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• #27
Good idea but Hackney Bikeworkshop do something for folk in the Hackney area.
A great idea but Union Cycle Works offer something similar in SE8 I think...doesn't seem to say so on their web site any more though so maybe not
http://www.unioncycleworks.org.uk/
Wouldn't like to see it take the place of the numerous free Bike workshops like Hackney Bikeworkshop and the one at Colorama in Waterloo. Which are beautiful things. In fact it would be well shit if that happened.
None of these places are near enough to Camden to create a problem, especially not Se8 and waterloo - which are useless for me living in nw10
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• #28
I am forever giving out hackney flyers at work, but the whole ministry of funny bikes vibe might be a bit too playful for the average fixie-skidder with money to spend on convenience / coffee.
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• #29
I've used Hackney Bike workshop in the past, and can wholeheartedly recommend them.
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• #30
None of these places are near enough to Camden to create a problem, especially not Se8 and waterloo - which are useless for me living in nw10
Those workshops are often in squatted buildings being used as community centres, so tend to spring up all over the place.
I don't really feel London needs another overpriced poncey bike/coffee place. So little these days is free, those workshops are amazing because they're free.
Sorry for being negative.
That said I love the idea of a drop in workshop with great tools. -
• #31
Those workshops are often in squatted buildings being used as community centres, so tend to spring up all over the place.
I don't really feel London needs another overpriced poncey bike/coffee place. So little these days is free, those workshops are amazing because they're free.
Sorry for being negative.
That said I love the idea of a drop in workshop with great tools.Thanks for your feedback, however i really don't understand why you are creating an idea of this place being overpriced and poncey?
Coffee was a suggestion made by others others, and surely there is nothing poncey about great tools, hammers and vices :)
Also the other workshops and initatives you mention only happen once a week or so.
My idea is to offer an affordable alternative to paying £30 for your lbs to fit a headset, instead come and learn and fit it yourself for a third of the price in 30mins or so.
Thanks nevertheless. -
• #32
I was trying to out line what I thought it shouldn't be. Might've gone bit overboard.
My idea is to offer an affordable alternative to paying £30 for your lbs to fit a headset, instead come and learn and fit it yourself for a third of the price in 30mins or so.
Thanks nevertheless.This sounds great.
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• #33
Workshop in east -central london near shoreditch please, central, cheap and good place for after workshop drinks.
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• #34
not east! Bloody east London... pah!
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• #35
There have been few pop-up workshops but they are either once in a blue moon sustrans events or are in some grotty squat (no offence squatters). The other extreme are the actual courses out there but they cost big dorrar for a two-week course. Something in the middle that undercuts the standard labour charges and is a supervised, organised environment where people can basically have their own workshop for an hour or two would certainly be useful.
Wheel building classes and maintenance classes once or twice a week just for good measure.
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• #36
Depends what you want to achieve really.
What are you doing this for- to have somewhere for your friends to work on their bikes, or as a self sustaining business that might pay the bills?
LMNH works because they are extremely good, and professional about what they are doing.
They've not set up in a squatted building, they've clearly made a series of very astute commercial decisions and they have a cracking little business, which if they have a mind to do so would scale quite nicely.
As imitiation is the sincerest form of flattery I would suggest something remarkably similar to LMNH in terms of the cafe aspect, but with a large workshop that has access for members to tools and so forth, stands etc, and crucially the advice of trained, qualified mechanics who can safety check a build before it goes out the door, or do the work for you whilst showing you what to do.
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• #37
That won't take any business from the squat workshops, different demographic innit.
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• #38
Good points there. The thing with LMNH is that it is primarily a cafe that happens to have a workshop, albeit an excellent one. This would be pretty much exclusively workshop-centric with guidance/pdi's from qualified mechanics and will hopefully be a nice place to hang out. The thing with having a cafe is that you need all sorts of licences and logistics that it becomes two business' to manage. There will, however, be an endless supply of biscuits and kettle access and the missus will provide cake when she can be arsed.
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• #39
Exactly- the cafe part subsidises the workshop part.
People coming to the workshop will spend money in the cafe, so the workshop feeds the cafe side of the business.
Good, pro level tools that can be used all day every day are not cheap, nor are premises, or decent staff.
The licences are pretty straight forward to obtain.
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• #40
Dammit- your points are certainly valid, In the same way the cafe could subsidise the workshop, my aim would be that the purchase of parts, frames, lights etc would subsidise the workshop, for example you pop in needing a headset and bb for your frame, you would hopefully buy a headset and bottom bracket costing X amount and then also fit it onsite or have a mechanic fit it for you for a nominal fee.
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• #41
People working on their bikes = people needing to replace stuff. Premises isn't such a big deal, we've done the maths and its very, very workable.
Dammit, the cafe aspect is certainly on the cards but we will be off the beaten trail so the passing business factor that LMNH relies on will basically be non-existant.
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• #42
Workshop in east -central london near shoreditch please, central, cheap and good place for after workshop drinks.
JUST remembered, NO NEED FOR ANNUAL/BOOKING FEES read on;
I was a member of London Hackspace (search wikipedia/google for info) its a community run project that hosts a free workshop. Funded by council. Located in shoreditch.
They have a HUGE ASS TON of heavy/mechanical machinery. People come there to build furniture, create art, fix bikes, fix stuff, miuscelaneous stuff, electrical stuff, compure stuff etc etc.
A lot of the stuff is donated, I am sure if we speak with them we can arrange something, they got PLENTY of space, this could be the answer to a free workshop with loads of equipment and stuff.
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• #43
That's certainly sounding rather like a bikeshop now? Which is no bad thing, but not what I thought you set out to create.
My take on it (and sorry if you think I'm going on a bit) would be that the vast majority of us make most of our bike part purchases from Internet retailers- this drives margins down, and bike shops have been forced to sharpen their prices in response.
Now I will only buy from a bikeshop if a) it's a friend working there or b) it's something I have to have at once. Otherwise I'll buy from Wiggle etc.
In my thought experiment cafe/workshop/bar I would get people to send their Internet purchases to the workshop.
They are registered members, so they'd get an email/PM/whatever saying "your bits are here".
Member would then pop by, use the nice tools to fit the part, have a coffee and a slice of cake and be on their way- or hang out until later and have some beers and a pie.
Focus on providing high margin items in order to keep other things as sharp as possible.
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• #44
JUST remembered, NO NEED FOR ANNUAL/BOOKING FEES read on;
I was a member of London Hackspace (search wikipedia/google for info) its a community run project that hosts a free workshop. Funded by council. Located in shoreditch.
They have a HUGE ASS TON of heavy/mechanical machinery. People come there to build furniture, create art, fix bikes, fix stuff, miuscelaneous stuff, electrical stuff, compure stuff etc etc.
A lot of the stuff is donated, I am sure if we speak with them we can arrange something, they got PLENTY of space, this could be the answer to a free workshop with loads of equipment and stuff.
This sounds rather like going cap in hand to the council, asking for a hand out- not something to base a business on as it could be taken away from you.
Again- need to decide on whether this is a business, or something to do until it comes to an end when the council want to build flats/similar
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• #45
This sounds rather like going cap in hand to the council, asking for a hand out- not something to base a business on as it could be taken away from you.
Again- need to decide on whether this is a business, or something to do until it comes to an end when the council want to build flats/similar
Why are you guys so bent on creating a business rather than a community project?
Here is the link to london hackspace, I am VERY SURE this could be done for cycles too.
http://london.hackspace.org.uk/
Edit: i know it says hacking community, but in reality people do a lot of other stuff there, mainly.
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• #46
The OP is not- all the "run it as a business" stuff is me.
As I said I've given some thought to a business along these lines, rather than a community/government funded thing.
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• #47
Excellent idea Dammit regarding internet purchases... could be a huge ball-ache to orchestrate but its possible. Really like that one, you're on my wavelength.
@Ivan, I've looked in to funding etc but it basically involved months, if not years of "meetings" with the council and basically couldn't function as a business. The community side of this idea is integral but it needs to pay the bills and not be reliant on the council... ownership would be vague etc etc
Also, councils aren't even funding libraries at the moment.....
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• #48
Rely on yourself- not vague funding that could get yanked.
Otherwise everything could be going fine, then the walls fall in when the council diverts funding to pay for revitalising roundabout flower displays
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• #49
Exactly.
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• #50
Just to clarify, the aim IS to create a business, albeit a community based one.
I agree that most of us don't pay highstreet prices for our parts and instead buy online. I would be more then happy for members to have their online goods shipped to the workshop, after all i hate getting home to a note from the postie saying i wasn't in, and then having to collect from your local mail depot.
Also with regard to prices, members would be entitled to a discount on all parts which would bring some prices inline with online prices.
I really appreciate your feedback Dammit. You mention it would be like a bikeshop, and to an extent it would, however it certainly would be very different, the workshop would be central to the premises and the business, and we would encourage people to get stuck in and use our tools, its rare that you can find a shop who will allow use of all tools!
Wouldn't like to see it take the place of the numerous free Bike workshops like Hackney Bikeworkshop and the one at Colorama in Waterloo. Which are beautiful things. In fact it would be well shit if that happened.