Cycle of life: community bike sheds

Second Chance Cycles gave away more than 800 bikes last financial year, and manager David Jablonka says those who take part in the program benefit in several ways. They give back to the community (restorative justice), learn work skills, and socialise with the public. Then of course there’s all that great recycling – many donated bikes are from council hard-rubbish collections.

“Participants fix the bikes, they’re proud of the bikes and then they see where the bikes go,” says David. “You get a family with four or five kids come down and they all pick out bikes – there’s nothing more exciting than to see a group of young kids who can’t afford to own their own bike riding off on one. There’s that joy in giving.”  

On the other side of the city, in Port Melbourne, software developer Mike King, 60, had recycling front of mind when he founded Back2Bikes in 2012. “I had an idea that I wanted to rescue bikes from people’s sheds that were being neglected and bring them back to life,” he says. The not-for-profit has grown to an organisation with 250 volunteers, with professional-looking facilities open six days a week. “The social networks that we build between the volunteers is just phenomenal,” says Mike.

But bike networks take many guises. There’s Good Cycles, a social enterprise started in 2013 that offers bike-based vocational training for young people, among other things. There’s Bicycles For Humanity, a charity that ships donated bikes to Africa and turns the shipping container they arrive in into a micro-business to empower locals. Bikes 4 Life does similar work, sending donated adult bikes to remote regions of Australia, Papua New Guinea, Uganda and Cambodia. And Mottainai Cycles in Collingwood reclaims and restores old, used and vintage bikes for customers who want to take a detour from mass consumerism.

Meanwhile, every June in Melbourne, up to 2000 people wearing all sorts of costumes take part in the Melburn Roobaix, a non-competitive ride down inner-suburban back streets and laneways. Organiser Andy White describes it to his young daughter as “the bike party”. “It’s not a race… It really is just a celebration of people connecting with other people who are just into the same kind of simple fun.”

Based in a small, cream-brick community house in Northcote’s Batman Park, Gayle Ilievski is co-founder of WeCycle. Here two dozen volunteers repair and restore donated bikes to give to refugees, asylum seekers and others. “We get some gems sometimes – old-school bicycles, some beautiful Italian racers,” says Gayle, adding that they have gone from supplying 50 bikes in their first year (2016) to about 100 in 2018.

The bike bug has bitten in regional Victoria, too. Castlemaine’s population is only about 7000 but bike education and maintenance classes are booming.

Secretary of the Castlemaine Rocky Riders Mountain Bike Club, Carrie Edney, says the organisation recently ran four free bike workshops, with numbers averaging around 25 for each. In the summer months the 80-member club hosts social “Dirt Crits”, where riders of all ages and abilities can race an outdoor dirt course. “Riders learn how to pass, how to talk to other people around them, and a bit of sportsmanship,” Carrie says. “It’s very much about grassroots.”

Meanwhile, Castlemaine’s big brother Bendigo has two-wheel enthusiasts of its own. Bike Bendigo started in 2014 to get more everyday people on bikes. “What we want to do is help build community capacity and culture and, at the same time, get more people out on their bikes,” says Bike Bendigo treasurer, Robert Kretschmer. Bike rides, festivals and fixing up donated bikes are all part of the fun.

Back at CERES Bikeshed, Kim Mitchell has made the necessary adjustments and the borrowed bike fits her mum perfectly. Kim is not a regular any more down here but she won’t forget the experience. “I guess it’s that type of thing where you gain a bit of knowledge and therefore you empower yourself,” she says.