Unit 6: Mountain Biking
Lesson 2
Identifying Bike Parts and Bike Maintenance
Overview
Participants must be able to identify bike parts; wash, adjust, lubricate, and repair bikes; and check for problems before riding. This lesson makes a great rainy-day activity. The bike maintenance part of this lesson should be taught indoors so that small parts do not get lost.
Learning Objectives
- To identify parts of a bicycle
- To be able to wash, adjust, and lubricate a bicycle
Activity 1: Identifying Bike Parts
In order to ride safely, participants should inspect the bike before riding. To do this well, they must be able to identify bike parts. After familiarizing themselves with the diagram provided, participants can demonstrate their understanding of bike parts through an active game.
Skill Cues
- Participants receive a labeled diagram of a mountain bike (figure 6.4) and follow along as the purpose of each part is explained.
- Parts covered include handlebars, gearshifts, suspension forks, tires, pedals, front and rear derailleurs, chains, chain rings, cassettes, brakes, saddles, and frames.
Teaching Cues
- Put participants into groups of two or three on one side of the area with bikes on the other side.
- Call out “Rear derailleur,” and the first rider (1) writes down the part on a sticky note, (2) sprints up to the bike (slowing down at a clearly marked boundary before approaching the bike), (3) places the sticky note on the appropriate part on the bike, and (4) returns to the group. Once finished, call out another bike part and the next person will go, and so on (see figure 6.4 for a list of bike parts for this activity).
- When the activity ends, give the groups time to self-evaluate their performance.
- Take a few minutes to discuss each part by having participants explain the purpose of the part.
Risk Management
- Participants should be well spaced so they do not run into one another during this activity.
- Having extra shoes with appropriate soles will help ensure that all participants are equipped with proper footwear for this activity.