Bike Maintenance at the Queens Park Forum Bike Club 03/11/2011
Posted by Frances Chaloner in Asda, London.Tags: Bike maintenance, Dr Bike at events, Paddington Development Trust, Queens Park Forum, Ted Flanagan, The Beethoven Centre, Westminster
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Bike Club Members fixing their bikes
Westminster have gained a new Bike Club: Queens Park Forum Bike Club. They ran their first bike mainenance session and are looking to build up membership ready for an official launch.
Queens Park Forum (QPF) are part of a well established charity, the Paddington Development Trust which focuses on promoting and supporting community led regeneration by working with local residents. They have brought £30 million into deprived communities in the North Paddington area in the last 12 years and have excellent local links and partnerships and organise community events to promote a sense of community in the area.
The QPF Bike Club plans to allow hands on maintenance by local people using the tools or a service they can use to get the work done at the Beethoven Centre. The QPF Bike Club will also move out to events where one-off Dr Bikes have proven very popular and three have already been earmarked as part of the QPF Bike Club activity plan.
Queens Park Forum Bike Club Leader, Ted Flanagan, helps Bike Club members fix their bikes
The QPF Bike Club are using their Bike Club Grant to help train up local volunteers to deliver the project and provide a sustainable and affordable bike maintenance service to the local community offering recycled bikes, repairs and spares.
Bike Checks and cycling fun at PCSO-organised Youth Activities in Leighton Buzzard 28/07/2011
Posted by Pauline Roby in Leighton Buzzard, Leighton Linslade, Linslade.Tags: Bedfordshire, Bike Club, Bike maintenance, bikes, family, Holiday activities, PCSO, young people, Youth Club
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Leighton-Linslade’s PCSO’s have organised a series of one day Youth Activity events around the town’s parks and meeting points. Today, I went along to check some bikes and talk to people about Bike Club, and around me there was giant connect 4, Jenga and mini rounders matches, along with crafts and make up sessions. It was a relaxed informal atmosphere where young people could meet and play with each other and the PCSO’s were offering bike marking kits and bike locks free to anyone who brought their bike along to be checked.
If you bring your bike along for a check or to join in the cycling activities, you can take home a free lock provided by the PCSOs.
The itinerary for the rest of the Thursday afternoon events is as follows and there will be bike checks and/or cycling activities at all except the 4th August.
Get yourself along and join in the fun – come and go as you prefer during the times stated:
Thursday 4th August, Meadow Way Community Centre, 11am til 3pm
Thursday 11th August, Sandhills Community House, Kestrel Way, off Billington Road, 11am til 3pm
Thursday 18th August, Leighton Buzzard Youth Group, Vandyke Road, 1pm til 5pm
Thursday 25th August, Pages Park, 11am til 3pm
Thursday 1st Sept, Southcott Village Hall, 11am til 3pm
The cycle check inspired a lovely "bikes on the beach holiday" picture - thank you A 
Blueprint School in Aylesbury trains up budding Bike Mechanics 20/07/2011
Posted by Pauline Roby in Aylesbury.Tags: Aylesbury, Bike Club, Bike maintenance, Blueprint School, School, training, young people
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Monday afternoon saw 4 youngsters from Blueprint School in Aylesbury learning how to index the gears, mend punctures and fix and adjust brakes from Mobile Mechanic, Sam Darling of MBRS UK http://www.mbrsuk.com/.
The whole group helped replace the tyre once the puncture was fixed
Sam had a great way of using every comment to move on to the next item smoothly and effectively and the youngsters’ enthusiasm for the subject showed by the end of the session as they stood round their headteacher’s bike to sort the brakes out. They were very pleased with the results and learned how quick and easy it is to tune up a bike and make it run smoothly, with a little knowledge and patience and only a few simple tools.
Adjusting the brakes to make the bike run more smoothly
Blueprint have been running Bikeability sessions and are also planning Sports cycling sessions next term for their students.
Callibrating gears is easier than we think!
Leighton Buzzard Woodcraft Folk Learning CycleCraft 28/06/2011
Posted by Pauline Roby in Leighton Buzzard, Leighton Linslade, Uncategorized.Tags: Bedfordshire, Bike Club, Bike maintenance, Leighton Linslade, Off-Road, traffic free, Trail Leader Training, training, Woodcraft Folk
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It’s a muggy Monday evening - a boiling hot day followed by steamy showers of rain. I am sitting next to Clipstone Brook, on a grassy bank overlooking the play park near the Planets Estate. I can hear some excited chatter approaching swiftly and suddenly there is a long line of youngsters on their bicycles, with a leader at front and back, enjoying the leafy lanes and routes around Leighton Buzzard.
There are so many lovely cycle routes around Leighton Buzzard for leisure and practical rides.
This Woodcraft Folk group have been using their bikes for about a year now – they had Bike Club funding to have some cycle maintenance training & Trail Leader training for the leaders and some Mountain Bike training sessions for the group, and now they are practicing for an overnight Bivouac/hammock camp in 2 weeks time, by riding various routes in their own neighbourhood – mostly along traffic-free or quiet routes.
Nearly finished - crossing the road near the town centre using a Toucan.
The leaders are showing their new-found skills by doing thorough bike checks before setting off (and carrying tool kits for en-route maintenance), riding forward to oversee turnings and junctions on the road and by having regular stops and breaks to praise the good cycling so far and talk through what is coming up and ensure that everyone is rested and ready to ride again.
The whole group enjoyed their ride out and were very keen to be included in the overnight cycling/camping trip in a fortnight’s time.
The circlular cycle route round Leighton Buzzard, took in many parks, past several schools, the water meadows, canal, riverside and High Street - lots of landmarks to learn the way around town.
Furze Down Bike Club delivering life skills and Fun! 22/06/2011
Posted by Pauline Roby in Uncategorized.Tags: All ability cycling, Bike Club, Bike maintenance, Bikeability, Buckinghamshire, confidence, CTC Trail Leader, cycling culture, fitness, Fun, Level 2, School, training, Winslow, Youth Achievement Awards
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A fleet of bikes and trikes plus enthusiastic trained staff brings fun, freedom and independence to Furze Down students
Having been warmly welcomed into the calm and friendly community of Furze Down School, myself, some staff and students lifted the fleet of mountain bikes and 2 trikes out of the container, pumped up a few tyres, adjusted the saddle heights – all ready for action.
The youngsters needed no encouragement to get changed, find a bike to suit their size and were ready to enjoy the feelings of freedom and independence that the bikes offer them during the school day.
Getting the cycle fleet in and out of the container is a joint effort by staff and students.
Furze Down staff are right behind the project – 1 Teaching assistant has trained as a CTC Trail leader and with 2 more of her colleagues are currently undergoing accreditation as Bikeability Instructors. Many students have already been out for level 2 training (on-road) and out along the Sustrans route that runs close to the school towards Milton Keynes, to experience some longer journeys together. The cycling skills offer a means of transport, fitness, independance and fun, for when they leave school and make their own way in the world.
Watching the youngsters riding in the playground and on the fields around the school grounds, they show growing confidence, awareness of other riders, negotiation through eye contact and bike position and many other life skills – it is a subtle and effective process, appreciated by students and staff.
Furze Down’s fleet of bikes and trikes, plus the trained and enthusiastic staff, offer some opportunities to carry out Youth Achievement Awards, with cycling activities in and out of school, bike maintenance, filming and photo diaries and a growing cycling culture in the school, and the staff are keen to set this up as another opportunity for their students to cycle confidently into their future.
Cycling confidently into the future .......
Pages Park Bike Club, Leighton Buzzard Beds has a fun launch 09/06/2011
Posted by Pauline Roby in Events, Leighton Buzzard, Uncategorized.Tags: Bike maintenance, GoRide Activities, Launch, Youth Club
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Developing skills of riding together and negotiating tight spaces
Wednesday evening saw a record turn out of 20 youngsters, all with their bikes, clamouring for a bike check from youth club volunteer Kyle (who expertly mended punctures and adjusted brakes and wheels for all the bikes) and lining up ready to roll with Cycle 4 Life’s Chris Stevenson. They enjoyed a variety of sporty GoRide activities on the field and were still keen to continue at the end of the session.
Next month will be a trip to the local Waterside Park at Tiddenfoot along roads and cycle routes, led by Chris and various volunteers from the club.
Meanwhile the Woodcraft Folk club that also operates in the area and have also recieved funding for maintenance and ride activities from Bike Club CTC, will be running some “round the town” rides for the next 2 Mondays. Some of Woodcraft members came along in a reciprocal arrangement with pages Park and it is hoped that the return journey will be made by PPYC cyclists for the Monday activities.
20 youngsters 20 bikes, one big field, a sunny, windy evening - fantastic way to launch Pages Park Bike Club
It was great to see smiling youngsters, relaxed youth club leaders and lots of speedy bikes on the fields of Leighton Buzzard on this windy June evening. Some of the things mentioned by youngsters that they liked about the Bike Club activities or what the activities resulted in were:
maintenance, they check your bike; gets you about quicker; I d like Bike Club to be on every week; I Cycle to school with my friends; I Cycle to Primark;
Here’s to some enjoyable, successful bike rides over the next few months for this club and for the Woodcraft Folk group activities too.
Bikes at the ready, maintenance session finished!
Ealing Cycling Campaign Bike Club Gears Up for Launch 01/06/2011
Posted by Frances Chaloner in Asda, London.Tags: ASDA Bike Club, Bike Club Leader David Eales, Bike Club London, Bike maintenance, bike recycling, bike stand, Catalyst Housing, doggie watches on, Ealing, Ealing Broadway SNT, Ealing Cycling Campaign Bike Club, earn a bike scheme, fixing bikes, helping local residents by fixing their punctures, housing estate, London, London Bike Club, London BikeHub, mechanics hard at work, pilot sessions, police, Safer Neighbourhood Team, sharing knowledge and tools, supportive team work, Windmill Estate, Windmill Housing Estate, young people
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Ealing Cycling Campaign Bike Club Members hard at work fixing their bikes
Ealing Cycling Campaign Bike Club Leader David Eales has been very busy running pilot sessions to gear up for their launch and says:
“Ealing Cycling Campaign’s CTC Bike Club continues to grow and grow. The initial sessions of the bicycle workshop have generated the interest planned and now a regular group of residents based on the Windmill Estate turn up every two weeks. Following talks with the local Safer Neighbourhood Team, the police delivered a selection of recovered bicycles for the club to work on and the first batch are already being eagerly worked on. A Club member selects a bike that will fit them and then the bike is assessed as to what is required to make it road worthy. Parts are ordered and then fitted over subsequent sessions by the student under supervision. Students help each other too rather than work in isolation and share tools and advice during the sessions. They are also encouraged to help residents simply dropping by to get a puncture fixed or seeking some other help.”
Police donate bikes to Ealing Cycling Campaign Bike Club
David says that even more growth of the Bike Club is soon to come:
“The sessions are proving very popular and the club will soon expand to other another estate managed by Catalyst Housing and overtime more formal lessons are planned as well as led rides and events to promote the group and ensure the bikes earned are being used.”
Doggie watches Ealing Cycling Campaign Bike Club Members fix their bikes!
Thanks to the Bike Club Grant, Catalyst Housing, LondonBike Hub (for the supply of parts and advice), Ealing Broadway SNT and the hard work of David, Ealing Cycling Campaign Bike Club looks set to be a roaring success on the housing estates. An official launch date is soon to be advised, so watch this space
Brighton mountain bike project almost there! 12/05/2011
Posted by Rose Rickford in Brighton & Hove.Tags: Bike maintenance, bikes, Cycling Town, Mountain Biking, Off-Road, Partnership, training, young people, Youth Club, Youth Opportunities
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After many months of organising, a group of organisations in Brighton are almost ready to launch their exciting city wide mountain bike project.
The partnership project will involve youth groups and organisations from across the city running their own regular mountain bike rides with a brand new fleet of bikes which will be owned and maintained collectively by the groups themselves.
Back in January 2010 I met with Tarnerland Children and Young People’s project to discuss their ideas for a Bike Club. They were keen to run mountain bike rides, and the young people worked hard on a successful application for Youth Opportunities funding to buy some bikes – hooray! The problem was they had nowhere to store them! Undeterred, Tarnerland worked to build a fantastic partnership with organisations across the city to establish bike storage and make sure the bikes could be used by lots of different young people.
They partnered with the University of Sussex who have provided land, right on the South Downs, for bike storage to be located. The two organisations then joined with other youth organisations working with disadvantaged young people to make a partnership application to Bike Club to fund the storage and other elements of the project including some additional bikes. Each group also made seperate Bike Club applications to gain funding to have their staff trained in mountain bike leadership and bike maintenance. Brighton & Hove Cycling Town provided additional funding to buy tools and parts to help maintain the bikes.
All this hard work has resulted in the beginnings of a fantastic project, bringing together organisations from across the city to share resources and work together to manage a sustainable, fun mountain biking project! Sussex Students’ Union and Sussex University will provide volunteers to support trained youth leaders in delivering sessions for a wide range of young people facing challenging circumstances. The project will give young people the opporunity to access the fantastic South Downs National Park by bike, and to make friends and learn leadership skills.
The bikes have now been purchased, and the first staff were trained over Easter. More staff will be trained in the coming months, and groups have begun booking the bikes for rides in the summer!
Watch this space!
Waltham Cross Bike Club 01/04/2011
Posted by Frances Chaloner in Asda, London.Tags: Asda, Bike maintenance, bike recycling, Bikeability, BMX, cheese cake, Duke of Edinburgh Awards, Hertfordshire, off road riding, On road riding, ride leader, Waltham Cross Youth Club, Youth Connexions
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Bikes donated by the police get a make over!
Waltham Cross Bike Club have started bike maintenance sessions for the Duke of Edinburgh Awards group. They are busy on Tuesday nights fixing their bikes, which have been donated by the local police, getting them roadworthy and ready to ride.
The Bike Club is based at Waltham Cross Youth Club, which is run by Youth Connexions, Hertfordshire County Council.
Getting a wheel ready
They are using their Bike Club grant to purchase a storage container for their bikes, and police donated ones for recycling. This will free up more space in the new workshop which Andy Young their Youth Worker has set up. It will also help to create an outside area to be used by the Bike Club for maintenance in the better weather and Bikeability cycle training sessions.
The group will also use their Bike Club money to train up ride leaders so that they can tackle on and off road rides on the new bikes they have built. They will be taking a picnic along to enjoy half way and keep them fuelled for the ride. This training will get them fit and well prepared for their Duke Of Edinburgh Award expedition.
Stopping will be easy on this bike when the new brake cables are in place
After an initial fitness session they set to on their bike maintenance, and to keep their energy up some Bike Club members made a delicious cheesecake for everyone to share.
It did taste good!
Once the outside area is up and running, Waltham Cross Bike Club will hold their official launch
- so watch this space!
Furze Down School win Modeshift ‘Cycling Initiative of the Year’ Award 03/12/2010
Posted by Tejesh Mistry in Aylesbury.Tags: Bike maintenance, Bikeability, Buckinghamshire, Bucks, special school, training, travel planning
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Furze Down School has won the Modeshift ‘Cycling Initiative of the Year’ Award supported by Buckinghamshire County Council Travel Planning team and largely funded through the Bike Club initiative.
The commitment shown by Furze Down School to cycling has gone from strength to strength incorporating cycling as a physical activity and bike maintenance as a tool for alternative curriculum. The school has taken on a range of activities for key stage 4 pupils including Bikeability cycle training and bike maintenance workshops where staff have been trained to ensure the activities are sustainable. The Bike Club at the school has continued to take shape led by dedicated staff who have a clear vision for school travel planning and supplementary activities.
The award is a great achievement by Furze Down School and the Buckinghamshire School Travel Planning team, highlighting a successful year for cycling at the school which also involved a trip for pupils to Parliament to meet MPs and Nigel Mansell to talk about their appreciation for cycling.
Pupils are enthusiastic about their Bike Club so far and here are some of their comments:
“I can now cycle to the town centre from where I live.”
“I mended my friend’s bike when he had a flat tyre.”
“I can now ride my bike to Aylesbury town safely.”
“If my bike needed mending I would know how.”
“I mended my friend’s bike when he had a buckled wheel.”
“I am now able to cycle from Dinton to Aylesbury to see my friends.”
Modeshift is the national network supporting sustainable and active travel for young people and school communities by supporting those who are working with them to achieve these goals.
See this blog for more information about Furze Down School Bike Club activities.
From Parliament to Bikeability
