Conner’s blog: my experience of a Salford summer programme

My name is Conner, and over the school summer holidays, I took part in the Riding to Success summer programme that was organised by the Find Your Future team. The programme was all about learning to repair and maintain a bike. All the bikes were donated to the programme by local residents and businesses who no longer needed them, so that we could fix them up.

On day one, I was introduced to the leaders of the programme who explained the basics of a bike.

The first thing I was taught was how to do an ‘M check’. This consists of moving your hands along the bike, starting at the front wheel and moving up to the front handlebars, down to the cranks, up to the saddle and lastly down to the rear wheel.

After completing the M check on my bike, I concluded that I needed to change my front tire as it was not in the best condition. I also needed to change both my front and rear brakes as these were a major safety hazard. After Andy (one of the programme leaders) explained how to change a tire, I got to work replacing mine with an old one I found that was still in good condition. As my wheel was quick release, it was quite simple. All I had to do was open the lever and loosen the bolt keeping the wheel in, whilst sliding my old wheel out. I then got my new wheel, lined it up and tightened it in to make sure it didn’t wobble and come loose when I started riding my bike.

On day two, my main task was to replace my brakes and pads on both my front and rear wheels. In order to do this, I had to remove the old brake cable and mounting bolts, detach the break arms and install the new brake parts. After I had done this, I attached a new cable and wired it through sections on my bike. Lastly, I adjusted the tension and tightened everything back up. When I was finished, I just made sure everything worked…and it did!

After completing the most necessary parts to fixing my bike, I started helping to fix other bikes that were going to be donated for people who need them.

On the last day of the programme, I interviewed Andy. Here is what he had to say:

Conner: What are your thoughts on the programme at the start and now?

Andy: At the start, I was not fully sure on what the group would be like. However, now that I’ve met the group and individuals, I’m really happy with the group. I’ve been doing this programme for four years, and this is my favourite group so far.

Conner: What have you enjoyed about it?

Andy: I didn’t know what to expect at first, as it’s a completely new group of people. But I don’t regret it one bit. I’ve met some outstanding people and I would say the thing I have enjoyed the most from the entire programme is meeting this group.

Conner: What have you learnt?

Andy: I have learnt to relax and be more flexible with people’s pace over the four years, as I understand people don’t always go at the same pace as others.

Conner: Thanks Andy!

I would recommend this programme myself as its a great way to meet new people, and most importantly, learn about bikes in case you ever need to fix you own. You also get to keep the bike at the end of the programme, so it feels like you’ve earned something for the effort you’ve put into your own bike and others. You also get breakfast and dinner. There’s no reason you shouldn’t get involved.

It was GCSE results day yesterday, and I’ve now enrolled a level 2 Diploma in Creative Media at The Manchester College, where I hope to learn more about media and journalism.