DoctorBike
Website
Project Aim
Keeping Totnes on two wheels rather than four, DoctorBike is a cycle maintenance service and training project, aiming to get Totnes' bikes into a delightfully rideable condition by:
- fixing them for very low (or no) charge
- skill sharing while fixing
- training people up in intermediate cycle maintenance
- providing advice and guidance to cyclists re all matters bikey
Further details
It's really a one-man project at this stage. I'm a qualified cycle mechanic (EAL level 2, C&G level 2) and I recognise that many more people would ride their bikes if they were actually rideable, or even better, "delightfully rideable". I'm also very conscious that if you take an older bike into a traditional bike shop, they'll quote a price that's often higher than the actual value of the bike to "fix it". What they mean by "fix it" is usually replace a number of parts with expensive imported items.
There are two ways to fix bikes. First, you can sell new components to replace what's worn - and often if one part is worn and needs to be replaced, there are other parts that need to be replaced at the same time (eg drive train). This can be very expensive - I've had people come to me after being quoted over £150 for work/parts and I was able to make their bike delightfully rideable in two hours with minimal replacements and at a cost to the rider of around 15% of the quoted amount. The second way is to recondition and rescue components on the bike rather than replacing them. This second option isn't always possible, but it's much more possible than most bike shops would admit.
Stories about the extremely high price of getting a bike fixed travel from person to person, and consequently a vast number of bikes languish in garages for want of a small piece of work. That's the problem that I want to fix, and I want to do it in a way that makes sure it's accessible to everyone, both in terms of location and price.
Totnes has a market every Friday and Saturday. It's in the middle of town and attracts lots of locals and visitors. It's a perfect place to fix bikes in the public eye. I set up in the market on Saturdays from 11am to 4pm.
My pricing is a little radical by comparison to the normal way of charging. If it's something I can fix in the market site, I'll do it for free or donation (Totnes Pounds, barter, time swap, hugs, pies, cups of tea). It's possible to do a lot on the spot there:
- minor fixes
- puncture repair
- minor tune ups
- tips & tricks & advice
- estimates
- minor wheel truing
- safety checks
Any of the more complicated stuff I'll do in my workshop at home. Over the last 6 months, I reckon that I do close to 90% of the jobs actually in the market. When I do bigger jobs I'll charge a little bit for my time - or we'll agree on a barter/timeswap/gingerbread deal.
If you're wondering what "delightfully rideable" means, here's a quote from someone who lives up a long steep hill whose bike I fixed:
"I can get up hills I've never been able to cycle up on this bike. What did you do to it?" (vintage Viking hub geared bike, full service, gear adjustment)
In terms of promoting the use of the bicycle as a means of transport and as a workhorse, I take my workstand, spares and tools up to the market (at the top of a step high street) in a bike trailer, demonstrating that heavy loads don't need combustion engines to haul them around the place. I also use a bike for most of my general transport needs. And for fun too!
I've run a training course in my garage, charging a very low price. It's enabled six more people in Totnes to keep their bikes on the road, and helped them model bike riding as a viable transport option. Next course is in October (2011).
The effects of the radical (non)pricing model
There's something fascinating that happens to people when they realise a valuable service is not for sale conventionally. I make it clear that I only take sterling reluctantly, and I'd much rather barter or timeswap. Or get a hug if they can't afford anything. Or they can get me a pie from the local healthfood shop. One woman burst into tears when she realised I'd do it for free. Others looks at me for a while as their brains click and whirr their way through a resetting process. Others go straight into a negotiation about what they can do that I might be interested in.
And during this process, we build a relationship that sterling would otherwise make unnecessary. Sterling allows a transaction that keeps human connection to an absolute minimum. As a "seller" of a service, a sterling transaction makes me feel much less valued and much less connected.
A barter, timeswap, Totnes Pound or gifting exchange, by comparison, is richly interweaved with connection and relationship. When I pass the Dartmoor Jack cheese guy in the street and we nod to eachother, we each have a shared experience in which I made his cheap and nasty bike rideable and he talked me through all his cheeses and selected a couple of large chunks that tasted all the better for the reciprocity we negotiated. Bizarrely, it's seems to create a relationship that would normally take ages - there's trust in it, an appreciation for eachother's skills and expertise, a respect, and a humour. It's literally priceless.
This Dartmoor Jack experience has been repeated multiple times. My wife went to a jewelers whose son's bike I fixed (the local bike shop was charging him a fortune to bleed and refill his brake system every couple of months, and I fixed it with 10 minutes of diagnosis and 3 minutes with a small screwdriver - and it's still fine a year later) and when the jeweler realised she was "Mrs BikeDoctor", he refused to take money. That's another relationship forged directly from an original bartering exchange that would not have existed if it had been a sterling exchange.
Inspiration
Outcomes so far
Unexpected outcomes
Obstacles, and how we overcame them
There aren't really any obstacles once I had the qualifications from the brilliant London based Cycle Systems Academy and insurance. The other ones are psychological - how will people react? will the other traders in the market welcome me? will I stand there looking like a lemon with no bikes to fix?
In the end, there's never been a problem of not enough to do. There's always another bike to fix, and if no one turns up I've often just walked up to a cyclist and asked them if they'd like to use the services of a qualified bike mechanic. I don't advertise - word gets around quite quickly.
Totnes isn't much of a cycling town because of all the steep hills around. I can imagine in much more cycle-friendly terrain there'd be far too much to do.
Lessons Learned
Contacts
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