07/09/2026
Mountain Bike Maintenance Day
Nate, Cory, Charlie, Dexter and Jacob recently took part in a Mountain Bike Maintenance Day, giving students the opportunity to develop practical mechanical skills while working together to solve real problems with the school's mountain bike fleet.
The initial goal was to get three of our mountain bikes that were out of action back up and running. The boys successfully achieved this, but the day quickly turned into an opportunity to work through the school's entire fleet. All 15 school bikes received some much-needed attention and servicing.
Students learnt how to tune gears, change tyres and brake pads, bleed hydraulic brakes, replace cables and bottom brackets, diagnose mechanical problems and use a range of specialist bike tools. There was plenty of trial and error throughout the day. Mistakes were made, but that is an important part of learning. Students were encouraged to work through problems, ask questions, try different approaches and learn from what didn't work.
A major focus was teamwork and problem solving. Students worked in pairs to diagnose issues with bikes before seeking advice on how to fix them. They communicated, shared ideas and supported each other as they developed new skills.
Safety was also a key part of the process. Every bike that received servicing was test ridden before being considered ready for use, allowing students to check that their repairs and adjustments had worked correctly and that the bike was safe to ride. We also all had the opportunity to ride the school mountain bike track and put our work to the test.
All five students demonstrated an excellent work ethic and attitude towards learning. They were willing to have a go at unfamiliar tasks, persist when things became difficult and take responsibility for the equipment and jobs they were working on.
After a big day of work, the boys were surprised with lunch from the school canteen as recognition for their hard work, generously provided by the Learning and Support Team. It was a great way to acknowledge the effort and commitment they had shown throughout the day.
The day was a great example of practical learning developing much more than mechanical skills. The boys were building confidence, resilience, communication, problem-solving skills and a sense of responsibility, while completing work that will directly benefit the school's Mountain Bike Program.
The activity was led by Mr Yager, with support from Brad Lane. By the end of the day, three previously unserviceable bikes were back in operation, all 15 bikes had received attention, and five students had gained a valuable set of new skills to take with them both on and off the trails.
