Always meet traffic jams while you driving in Cardiff? Taking public transportation is not convenient? The commute is too far to walk? Why not get a bike!
After the amazing achievement of selling 354 reconditioned bikes collected from people since this year, Cardiff Cycle Workshop is still advancing the idea of recycling by increasing the uses of bikes in public.
Started in 2010, the bicycle recycling centre Cardiff Cycle Workshop has been around for six and half years now, with the aim of collecting abandoned bikes from the members of the public. Through assessing and reconditioning, some bikes are sold back to the public.
Every bike is repaired and inspected by a professional mechanic.
“Anyone can come and buy bikes. We are trying to keep the price really low, and affordable, so that people can come and buy. All of the bikes we are selling come with three months warranty, for the mechanical parts. It’s more reliable than you buying bikes online by Ebay, where you’ll never be quite sure what the condition of the bike is.” Said Jon Howes, Workshop Coordinator.
Workshop Coordinator,Jon Howes
“Cardiff has such a massive students population. Lots of new students arrive, and they need transport. They come and buy bikes. But the customers are not only students, we are getting more and more young professionals and families.”
Maintenance Course
As well as receiving and selling bikes, the workshop is also a part of Cardiff Training Wales, which provides training courses in bike maintenance. Jon said, “the workshop itself is based in Cardiff, it’s kind of a local thing. The training courses run across the Wales, and we also do some stuffs in England as well.”
The founder of the workshop, Andrew Burns said, “I’ve been working with some young people in Cardiff docks, working on bikes. But we have to stop every winter. I thought if we had a building to keep working on bikes all year around. That would be great, which was also the idea of starting the workshop.”
Even the workshop is in its most quite period of time during the year, which is winter and before Christmas, there are still many courses running and volunteers working in the place.
A bike is being reconditioned.
“I think the workshop is becoming better and better. We are selling more bikes, running more courses every year. Now we have started doing bike repairs, and we are also trying to build another floor.” Andrew said.
Founder of the workshop, Andrew Burns
How to take part in bike recycling in Cardiff?
(Video explainer made by Danyang.)