The Shore Sirens is a welcoming community for women+ and non-binary mountain bikers, dedicated to building skills and connections both on and off the trails, and are committed to supporting Indigenous-led organizations, and caring for the land. The Shore Sirens focus on making mountain biking accessible to everyone through various programs, and they strive to create a supportive space in a traditionally male-dominated sport, aiming to bring people together and foster a love for mountain biking.
We're huge fans of the amazing work they've been doing, and want to support them in any way we can, so for 2024 we worked with them to put on a workshop series focused on giving Shore Sirens members the confidence to pick up a wrench and work on their own bikes. The sessions ranged from suspension setup to brake bleeding, and aimed to cover things broadly, while going deep on the parts that matter, so that everyone can leave having learned something.
Steed Cycles mechanic Ash Kelly headed up the workshops, sharing years of hard earned knowledge with Sirens members over four sessions:
April: Suspension Setup
Suspension setup is such a vitally important but easily overlooked part of bike setup and maintenance. Teaching people not only how to set up their own suspension, but also understand it so they have the knowledge to make adjustments to suit trail conditions or difficulty makes such a big difference to the way a bike rides. Starting at the basics with air pressure, Ash had Shore Sirens members partner up and work together to set each others sag and get the spring rate dialed in. Diving deeper, they learned about rebound and compression damping rates, how they affect the ride, and how to get them in the sweet spot.
May: Tubeless Systems
May focussed on tubeless systems. Tubeless can be pretty daunting to beginners and seasoned riders alike, so it's always good to get a refresher on, because once you wrap your head around it, tubeless isn't as hard as it seems. Ash started by explaining the benefits of tubeless systems and how they work, getting into simple things like topping up sealant, seating tires, and explaining max pressures. Getting the participants to have a go themselves is always super important, so having the ladies change tires and inflate them with the compressor was a good confidence booster. Next up, troubleshooting leaky tubeless systems starting with valves and ending at rim tape, Ash had folks re-taping their own rims by the end of the session. Safe to say everybody left feeling a lot more confident in their tubeless setups.
June: Drivetrain
The drivetrain is the part of the bike that turns pedalling force into forward motion - it's not an enviable job, but someone has to do it. Keeping your drivetrain in fine fettle will keep you out of trouble, as well as keeping annoying shifting problems at bay. Ash started the workshop with some basic drivetrain principles and adjustments, such as cable tension and B-gap, following up with cable replacements, BB installation, and full drivetrain stripdowns and reinstalls.
July: Brakes
Brakes are super important; they're your safety mechanism, and neglecting them can have some serious consequences, so it pays to make sure they're in good shape. Thankfully, as with most bike parts, maintaining brakes is something pretty much anyone can do. This time around, Ash started off by showing SRAM's Science of Stopping videos to show just how much engineering goes into brakes, and how setup and a proper bed in procedure can make a world of difference. Next up, actually bedding in the brakes, and setting up levers for different hands and setup preferences. Finally, tuning brakes, troubleshooting brake issues, caliper servicing and maintenance, and finally bleeding. Ash left few stones un-turned, meaning most people should be able to set their brakes up to get the most out of them.
We want to say a huge thank you to Ash for leading the sessions this year, to Charlotte from the Shore Sirens for helping organise, to Red Truck Beer for supplying drinks, and to the Shore Sirens members for being such awesome students. We hope everyone went away with some new skills, and will be able to apply them to their own bikes. In support of enabling women to do more in the great outdoors, the Shore Sirens will be donating a portion of the entry fees to the workshop sessions to Indigenous Women Outdoors - a non-profit committed to helping connect indigenous women with nature.
