Dieter is the kind of bike nerd mechanic that every good bike shop should want. He is endlessly enthusiastic about getting people of all kinds onto bikes of all sorts. He can fix your bike even when the outlook looks bleak. Go for a ride with him and you’ll probably end up doing high fives and exclaiming ‘sick!’. In short, he has boundless enthusiasm for all things bike. He’s also a bit of a socially conscious punk environmentalist, so he’s probably a bit rubbish if your bike shop is one of those glittering concept store type places where it doesn’t smell of rubber and GT85 (Or WD40). Luckily for him, and us, he 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. We hope you enjoy…

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By down_and_across

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

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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!

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.

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

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

@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!

@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.

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

Tweets by PuffaJones
https://www.facebook.com/groups/423103008385071/

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

About Us

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

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

Home

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

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

Ridewise in Nottingham.

APF

Julian House Bike Workshop in Bath
Julian House Bike Workshop

Paging Gnusmas 😊

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

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.

Action 21 in Leamington

The Cycle Recycler in Kenilworth

The Bike Station: Making Scotland a great place to cycle

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

STW yellow pages. I like this.

Cycle Saviours, Milton Keynes.

Milton Keynes Cycle Saviours

Another for the list then
Resurrection bikes in Harrogate

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

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

Chepstow:

Forest UPcycle.

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!

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!

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!

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

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

Crewe: Community Recycle Cycles
Stafford: Back 2 Bikes

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

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

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!)

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

These guys in Derby too !

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

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

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!