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Cycling information for new students
A hearty welcome to new and returning students! Here are some answers to frequently asked questions you may have. If you have any further questions, don’t hesitate to stop by at the shop, or contact either the Bike Coop or the Bike Kitchen.
LOCKING YOUR BIKE
Bike theft is a big problem on campus. It’s important to keep your bike locked up at all times. The most secure kind of lock is a U lock placed around the front wheel and frame of your bicycle.
There are also secure bike parking cages for students located around campus. To get a code for the cages, come to The Bike Kitchen with your student ID.
Private bike lockers can also be rented from The Bike Kitchen for $10/month.
HELMETS
BC law requires helmets to be worn at all times when riding a bike. It’s also a generally good idea. Helmets should fit snugly around the head and be worn low enough to provide forehead protection. Helmets that have been worn during a crash may be compromised and should be discarded.
BUYING A USED BIKE
You can purchase fully refurbished and guaranteed used bike from The Bike Kitchen. We get donations of used bikes and build them back up with both new and used parts they can enjoy a new lease on life, and so you can enjoy riding them!
We build bikes as fast as we can, but sometimes the demand exceeds the amount of time we have. So if we don’t have the bike for you today, keep checking in, we’re always building!
All our bikes range from $100 to $500.
Our buy-back policy: any bike over $100 that you buy from The Bike Kitchen, we will buy back from you for half the price you paid minus half the cost of repairs.
Our Warranty: any bike over $100 that you buy from The Bike Kitchen comes with a 1 month warranty for any problems that come up as a result of the bike’s construction.
We do not sell new bikes, buy bikes, or do trades.
FIXING YOUR BIKE AT THE BIKE KITCHEN
At The Bike Kitchen, you can use the space and tools for $7.50/hour. You will teach you how to fix your bike for $15/hour. You can also drop off your bike for us to fix, and usually we can get it back to you the same day.
VOLUNTEERING
No bike experience is necessary to volunteer with us!
Volunteer nights are Tuesdays, 6pm to 9pm. You can come in and learn how to fix bike by helping to maintain the campus community bike fleet (the Purple and Yellow bikes). After 6 hours of volunteering, you also get a key to the fleet, so you can use P&Y bikes around campus. After another 6 hours, you get a free membership to the UBC Bike Co-op
If Tuesdays don’t work for you, you can arrange times to come in during regular hours and volunteer to help us out around the shop, or on weekends to help us run our Cycling Resource Centre at farmers markets and other events.
