The Bike Dump
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Since 2005, The Bike Dump strives to make cycling and cycling knowledge accessible to all, especially people who wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford it, by offering access to tools, help, and parts for people to fix their bike or to build one out of recycled frames and parts. There is no charge associated with these services, but donations of bike parts, money, or in-kind labour are encouraged.
The goal of The Bike Dump is to eliminate financial, social, and knowledge barriers that prevent anyone in the community from using a bicycle — whether for work, recreation, grocery shopping, education, or appointments. For many of The Bike Dump’s patrons, their bicycle is their only means of transportation. This program is not meant as a hand-out but a hand-up.
During the pandemic, The Bike Dump temporarily closed, and landlord reduced its operating space by half. When it reopened, this reduced posed a real problem for The Bike Dump, as it meant using every bit of space to try to still provide the same services to its patrons and clients.
The organization reclaims tons of used parts from bicycles that cannot be repaired or refurbished. The collections of parts from wheels, tires, brake handles, handlebars, ball bearings, pedals, crank arms, forks, chains, derailleurs, and more must be sorted and stored in a logical way to access them as required for patron repairs. And that all takes up space.
The Bike Dump’s homemade cabinets and bins are well beyond their useable life. The parts are so heavy that the drawers have fallen apart and many times are unable to be closed, which has also created a safety concern as drawers have the potential to fall out. The replacement of these homemade drawers and cabinets is the biggest priority for the program.
The second priority is to increase lighting. The landlord does not supply any upgrades to the old building space, and the responsibility to provide more light falls on The Bike Dump’s volunteer group. The group has added some individual shop LED lights, but without adding one or more electrical circuits, it would be impossible to add more light.
The Bike Dump is asking for support to purchase four heavy-duty metal drawer cabinets, two open bin storage racks, and install additional lighting:
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- The new proposed metal cabinets and open bin storage would allow The Bike Dump to organize the parts and remove all the random boxes of parts from the floor.
- The Bike Dump is asking for support to increase the electrical circuitry and add additional shop lights in the space.