Fix Your Cycle workshop opens in Elephant Park

Fix Your Cycle’s aim is to establish cycle hubs in key London locations, so they have brought their new workshop to the community of Elephant & Castle.

Whether you’re a commuter cyclist, a fair-weather family rider or a serious bike lover, the hub in Elephant Stores on Ash Avenue fills the need for servicing and repairs for the ever-increasing number of bikes on the road. 

Owner Mark Abraham tells the Elephant Park team more about choosing this location, the business and their social enterprise Recycle Your Cycle:

We are seeing a huge growth in cycle usage – both in traditional bikes and the newer e-bikes. Increasingly, people are commuting to work or for leisure as a more sustainable approach to travel as well as the health benefits. In addition, sales of bikes and e-bikes are moving online, as with all retail – but what they can’t get online is servicing and repairs. Fix Your Cycle has been established to fill that need.

Our workshops are based in-high density residential or work areas (currently White City, Elephant Park, Wembley Park and more sites coming soon around London), so it’s easy for people to get their bikes or e-bikes serviced and repaired. As commuters are becoming more reliant on their bikes, our service is increasingly needed.

We see this as a vibrant developing area that is attracting young professionals. Fix Your Cycle’s target market are 25 to 35 year olds who commute to work either on traditional cycles or e-bikes. Seeing the cycle lanes and roads around Elephant & Castle packed with cyclists proved this to be a good location for a workshop to be located.

Yes. We are part of the government apprentice scheme; therefore, we are taking on young apprentices. In addition, we work with the local London South Bank University to employ students. On top of this, we are looking to employ local residents who are either bike mechanics or have a keen interest in becoming a bike mechanic.

Elephant & Castle is being transformed into an exciting, dynamic area to live. The location also has great transport links, making it accessible to get to London’s top tourist attractions. There is a community feel to the area and, whilst being so central, you do feel like you’re in an oasis when you look out to Elephant Park.

Vibrant, Changing, Future!

There is a great community feel here with everyone having the same vision of working together to make the area a better place to live and work.

Elephant Park is an amazing new development where you can feel the sense of community, through the park, restaurants, bars, etc. This all makes it an exciting place to live.

The team have been there with us to overcome any obstacles. We’re new to the area so we have been leaning on the Elephant Park team for advice and this has been forthcoming.

It's great to be working with Solo Craft Fair and Little Louie as all our services and products complement each other.

Most cycle shops are focused on retail, i.e. selling new bikes, with a small workshop in the back. These workshops often have limited skills as the skills revolve around the bikes that they sell. Fix Your Cycle’s primary focus is to service and repair, therefore we need to keep our skill level high so we can work on all brands and types of bikes – from simple kids' bikes to high-end electric bikes.

Also, we allow people to just pop in to get their bike repaired, without booking. If you get a puncture and you need it repaired immediately; there is no need to book. Most workshop specific operations need riders to book before they can be seen, but not here.

Our focus is sustainability, by providing the services to enable people to keep riding and to encourage people to ride. In addition, we run free cycle maintenance workshops to show people how to maintain their bikes and make basic repairs, e.g. puncture repairs, adjusting brakes, etc.

In addition, we have a social enterprise called Recycle Your Cycle. This division has established cycle workshops in prisons around the UK. These workshops help with offenders’ rehabilitation and future employment prospects. The refurbished bicycles that pass through these workshops are then supplied to UK charity retailers for them to sell in their outlets to raise additional funds.

These abandoned bicycles may come from universities, police, etc. and are refurbished to reduce landfill and make cycling accessible to everyone in the community.

Our tips are to keep your bike clean, especially round the chain and pedals. Remember to check your tyre pressure, as well as checking brakes and your lights.

• Expert advice in a language for non-cyclists. You can just pop in have a chat with our team!
• High skill level for servicing and repairing all types of bikes, from basic kids' bikes to high-end electric bikes.
• Warm, friendly, helpful service.

If you get a new bike for Christmas, they'll even help you assemble it and get it safety checked! You can find out more about the great work Fix Your Cycle do, over on their website. They have also launched Cycle Club, a club ride taking place weekly from Sunday the 28th of August 2022 at 9am.

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