Pedal

How PEDAL Depot Works
Shop Rates
Hours
Location
Free Bike Program
Women’s Night
Volunteering
Support
Membership
Calendar
OCB FAQ
Eern A Bike

The PEDAL Bike Depot is a bicycle education and recycling workshop, launched in the Winter of 2006, where most of PEDAL’s charitable and educational programs take place.

In the middle of July 2009 a dedicated group of volunteers helped to move the Depot (yet again, 3 times in 2 years) to a new space.   It is set up similarly to Our Community Bikes just on a smaller scale and with slightly limited capacity. There are also volunteering opportunities at the Depot for those interested in supporting our organization and learning a thing or two about bikes.

Shop Rates

1.  Tool & Stand Rental Only – 6$ / hour

This one is all about you;  you can use all of the public tools at the shop, you get a stand of your own (or a truing stand) and the clock starts when you sign in at the front.  There is no instruction provided at this level, so you will be using knowledge you already have or figuring it out as you go.  There is a minimum shop charge of 2.50$ for any tool use under 15 minutes.

2.  Tool & Stand Rental + Verbal Instruction – 12$ / hour

This one is the same as above with the addition of verbal help from one (or several) of the amazing people that work at the shop.  As we encourage self motivated learning in the shop, people opting for this choice should be asking their helper when they are lost/confused or lonely as staff will undoubtedly be multitasking.  Ask as many questions as you like, the more the merrier

 3. Tool & Stand Rental + Hands On Instruction – 18$ / hour

The last self-help option with assistance is the same as above only your helper will be right in there with you demonstrating the new moves that you’re learning as well as talking you through the repair.  We encourage this choice for absolute beginners to bicycle repair as it is the best way to become oriented with the space, the tools, how to use them and general dos and don’t of mechanics.

We Do It, You Relax

Since we are also a full fledge bike repair shop, there is also the We Do It, You Relax option for those who are either too busy or not interested/able to do their own repairs or learn about them.  The depot, unlike Our Community Bikes, is not able to do larger/more involved repairs or any tune ups.

Hours of Operation

We are now opening up the shop from 3pm to 6pm Tuesday through Friday, and 12pm to 6pm Saturday and Sunday to sell some new parts/accessories and help people to fix their bikes. We are closed on Mondays. Days of the week that we are open include not only Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, but also Sunday. The only exceptions are the last Friday of every month, where we close for Critical Mass, and some Statutory Holidays.

Location

Now we’re at 1830 Ontario St (at 2nd Avenue) in Vancouver, British Columbia.  Parking around the Depot is pretty limited during the week though most of the streets have free parking (it’s usually all taken).  The alley on the North wall of the Depot is frequently used and parking in such a way that blocks the lane is not advisable.  For a nifty google map, click here.

Free Bike Program

Many of the bicycles refurbished at the Depot are given away through the Free Bike Program which was previously run through OCB. Depot staff work with community volunteers, who learn to repair bicycles while building them up for people in need. We get refurbished bicycles to people who wouldn’t otherwise have an opportunity to own one. The opening of the Depot has allowed PEDAL to greatly increase the number of bikes we’re able to give away.! If you would like to learn more about the Free Bike Program click HERE.

Women On Wheels(hosted at the PEDAL Bike Depot as of May 18th, 2011))
Another night that we are all stoked to offer is the Women On Wheels workshop nights. Twice a month we open our doors after hours (6:30pm to 9:30pm) to women and trans people in the community to come in and use the shop. The rates and set up are the same as regular shop hours, but we try to make the experience as comfortable as possible for people who can tend to feel less than welcome in the male dominated realms of cycling and mechanics. Right now Women on Wheels is happening the first and third Wednesday of every month and is usually hosted at Our Community Bikes (though sometimes we like to switch it up and host it at the PEDAL Bike Depot). Please call 604-879-2453 to confirm location.

Volunteering

We love our volunteers…  so much that we’ve made a whole page about volunteering.  Check it out. If you want to be volunteer at the Depot or with any of our programs, send an email to info@pedalpower.org or call 604.708.4992

Support

Support can come in a number of different forms, from donations of cash money (for charitable tax receipts!) to old bikes and parts to snacks to volunteer time, we love it all.  We have made a Wishlist that you can check out of presents that we sure could use or our Support page for more information on how to help us continue to do the voodoo that we do.

Become a Member
Although a membership is not required to use the shop space at Our Community Bikes, it is a good way to save yourself money and support PEDAL. An annual membership can be acquired one of two ways:

1. you can volunteer for 8 hours at either shop (to learn more about volunteering, check out our Support page).

2.  you can pay 20$.

Membership will get you 30$ worth of shop time (so if you bought a membership you’re saving 10$) and the opportunity to come to our Annual General Meeting.

Youth Earn A Bike

Although this program is currently on hold, we hope to be able to offer it again in the near future (pending funding). The Earn A Bike (EAB) program happens at the Depot and gives Vancouver youth between the ages of 12 and 18 the opportunity to build themselves a bicycle. Each session of EAB has space for 6 participants, runs for 5 week and meets twice/week. To find out more about this program go HERE,