Bicycle Cooperatives/ DIY workshops

graham_g

Cross-post from know how:

Does anyone know of a US style Bicycle coop here in the UK anywhere? i.e. not a shop, somewhere with workshop facilities you can use to work on your bike with volunteers to give you guidance/help should you need it. Here's an example:
http://www.sopobikes.org/

I imagine Oxford/Cambridge/York/Hull/London would be the most likely locations but surprise me!

BTW - This is work related so any help very much appreciated - be nice to have a UK case study in addition to the US ones.

mazcp

Hi Graham,
There's one in Leicester called Bikes4all. It seems to fit your description.
I keep meaning to pay them a visit - to donate my kids old bikes and buy them some re-cycled/re-furbished bikes at next-to-nothing prices. It's a great place by the looks of it. Offers maintenance courses, too, according to the website.

JustRidecp

The Bike Station

This is my local one. They're a charity which refurbish and auction off bicycles. They've got a big workshop where you can take your bike to and for £2 hire tools and work on your bike with volunteers about to offer help/advice.

Is this what you meant?

graham_g

Superb - thanks for that guys, google was coming up blank and nothing exists in the Birmingham/west midlands area that I know of!

RossC

I've been going to this as long as I've been cycling
http://www.hackney-cyclists.org.uk/workshop.htm
CTUK, LondonSchoolofCycling at Bikefix and the local LCC groups of Bromley, Camden, , Greenwich, Islington, Kingston, Lambeth, Redbridge, Southwark, Sutton, tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest all run self-help workshops or repair courses, as per page 23 of London Cyclist mgazine (the magazine of www.lcc.org.uk/)

Hilldodger

The biggest of them all is Cyclemagic in Leicester.

www.cyclemagic.org.uk

Matt.

Graham G wrote:

I imagine Oxford/Cambridge/York/Hull/London would be the most likely locations but surprise me!

correct.

these people do good things:

http://www.oxfordcycleworkshop.org.uk/index.php