Mel Allwood is a director of Brixton Bicycles and mechanic for their mountain bike race team. She ran a successful bicycle maintenance course for women from 1995 to 1998, was Technical Editor for Mountain Bike Maintenance magazine and was a contributor to Cycling Today and On Your Bike. She has worked in bicycle shops since the age of 15 and been a mountain-biker since 1988. She now writes the Product Review pages for London Cyclist magazine. She lives in south London.

Basic tools and equipment; * The language of bicycles; * Toolkit; * Potions & lotions; * The biscuit box; * Rescue repairs for the trail; * Punctures; * Fitting tubes; * UST punctures; * Stiff links/split links; * Mending chains; * Crank and pedal repairs; * Emergency wheel repairs; * Gear cable failure; * Derailleur cables; * Safety checks; * Comfort zones; * Cleaning routine; * Fixing brakes; * Replacing brake blocks; * Cycling tips; * Checking for wear and tear.