Wow, it’s hard to believe that Aberfeldy’s Community Cycle Workshop has been open for 3 months already. In some ways it feels like we opened just yesterday, and in others it feels like an eternity (in a good way!). We’ve been busy – so busy, in fact, that we haven’t kept you updated on our progress. So what have we been up to since opening in July?

Opening Hours

We’re officially open on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, from 2pm – 6pm. However, you may have noticed we’re usually open outside those hours, as and when we can. We’ve made a big effort to open on weekends where possible, and the help of our friendly volunteers has enabled us to be open on other days too.

When we’re not open, we encourage anyone in need of cycle repairs to call us, and we’ll try to help if possible. We’ve already rescued quite a few riders in need of urgent bike fixes after they’ve rung our “on-call” number.

Volunteering

To date, 100% of the work has been on volunteer time (i.e. nobody at the workshop, including the Directors, is being paid to work). This includes getting the shop opened, servicing bikes, helping customers with bike hires, continuing to improve the workshop space, and everything else that goes into running the shop. A huge THANK YOU to everyone who has volunteered already, and who plans to in the near future.

Several volunteers have also signed up for weekly shifts, helping run the cycle workshop for a few hours each week. If you’re interested in volunteering in any way, please get in touch.

Bike Servicing

Since opening, we’ve serviced more than 70 bikes! Everything from puncture repairs and chain swaps, to complete rebuilds, e-bike electronics and software updates. If your bike is in need of repairs, the winter months are a great time to get your bike booked in and ready for next season.

The Do-It-Yourself Community tools have also seen a lot of use, with several people every week using them to do repairs on their own bikes (or with some guided assistance from our expert, Brett).

We’ve also serviced scooters (both kick and electric), mobility aids, unicycles, and several other unique wheeled devices.

And did you know we offer free tune-ups on kids bikes? Since opening we’ve tuned more than 20 kids bikes, entirely for free, usually on-the-spot and within a few minutes. This means the children of Aberfeldy can get back to enjoying their bikes in no time.

Bike Hire

We’re excited to announce that e-bikes are now available to hire from the Community Cycle Workshop! We’re very grateful to Tay Valley Connections (formerly Upper Tay Transport) for making these available through the workshop.

And guess what –we’re now able to offer e-bike hires FOR FREE to any resident in the PH9, PH15 and PH17 postcodes! Non-residents can also hire the bikes for just £15 per half day (and reduced rates for longer hires). Use coupon code COMMUNITYBIKE when booking your bike for a free hire.

Refurbished Bike Sales

We’ve received over 50 bike donations from locals, and the majority of these have been refurbished and made available for sale to the community, all for a pay-what-you-can price.

If you’re looking for a bike to get around town, or a first-bike for your kids, pop into the shop to see what we have available. We’re also accepting bike donations, so please consider bringing your unused bikes to us before they go to the tip.

What’s Next?

We’ve got a few other projects and announcements in the works, so stay tuned!

Thanks again for your support in helping Aberfeldy’s Community Cycle Workshop thrive.