE magazine, the editor-in-chief unpacked his vintage car and threw himself into brightly coloured bike outfits that were all the rage at the end of the eighties. At the top of the pass, the participants of the fully booked course were able to leaf through the very first BIKE issue from 1989, before getting on Henri's cantilever-braked rear wheel and plunging into the famous gravel bends. Finally, a surprise stop was made by BIKE founder Uli Stanciu, who was waiting at his memorial plaque on the Passo Rocchetta. During a subsequent pasta stop in Pregasina, he told the participants exciting stories from the early days of MTB.
Enduro tour and photo course with BIKE editor Max Fuchs
Foreground makes picture healthy: Our photographer and BIKE editor Max Fuchs lured his photo course participants to the festival test loop on Brione. As we pedalled up together, it was already clear that this was not going to be a beginners' course, as the readers' questions about photographic equipment alone went into great detail. In front of the magnificent panorama at the summit bunker, Max then explained the basics of action photography. He showed the participants pictures from the current issue of BIKE and explained how these photos were taken in detail. With this knowledge, it was off to the downhill trail for the practical part: first Max volunteered to be the photographer so that the participants could apply their new knowledge, then the roles were swapped. Each participant then took home a picture of themselves that was suitable for the title.
Women's Techtalk with BIKE Online editor Sandra Schuberth
BIKE Online editor Sandra Schuberth is not a mechanic. But she sits in the saddle a lot, often and sometimes for days on end. She also sets off on such adventures alone if there is no one else who wants to cycle quickly from Munich to Salzburg on a Thursday afternoon. She learnt early on how to deal with defects on her own and repairs and maintains her bikes herself. Unfortunately, she realises time and again that women often don't dare to tackle bike repairs and technical problems - even though they could. Just do it, try it out and, above all, dare to ask! Sandra conveyed this and a lot of self-confidence during her BIKE Academy techtalk at the stand.
Kenda tyre/wheel courses
How do I convert my mountain bike to tubeless, how do I avoid fitting errors and what tricks can I use to reduce rolling resistance? Tips like these are best obtained directly from the professionals who developed the tyre and put their heart and soul into the product. The mechanics from tyre manufacturer Kenda were bombarded with questions during their BIKE Academy Q&A session, but also learned a lot about the needs of their customers. At the end, one satisfied participant put it like this: "Sure, you can watch a tutorial on YouTube, but here you can ask questions straight away if you don't understand something and try it out straight away. Super!"
