Basic Bike Recovery Workshop

A request..
Sometime back, a couple of newcomers had requested for an informal training session where they can learn on how to recover their bikes after a puncture.
Lately, there are a lot of beginners on the scene who are totally new to bicycling. Most don't even know how to inspect their tire in case of a puncture.
I met a father-and-son team in Putrajaya last month. The elder guy, Mr Fong had requested for a basic workshop which I obliged.
I didn't expect a lot of people to attend as it is really basic.
So, after announcing it on the Malaysian Foldies Forums and on its Facebook page, the response was encouraging.
I also a received a box of tire levers and patch kit from the generous Joshua Leong of Conticomponents in Singapore for the purpose of conducting training.
Danny Teo of Schwalbe Malaysia (under Le Run Industries) whom I had formed a really good professional working relationship had agreed to offer a 10% discount voucher for those who attend the workshop.

Explaining on how to remove the tire from its rim to an attentive student (pix by Sin Tai Lim) during the workshop

 I picked Desa Park City in Kepong as the venue for the event. 
Its a nice place to cycle - especially for beginners and I had designed it to be a two-hour session - one hour of cycling 10.5km around the neighbourhood and a 30-minute workshop, plus another 20 minute of product briefing by Schwalbe.
This is the first time I had conducted a basic workshop and there is much to be desired about improvement.
But I was very lucky in the sense that most of the attendees were cooperative. There were some seasoned cyclists in the midst who also provided their expertise, which made the sessions even smoother.
Mid-way into the session, some foreign security guards were getting restless. We ended the session as scheduled and proceeded to the Schwalbe product introduction over tea.

Addressing the crowd

We sat down and talked a bit, then, one of the Desa Park City management guy came by.
He asked if we were residents, which we were not.
I complemented him on the facilities and told him that his security guards were overzealous. 
In this case, its the same everywhere when it comes to bicyclists in shopping malls and public areas. 
Now to nail it in the head, the guy ate his breakfast and drank his coffee without paying! We had a mouthful from a Malay girl who handled the bill.
To sum it up, we've had a successful outing, the only thing is that from the harassment from the security guards, we won't be holding anymore workshops in Desa Park City.