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Bike Repair-DIY Style
No amount of rain, sleet or snow will keep Ottawa pedal pushers off their bicycles. But now with spring weather officially here and summer creeping around the corner, more people than ever are hopping on their two-wheelers to get around the city.
Ottawa supports the cycle culture with bike lanes, paths along the canal and a surplus of bike shops offering repairs and tune-ups. But if you want and are willing to learn how to tune-up your own bike for the season, check out one of Ottawa’s DIY bike repair shops.
473 Bronson Avenue
re-Cycles is a not-for-profit bike recycle shop that sells recycled bikes and parts at a low cost. Anyone can bring in an unwanted bike and the volunteers at re-Cycles will fix them up and sell them back to the community. Tuesday through Thursday evenings you can stop by the shop to repair your own bike. For five dollars an hour, you can use the space and tools at re-Cycles. Mechanics are around to help guide you through the process. Now if you have some extra time on your hands and love helping out, for every hour you spend working on other bikes, you get a free hour to work on your own!
1A McCormick Street
RightBike not only runs a bike-sharing program in Ottawa, but shares its space and resources too! For five dollars an hour, you can use RightBike HQ for any of your bike needs. Bonus points if you are a member of RightBike–they get to tune-up for free! DIY repair happens the first and third Tuesday of every month. RightBike is a member of the Causeway family. Causeway Work Centre assists and supports a broad spectrum of disadvantaged people to find employment. You can support the community as they support you!
275B Britannia Road
Recyclore is in need of volunteers to keep up its five dollar an hour DIY repair shop. Much like re-Cycles, Recyclore runs on volunteers and collects unwanted bikes to repair and sell. Currently the DIY repair shop is open twice a week, Wednesday nights and Saturday afternoons, but often has to close its doors when no volunteers are around to help out. However when open, mechanics are on hand to offer advice on repairing and maintaining your bike. Used parts are available for purchase if you need them, while oil and grease is included in the cost. Drop in during open hours–first come, first served!
Happy riding Ottawa Lifers!
