{"id":309,"date":"2015-09-25T03:51:26","date_gmt":"2015-09-25T03:51:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/v2.mappyhour.org\/blog\/?p=309"},"modified":"2020-07-12T18:45:30","modified_gmt":"2020-07-12T18:45:30","slug":"mappy-hour-dc-learning-bikepacking-bike-maintenance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mappyhour.org\/blog\/2015\/09\/mappy-hour-dc-learning-bikepacking-bike-maintenance\/","title":{"rendered":"Recap: Learning Bikepacking & Bike Maintenance with Mappy Hour DC"},"content":{"rendered":"
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As the rain soaked DC’s streets on Monday night, many ran straight home from work from the elements. Yet the DC Mappy Hour crew along with the amazing staff I’d REI were busy being outdoors in the Wunter Garten in NoMa. It was our monthly Mappy Hour, where outdoor enthusiasts can come together and plan trips, learn new skills and relax. The nights topic was biking with a focus on bike maintenance and “bikepacking” taught by REI Outdoor Schools Staff.<\/p>\n

For those who missed out, here are a few nuggets we took away from the night:<\/p>\n

BIKE MAINTENANCE BASICS<\/h3>\n

When you’re out on the road you may not need to know how to adjust every small component of your bike but you do need to have two basic skills in case you get stuck away from a bike shop.<\/p>\n

#1 Putting a chain back on the bike<\/h4>\n

You might have been using the wrong gear to go up a hill or switched your gears at the wrong moment – whatever the reason, if you’re out on the open road and your chain falls off you have to know how to fix it to get back home. Here’s a great 5-step guide<\/a> to easily (and relatively cleanly)\u00a0putting your chain back on the bike.<\/p>\n

#2 How to fix a flat tire<\/h4>\n

Arguably the<\/em>\u00a0most important piece of bike maintenance knowledge – changing a flat can be a frustrating skill to learn at the beginning. The truth is – if you ride your bike enough, it will happen so practicing before you’re in a high stress situation will make the process easier until you’re changing your flat as fast as the professionals do. While there’s nothing like in person knowledge, REI’s 4 Step Guide to Changing a Flat<\/a>\u00a0is a great place to familiarize yourself with the basics.<\/p>\n

THE ART OF BIKEPACKING<\/h2>\n

#1 How to pack<\/h4>\n

Usually people are more familiar with purely backpacking – hiking with a pack of your belongings on your back. Bikepacking, also known as “touring,” means instead of hiking, your biking, and instead of carrying your things on your back, you carry them attached to your bike. Like with any outdoor sports, there are pros and cons to various pieces of gear but REI broke down the general basics of packing gear you’ll need (adapted from this awesome article on bikepacking<\/a>).<\/p>\n