Back From The Dead – Our bike shop doesn’t run like yours

Members' FeatureOnline Feature

by ago 50

Dieter works at our local social enterprise bike shop, and we’ve talked him into bringing us a few of his more ingenious and interesting fixes, alongside whatever commentary he might like to get off his chest. UPDATE! We just spotted that Happy Days Cycles, where Dieter works, is up for a Bike Biz award! Nice one! Voting link here if you feel so inclined… After years working in the industry I can honestly say I’ve never enjoyed my work more than working where I do now. Happy Days Cycles (another shameless plug, let’s see how many of these I can get away with!) has been a real breath of fresh air in my mechanical life. After feeling pretty burnt out on the industry’s relentless push to make last year’s parts and bikes obsolete as soon as you’ve bought them and keep you locked in to the endless cycle of consuming, it’s certainly refreshing to spend my days getting to keep stuff going however possible.  While the shop is still a for profit enterprise we can count our motivations as...
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Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 50 total)
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  • Back From The Dead – Our bike shop doesn’t run like yours
  • Premier Icon kimbers
    Full Member

    Was kinda hoping this was a Sick Bicylces story 😉

    But instead its actually really cool idea for a shop

    If I was local Id happily donate a lot of old spares!

    Posted 6 months ago
    Premier Icon Matthew Hornby
    Full Member

    FYI, if you get new air compressor with a larger tank, (I assume yours is a 24 litre standard Aldi/Lidl compressor) you’ll probably find yourself over the trigger point for needing an insurance safety inspection and written scheme under pressure systems safety regs.

    The limit is 250 Bar Litres, (compressor pressure X vessel capacity) so if you get an 8 bar compressor, you are limited to a 31 litre tank. It’s another layer of expense and complexity if you are using air compressors in a commercial setting. Not meant to sound preachy, but it’s not something that you’d commonly need to be aware of.

    Posted 6 months ago
    Premier Icon nbt
    Free Member

    What a great story. Is there an online resource listing places like this where we could potentially donate spare parts that could be reused?

    Posted 6 months ago
    Premier Icon Hannah Dobson
    Full Member

    @nbt I don’t think there is, but I’ve been talking to Dieter about trying to compile one 🙂

    Posted 6 months ago
    Premier Icon Dieter Carroll
    Full Member

    @Matthewhornby that’s good information to know! I’m happy to stick with our baby compressor if it saves any meaningless bureaucracy however i definitely need to fit it outside the workshop!
    Cheers for the tip man!

    Posted 6 months ago
    Premier Icon Dieter Carroll
    Full Member

    @Hannah dobson

    @nbt
    If anyone reading works for a similar bike project feel free to add your names and contacts here and we’ll get some kind of database going.

    Posted 6 months ago
    Premier Icon nbt
    Free Member

    Good call! the most obvious candidate is Puffa Jones’ “free bikes for kids” project in Newport, South wales


    https://www.facebook.com/groups/423103008385071/

    Closer to me in Stockport there’s Ceracycloan who I think do something similar to Dieter

    About Us

    Posted 6 months ago
    Premier Icon matt_outandabout
    Full Member

    https://www.recyke-a-bike.co.uk
    (Stirling area)

    Posted 6 months ago
    Premier Icon thenorthwind
    Full Member

    We have Recyke Y’Bike here in Newcastle (Byker) and in Durham.

    Posted 6 months ago
    Premier Icon Antony de Heveningham
    Full Member

    Home

    Posted 6 months ago
    Premier Icon Antony de Heveningham
    Full Member

    And for kids’ bikes in Bristol… https://www.apeproject.co.uk/ape-project

    Posted 6 months ago
    Premier Icon Dieter Carroll
    Full Member

    These are all great guys, more results than google already!

    Posted 6 months ago
    Premier Icon alexpalacefan
    Full Member

    Ridewise in Nottingham.

    APF

    Posted 6 months ago
    Premier Icon zerocool
    Free Member

    Julian House Bike Workshop in Bath
    Julian House Bike Workshop

    Posted 6 months ago
    Premier Icon ambrose
    Full Member

    Paging Gnusmas 😊

    Posted 6 months ago
    Premier Icon Sandwich
    Full Member

    Genesis Orwell Mencap here in Ipswich use bike refurbishment as therapy for their clients.

    Posted 6 months ago
    Premier Icon Speeder
    Full Member

    The Charity Bike Shop Cheltenham

    part of/associated with http://www.cyclistsfc.org.uk I think

    It’s where I’m taking most of my redundant spares at the moment.

    Posted 6 months ago
    Premier Icon onewheelgood
    Full Member

    Action 21 in Leamington

    The Cycle Recycler in Kenilworth

    Posted 6 months ago
    Premier Icon jimmy
    Full Member

    The Bike Station: Making Scotland a great place to cycle

    Posted 6 months ago
    Premier Icon rfreeman
    Full Member

    Cycles Recycled in Clitheroe: https://cyclesrecycled.org/

    Posted 6 months ago
    Premier Icon matt_outandabout
    Full Member

    STW yellow pages. I like this.

    Posted 6 months ago
    Premier Icon IAIN COLE
    Free Member

    Cycle Saviours, Milton Keynes.

    Milton Keynes Cycle Saviours

    Posted 6 months ago
    Premier Icon dangeourbrain
    Full Member

    Another for the list then
    Resurrection bikes in Harrogate

    Posted 6 months ago
    Premier Icon stingmered
    Full Member

    Positive cycles in Oldham https://www.positive-steps.org.uk/about-us/40-services/positive-steps-extra/positive-cycles

    Posted 6 months ago
    Premier Icon scruffywelder
    Free Member

    https://www.rebikecumbria.co.uk/ Rebike Cumbria in Carlisle

    Posted 6 months ago
    Premier Icon marko
    Full Member

    Chepstow:

    Forest UPcycle.

    Posted 6 months ago
    Premier Icon Matt Kendall
    Free Member

    There’s also a branch of Cyclists Fighting Cancer in Chorlton.

    I do pickups for them across South Manchester, so if you can’t get to Chorlton I can come to you!

    Posted 6 months ago
    Premier Icon Dieter Carroll
    Full Member

    There’s street bikes in liversedge that recycle bikes but also run cycling sessions for any people of any ability on their dedicated circuit.

    They even have adaptive bikes!

    Posted 6 months ago
    Premier Icon Dieter Carroll
    Full Member

    Oh! And st augustines refugee centre in Halifax as well!
    They have some great stuff going on, Ian offers refugees training to fix/build their own bikes and takes them out riding all over Calderdale!

    Posted 6 months ago
    Premier Icon zbonty
    Full Member

    Here’s another https://www.readingbicyclekitchen.org/

    Posted 6 months ago
    Premier Icon TomB
    Full Member

    Local fella who has MS recycles old bikes to raise money for MS charities, bit if a local hero!

    Keswick recycle a bike

    In fact, I reckon there’s a great STW story in this @STWHannah

    Posted 6 months ago
    Premier Icon Graham_Clark
    Full Member

    Crewe: Community Recycle Cycles
    Stafford: Back 2 Bikes

    Posted 6 months ago
    Premier Icon huck2flat
    Free Member

    Glasgow : https://www.bikeforgood.org.uk/

    Posted 6 months ago
    Premier Icon anne
    Full Member

    I recently donated an old frame and boxs of parts I’d hoarded but knew I’d never use.

    They work from HMP Horfield (outside the walls) open to the public, refurbish old bikes and sell onto the community.

    https://www.lifecycleuk.org.uk/bike-recycling

    Posted 6 months ago
    Premier Icon stingmered
    Full Member

    There’s also a branch of Cyclists Fighting Cancer in Chorlton.

    I do pickups for them across South Manchester, so if you can’t get to Chorlton I can come to you!

    I lived in Chorlton for 10 years and found that the quickest way to recycle bikes was to leave one around the four-banks area; locked, unlocked, guard-dog etc… it didn’t matter. Soon enough it was off to a new owner…

    (Great work on the pickups and the cause though, kudos!)

    Posted 6 months ago
    Premier Icon trisysjoint
    Full Member

    https://www.lifecycleuk.org.uk/derby

    These guys in Derby too !

    Posted 6 months ago
    Premier Icon angrycat
    Free Member

    In between Wood Green and Palmers Green – https://bikesforgoodcauses.co.uk

    Posted 6 months ago
    Premier Icon Ben
    Full Member

    I used to work for Nottingham Bikeworks, they do great things for the community but it was an awful place to work.

    Posted 6 months ago
    Premier Icon slowol
    Full Member

    Route 1 coffee house and bike repair / recycle in Redcar.

    https://www.route1coffeehouse.com/about-us

    Facebook page is showing Sophellies cheesecake on the menu so even more reasons to go!

    Posted 6 months ago
    Premier Icon Nick
    Full Member

    I’m spannering for this charity in the North East https://watbike.co.uk/
    We do used bike refurbs and sales, regular servicing, maintainance classes, ebike hire, guided rides and more. Also have a barn full of old/obscure parts and there’s a cafe on site.

    Posted 6 months ago
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