cyclingcultures.org.uk

I arrived at the workshop this week at St Michael and All Angels Church at about 19.30. Light spilled from the church hall doors and I could see and hear chatter and bikey activities taking place inside. I wasn’t even inside the doors before I was greeted warmly by Jamie, one of the organisers equipped with a clipboard. There were twelve already listed – names, type of bike and bike problem. Seven had been crossed out. Some were being seen by mechanics. Others were waiting. I arrived tonight with a touring bike and loose quill bolt issue. Not only did the organisers recognize me but they also remembered which bike I had last time and asked me how that project was going. As I waited I had a cup of tea and piece of cake. Kate had made two kinds: shortbread and lemon cake. I made a donation for the refreshments and chatted to Kate while I waited for my turn with a mechanic.

There were six mechanics working on bikes in the middle of the room. Like last time the floor was protected by a series of sheets and bikes were hanging on a series of stands. Boxes of tools sat on a table to the far left of the room but several mechanics had their own stash located nearby. People stood in clusters around the room chatting and watching.

When it was my turn, which was not long after tea and cake, I explained to the mechanic about the loose bolt in my stem. He turned the bike over, took the wheel off and got a flashlight to see into the frame. He passed the flashlight to me and talked me through what I was and wasn’t seeing in the tubing. This was the pattern of our interaction – he talked and put things into my hands. I learnt by doing and sharing the maintenance. Together we fixed he loose bolt. I pressed down on the stem wedge while he screwed it using gravity and the pressure I was applying. Turning the bike over he rattled the bike to show me it was now fixed. However this shake now revealed a loose headset. He made me do it and I felt a low thudding in the tubing. He explained the headset needed tightening. But then he did it again and said that the cones in my front wheel were loose too. Suddenly I had a list of things to do. What was a simple and quick job turned into the rest of the evening. For each task he would pass the object to me to shake, or tighten or feel what was wrong or what had changed. He showed me not only how to discern the problem but how to fix it. I learned more than I expected. Soon my hands were as black with grease as those around me.

I was interested to see even more brochures on a table near the entrance to the hall than last event. This time there was a visual guide to mending a puncture called “Bike It D.I.Y”. Kate explained how many people turn up to learn basic maintenance and these guides had been provided to help with this issue.

On Tuesday night I attended the Hackney Bike Workshop at Frampton Park Baptist Church. I arrived just on 7pm in the hope of getting some advice on the removal of the bottom bracket in an old steel road frame and then slipping away to catch up with friends who were in town for the night. There’s nothing like turning up in a restaurant with a bike frame on your back! So, with this plan in mind I was surprised to see about five cyclists already waiting in the large church hall as the six mechanics set up their drop sheets, tool boxes and bike stands. Another ten arrived closely behind me. This was definitely a popular event.

The workshop started right on time with mechanics dealing with flat tyres and chain alignments, removing and replacing cranks and truing wheels. Unlike the workshop at Stoke Newington however it was difficult to know who was next in line. A list briefly circulated, but as far as I could see it was not used to match cyclists with available mechanics. Instead, when a mechanic became free, the nearest cyclist filled the gap. I was a bit useless in spotting these gaps and racing in. Partially, this because I was chatting with Neil, who was there to enlist tools and help with his cassette. After an hour of watching, chatting and waiting, we decided to see if we could use some of the tools and work on our own bikes. Neil knew a bit about bbs and I offered to help Jenny, another waiting cyclist, with her chain problem. We started to run a workshop within a workshop.

This system worked well. Neil showed me how to removed the bb with this spanner/pin tool and then, dammit, he tightened it all back up! But, I then did it myself which is what I wanted. I removed both cups, dropped ball bearings on the floor and got covered in grease. Success! Just before 9pm, I chatted with some of the mechanics about the quality of my frame tubing and if I should swap it out for a sealed cartridge. I also got to see how Neil removed his cassette and replaced it with a single sprocket. For me, this was the ideal bike workshop experience. There was space to hack, expert knowledge if needed, an array of tools and collective skills. We learnt from each other. I left a bit after 9pm with a bag of bb bits and a frame with a satisfying gap where the bb was.

I arrived for the Hackney Bike Workshop at St Michael and All Angels Church a bit after 8pm. (It started at 7 and wrapped up at 9). I was a little late as I had been in another meeting across town. And it was a pretty miserable night – dark, wet and wintery. I was hoping the rain might ease before I set off as I had an unsealed bike frame on my back. But both I and the bike were dripping by the time I arrived. Given the weather, I did not expect the place to be super busy – it was.

The workshop was held in an old church hall; an open high ceiling space with adjoining kitchen. It was filled with people and bikes. Old sheets protected the floor, tools lay scattered on seats and bikes leant against walls, near stacked seats and mounted on stands. Chatter filled the air. It was busy! Yet, despite the activity, I was greeted at the door, welcomed, my name was put onto a list and I was offered a cup of tea. There were also apologies about the dearth of cake. I arrived a bit to late to partake in cake – next time!

As I waited for my turn and drank my tea I chatted with some of the organisers. I learned that there were six volunteer mechanics helping people with their bikes tonight. I saw road bikes, a fixed gear and various hybrids. According to the list, over 23 people had come through the doors and had (or were currently getting) their bike problems addressed. The night was viewed by the organisers as a successful evening.

The aim of the workshop is to not only fix people’s bike and keep them on the road, but to teach owners how to do it themselves. I watched how mechanics put this into practice; first explaining and then demonstrating and then handing tools to people to try it for themselves. The range of problems were as varied as the bikes. Some people wanted to know about fixing punctures and adjusting brakes. Some needed their gears tinkered with. Others simply needed to learn about how to change the height of their seats and handlebars. One woman brought in a vintage bike and wanted to know if it was ridable – at the end of the night it was.

Due to the demand on volunteer mechanics, there was no time for me in the end but I enjoyed being there, talking with people and watching the flurry of bike activities. I’ll definitely be attending the next Bike Workshop – this time in London Fields. And I will be super early (for the bike assistance and hopefully for cake too!).

London Fields: 1st and 3rd Tuesday of every month at Frampton Park Baptist Church, Frampton Park Road (just east of Mare Street and North of Well Street).

I’m heading to the Hackney Bike Workshop tonight. I have plans of getting this lovely sculpture off my wall and back on the road. I’ve tinkered with many aspects of my bikes. I’ve even built wheels. But I am constantly stumped by bottom brackets. I’ve not even been able to get one loose, let alone had experience of cleaning or changing one. So, I’m hoping to start with this tonight.

The aim of the workshop is to equip people with the skills needed to keep them on the road.

One of the things that stops people cycling is not being able to fix their own bikes. Our workshops aim to help you fix your bike (rather than fix it for you). We supply tools but you need to bring your own parts. Other than that its free (donations for tool and rent costs are very welcome), and run by volunteers.

Workshops are run in two locations.
London Fields: 1st and 3rd Tuesday of every month at Frampton Park Baptist Church, Frampton Park Road (just east of Mare Street and North of Well Street)
Stoke Newington: 2nd Tuesday of every month at St Michael and All Angels Church on Northwold Road (just east of Stoke Newington Common).

More info here.