{"id":40581,"date":"2018-11-19T06:29:51","date_gmt":"2018-11-19T14:29:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/?p=40581"},"modified":"2020-05-22T12:58:12","modified_gmt":"2020-05-22T19:58:12","slug":"jenny-kallista-learned-to-change-a-flat-tire-at-age-8-now-she-trains-new-mechanics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/cycle\/jenny-kallista-learned-to-change-a-flat-tire-at-age-8-now-she-trains-new-mechanics","title":{"rendered":"Jenny Kallista Learned to Change a Flat Tire at Age 8, Now She Trains New Mechanics"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jenny Kallista, the 45-year-old founder of the <\/span>Appalachian Bicycle Institute<\/span><\/a> in Asheville, North Carolina, cranked out her first pedal strokes at 4 years old. She mastered how to change a flat at age 8 under her dad\u2019s direction at home in Illinois. Then, as a teenager, she asked a bike shop for an apprenticeship. Her first project? A complete overhaul of a burgundy, late \u201980s model Fuji road bike.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI took every single component off the bike, disassembled it, tuned it, and rebuilt it,\u201d she says. \u201cIt was fascinating.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

By 2003, she was living in Asheville, working as a glassblower and mountain biking in her down time. When she applied for a part-time mechanic job at a local bike shop, the management offered her a leadership role. \u201cThey thought it\u2019d be great to have a woman as the face of the department,\u201d she says. Kallista completed a three-week course at the <\/span>Barnett Bicycle Institute<\/span><\/a>, a bike mechanic school in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and then started work. <\/span><\/p>\n

From the shop to the classroom, Kallista\u2019s experience mirrors historic patterns. Generally speaking, women have been an underrepresented group in the professional ranks of the bike industry. What made the Asheville shop buck that trend? \u201cThe co-owners were a husband and wife,\u201d says Kallista. \u201cThey were ahead of the curve.\u201d Of course, that didn\u2019t remove all challenges to being a woman in a male-dominated field. <\/span><\/p>\n

Kallista recalls customers who questioned her judgment because they were more accustomed to talking bikes with male techs. She answered phone calls with: \u201cThis is Jenny in service.\u201d Callers would respond: \u201cCan I talk to a mechanic?\u201d Customers would approach the counter, spot her in a work apron wrenching on a bike, and ask the same question. She shrugged off the doubters, a minority, and continued to do her job. And Kallista points out she often worked with male mechanics who addressed customer concerns by saying: \u201cI\u2019m not sure, let me ask Jenny.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

But today, the face of the bike industry has not changed much: professional mechanics are predominantly white males. Th<\/span>e Professional Bicycle Mechanics Association<\/a>,<\/span> a trade group of which Kallista is a board member, counts 1,000 individuals as members. Fewer than 20 percent are women, says James Stanfill, PBMA president. And while REI approaches gender parity among employees and customers, the co-op is still working to fill more of its bike shop positions with women.<\/span><\/p>\n

Stanfill points to women-led cycling groups, like Chicks Who Ride Bikes, as leaders in a cultural shift, and progressive brands that sponsor women-specific skills clinics, camps and events. <\/span><\/p>\n

When REI experienced difficulty filling bike mechanic positions in 2017, they looked to develop talent within employee ranks. REI offered a free two-week course at the Barnett Bicycle Institute in Colorado Springs for 16 women employees. More than 350 women applied for the opportunity.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why the focus on women? \u201cWe want our employee base to reflect the reality of people in the world,\u201d says Dan Broome-Raines, REI\u2019s retail shop program specialist. \u201cThat means creating pathways into the bike shop for those who haven\u2019t got that experience already.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s slowly happening industry-wide, too. For six years, QBP, which manufactures bikes by Salsa and other brands, has funded a women\u2019s bike mechanic scholarship program at Oregon\u2019s United Bicycle Institute for a two-week, pro-level course. In 2019, <\/span>QPB will send 32 women scholarship recipients <\/span><\/a>to the institute; applications closed November 2. <\/span><\/p>\n

To make bike maintenance skills more accessible, REI now offers 20-hour training sessions to its full-time sales staff. Employees learn to change a flat, tension brakes and shifting systems, and adjust a bike seat or handlebars. <\/span><\/p>\n

And while the students and faculty at both the United Bicycle Institute and Barnett are mostly comprised of men, a woman heads the Appalachian Bicycle Institute. That would be Kallista, who opened the school in 2010. There, she welcomes all skill levels, from enthusiastic DIYers to certified professionals, and instructs everything from a two-hour basic maintenance class to custom wheel building. Her day-to-day also includes developing certification standards for the Professional Bicycle Mechanics Association, in partnership with United Bicycle Institute and other colleagues. And she logs ample miles on Pisgah National Forest\u2019s gnarly singletrack.<\/span><\/p>\n

Kallista\u2019s advice for aspiring mechanics? Take your natural aptitude and passion to a basic maintenance class at a bike school, REI or local bike shop. Next: hands-on practice. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAt the first shop I worked at, I\u2019d go in with my own bike and take it apart every week,\u201d she says. \u201cMy skills improved quickly with repetition.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

Jenny Kallista is a bike mechanic in Asheville, North Carolina. (Photo Courtesy: Jenny Kallista)<\/p><\/div>\n

Here, Kallista offers bike maintenance tips\u2014because a little education can help every mountain biker extend their ride.<\/span><\/p>\n

Pre-Ride Checks<\/b><\/h4>\n

Keep your bike trail-fit with preventative measures. \u201cMake sure your chain is properly lubricated,\u201d says Kallista. Try wax-based lubricants for dry climates, and a wetter formula in humid conditions. As you spin a pedal backward, apply a drop per link on the chain\u2019s outer edge, then inner, and wipe off excess. Finished? Next, check tire pressure. \u201cWhat psi you ride varies depending on weight and riding style,\u201d says Kallista, who usually runs 21 psi on her rear tire and 20 up front. \u201cI can\u2019t tell you how many people just inflate their tires until they\u2019re rock hard, then wonder why they feel like they\u2019re bouncing around on the trail.\u201d REI recommends checking brakes before a ride, too.<\/span><\/p>\n

Clean Up<\/b> Routine<\/b><\/h4>\n

After a ride, you hit the shower. Your bike? Not so fast. \u201cSealed bearings on bicycles only keep dirt out, not water,\u201d says Kallista. \u201cThat\u2019s why if you ride up to a stream crossing, if it\u2019s bottom bracket or hub deep, you shoulder the bike rather than ride through it.\u201d High pressure\u2014think a spray nozzle at a car wash\u2014almost guarantees water damage. Kallista recommends mild dish soap in water, applied with a toothbrush or sponge. Start with the cleanest part of your bike and work up to muck. And remember: \u201cIf your bike is super muddy, you\u2019re probably being a negligent trail rider. It\u2019s ruinous to ride trails when they\u2019re muddy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Go the Distance<\/b><\/h4>\n

Give your bike a monthly checkup. \u201cMove the wheels side to side, then wiggle pedals to make sure there\u2019s no play developing,\u201d says Kallista. \u201cListen closing for creaking or grinding.\u201d Those noises could indicate loose bearings that need attention at a bike shop or your tool bench. And each winter, Kallista does a complete overhaul. Don\u2019t know how? \u201cGrab a friend who knows more than you\u2014offer to buy pizza and a six-pack if they show you how to do this or that.\u201d Kallista takes every component off her bike; inspects the frame for cracks, damage or water inside; then greases and lubes components as she rebuilds. It\u2019s what she did as a teenage apprentice\u2014and what more bike mechanics who are women are learning each year.<\/span><\/p>\n

If don\u2019t know how to complete an annual maintenance check on your bike, and none of your friends do either, get your bike checked out at a local shop with professional bike mechanics. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Learn More: Bike Maintenance<\/path><\/svg><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Jenny Kallista, the 45-year-old founder of the Appalachian Bicycle Institute in Asheville, North Carolina, cranked out her first pedal strokes at 4 years old. She mastered how to change a flat at age 8 under her dad\u2019s direction at home in Illinois. Then, as a teenager, she asked a bike shop for an apprenticeship. Her […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":40584,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[1663,1687,1127,726,1688,727],"internal-tag":[],"class_list":["post-40581","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cycle","tag-bike-maintenance","tag-bike-mechanics","tag-cycling","tag-force-of-nature","tag-jenny-kallista","tag-latest-posts"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/rei.com\/blog\/cycle\/jenny-kallista-learned-to-change-a-flat-tire-at-age-8-now-she-trains-new-mechanics","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Jenny Kallista Learned to Change a Flat Tire at Age 8, Now She Trains New Mechanics","url":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/cycle\/jenny-kallista-learned-to-change-a-flat-tire-at-age-8-now-she-trains-new-mechanics","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/cycle\/jenny-kallista-learned-to-change-a-flat-tire-at-age-8-now-she-trains-new-mechanics"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/11\/ABI_more_wrenching-1.jpg?resize=150%2C150","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/11\/ABI_more_wrenching-1.jpg?fit=960%2C540"},"articleSection":"Cycle","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Michelle Flandreau"}],"creator":["Michelle Flandreau"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Uncommon Path \u2013 An REI Co-op Publication","logo":""},"keywords":["bike maintenance","bike mechanics","cycling","force of nature","jenny kallista","latest posts"],"dateCreated":"2018-11-19T14:29:51Z","datePublished":"2018-11-19T14:29:51Z","dateModified":"2020-05-22T19:58:12Z"},"rendered":"