Gauging interest....a new Cycle Co-operative for London

very early stages...but...

im putting together a business plan/funding application to open a retail shop/social enterprise/cycle training centre/"community bike workshop" (ie rentable workstands with tools and/or supervision...) in London ( Hackney probably)

this would be a workers co-operative....ive been in the bike trade a while (mechanic/manager) and frankly im sick of working for the man....i could use my experience and entrepenurial skills to open my own shop ( in fact, almost did last year...funding feel through at 11th hour...grrr) but would rather do something community based and in keeping with my syndicalist/socialist beliefs...

would anyone here be interested?
mechanics/sales staff....folk with passion, drive, EXCEPTIONAL customer service/sales skills, positive can-do attitude...yadda yadda yadda

your thoughts?...

have you thought about speaking to brixton cycles, and some of the workers/owners about how they've been doing it, good/bad points about being a co-operative. They've been going for 20 odd years, and even though they are my local bike shop, I love them to bits and they are great at what they do.

I'm pretty sure there will be people who would be interested, would point some of them out, but I don't want to be presumptuous in putting them down as interested.

hope it all goes well

In!
National Standards cycle instructor trainer (Q), level 3 cytech, City and Guilds Tutor, Anarcho-Syndicalist-Communist.
This is how I want to work, I'm tied up in resentments about the lack of ethics in others business practice, let's talk Mocker.

Sounds wonderful. In York there's a nice company that does that sort of thing:
http://www.getcycling.org.uk/index.php

They'll happily lend tools and workshop space if they've got it. I've since moved to Oxford where I'm sure a similar thing would also exist.

a good start!
yea, brixton are on the list to speak to, as is the Oxford Bike Workshop (and Edinburgh cycle co-op)
...lot of work to do, but there is a Cooperative development bank to apply to loans for....and ive written business plans before

....my thoughts are that it should be sharp/clean/hip, AND AVOID LIKE HELL! the scruffy/wholemeal sandal/soap-dodging hippy activist ghetto! ; )

PM'd

Sounds wonderful. In York there's a nice company that does that sort of thing:
http://www.getcycling.org.uk/index.php

They'll happily lend tools and workshop space if they've got it. I've since moved to Oxford where I'm sure a similar thing would also exist.

http://www.ocw.coop/

^ thanks

This sounds really interesting. And needed. PMing now.

IN so very in. Used to work as a bicycle mechanic and bicycle seller at a similar sort of place in Dublin, Ireland- www.rothar.ie

Fantastic model, London could use similar here..

This sounds interesting, I'll send you a message now...

xxx

Whatever you do, please consider Sunday opening hours.

Whatever you do, please consider the children.

The poor children...

Moving to London at the end of the month to work as a mechanic. Would be dead keen to volunteer/make the tea in the evenings or at weekends.

I am a framebuilder (also a mechanic) moving to London around September. While I will likely be living in greenwich I would be very interested in working on this.

Open on Sundays or I'll cut ya!

www.rothar.ie - Dublin based open bike workshop.

bikepirates.com - Toronto, same idea.

Its REALLY important that you gear the space for people to go in and fix their own bikes - and can pay a contribution at the end based on parts / time / tools used (Bike Pirates in Toronto even just has a pay-what-you-want honour system).
Bike shops where you leave your bike to be fixed and pay through the nose for it are everywhere in this city.

www.hackneybikeworkshop.com do the turn-up-and-use-tools system, then ask for a donation. Great people and a good selection of tools.

I'd be interested in helping out, even just to help fit out the shop or whatever.

I think this is a great idea- what's behind the decision to base it in Hackney though?

Also, as Shinigami points out, having it open when people are not at work makes it easier to get to.

Much as I love Brixton they are open for 1 hour in the week (that I can get to), and Saturdays, when they are mentally busy.

thanks for interest shown so far...as previously said its early stages...more news as and when!

as to why Hackney...well i live there, and volunteer with Hackney Bike Workshop...who knows, perhaps somewhere else?...sunday opening would be a must, yes...

www.hackneybikeworkshop.com do the turn-up-and-use-tools system, then ask for a donation. Great people and a good selection of tools.

THat place is only open for a couple of hours a week though, right?

I think it's a great idea but in reality I don't think I'd go because Hackney is too far out of my way. since there's already a similar-sounding place in Hackney, why not consider doing one elsewhere?

THat place is only open for a couple of hours a week though, right?

First and third Tuesday of the month, so yeah, pretty limited.

since there's already a similar-sounding place in Hackney, why not consider doing one elsewhere?

1+

need more further west, or even south.

Mocker, I might have met you when I was there a few months ago. I had a neon yellow Cougar (servicing the headset) and was trying to get a bottom bracket out of a BB shell which had had the rest of the frame sawn off of it.