I’m going on a balance bike building course!

I’m a fettler. There you go – I’ve held my hands up and been honest with the world. You see there’s nothing I, Chris, like more than tinkering with something broken or old and rusty and bringing it back to life. Maybe it’s something I’ve inherited from my grandfather who was an aeronautical engineer and would repair pretty much anything. If he came across a stubborn item that happened to be beyond redemption, he’d just make a new one. Obviously!

A balance bike building course you say….

Now I’m not blessed with my grandfather’s skills, but I do enjoy getting stuck in and getting my hands dirty, so when news hit the Cycle Sprog office of a balance bike building course, I was all for it.

So, on Sunday night I’ll be singing my way down the M5 to Frome in Somerset, ready for an 8.45 start on Monday morning at The Bicycle Academy.

If you’ve heard of crowd funding, you may well have heard of the Bicycle Academy as back in 2011 they raised an incredible £40,000 in just six days by getting 180 people to pledge money in return for an assortment of goodies – the fastest, and most funded crowd based campaign in the UK.

The Bicycle Academy runs courses that teach the art of bicycle framebuilding to anyone. So if you’re an absolute beginner like me, they’ll tailor the course to your abilities and take you through the whole process of creating a frame.

It will be the first time The Bicycle Academy have run the balance bike building course, so it will be an interesting learning experience all round.

Did I mention I’m going on a balance bike building course?

I’m trying to maintain a semblence of normality, keeping it rather low key externally as Karen will have her hands full with the boys (and their friends) while I’m away. However, the reality is I’m REALLY, REALLY, REALLY excited about this trip.

Hopefully by the end of Tuesday I shall be making my way back up the M5 with my new, handmade balance bike in the boot.

Who knows, if my bespoke set of wheels turns out to be a masterpiece, which hopefully it will be, I may offer it up as a future Cycle Sprog prize. Watch this space!