Recyke Y'Bike, Chester-le-Street & Byker
A sustainable, community-based transport alternative
At first glance, it’s a second-hand cycling shop and a good way of getting a better bike for your money. But Recyke y’Bike offers so much more than the best value on two wheels.
Recyke has been on the road since 2006. It was inspired by a similar scheme in Edinburgh, which worked to help people on low incomes have their own means of transport while saving unwanted bikes from landfill. And that ethos remains at the core of the charity at its two sites in Byker and Chester-le-Street.
After the branch in Chester opened its doors at the end of June, 2022, Neil McGowran, operations manager of the Byker shop, told Talking Northeast more about what was going on.
“It’s not just selling bikes and doing repairs,” he said. “We are actively out there trying to get the community to cycle, to see the benefits of cycling, and to gain the skills to maintain their bikes and continue cycling.”
‘Sustainability is at the core of what we do’
For many cyclists, or would-be cyclists, the first point of contact comes from the bike shop. Long established in Byker, Recyke has recently moved from Durham’s North Road to Ropery Lane in Chester-le-Street. Taking over a former car parts workshop, the building’s move from four wheels to two could be a metaphor for the sustainable ethos that underpins the whole project.
“Sustainability is at the core of what we do,” Neil explained. “Cycling is affordable, it’s environmentally friendly, and it’s easy to fix and maintain a bike.
“And there are social benefits, people can get out on their own or in groups. It’s another way of helping people mix and make new friends.”
Recyke aims to make that more accessible. “People would come to us after going to other shops and seeing a brand-new bike for £130,” Neil added. “Here, they would see a bike for sale for the same £130, but it had been a much more expensive bike in its time. For the same money, they could get a much better bike and it’s sorted, refurbished and warrantied as well. We offer a good, affordable alternative to buying something new.”
At the same time, the model ensures minimal waste and maximum reuse of any parts that are safe to put back onto a bike. Donations come through the door and, where possible, these bikes are refurbished and sold to raise funds to support the charity. Bikes that can’t be put on sale are often donated to other charities or made available free of charge.
And even a wreck is not beyond salvage. “If we can’t find a use for a donated bike, we’ll take it apart and use the components,” Neil added. “The big thing for us is to reduce the cost of our sales. We don’t want to be going out and buying new parts if we’ve got what we need here.
“If a bike needs a new gear shift, we can find one in our part store.”
That store is an Aladdin’s Cave of cycling knick-knacks: brake parts, stems, mud guards, wheels, tyres, gear levers, derailleurs and more. Only a few parts, such as chains, cannot be safely reused for repairing or refurbishing bikes.
“We use parts from here and we have a thriving community who want to keep their bikes on the road but can’t always afford brand new parts. So we can sell this at really affordable prices, maybe £5 for a derailleur, a couple of quid for a mudguard. All of this is perfectly usable, so why not make it available?”
Even the parts that can’t be salvaged are stripped down and recycled responsibly. “We can take away mixed metals like steel, and various types of plastics,” Neil said. “Or we can take the aluminium away and that’s processed further down the line. It’s all about making sure that we’re doing it responsibility and not just tipping old bikes into landfill.”
‘We pass on skills, but it’s the social side that helps people’
Recyke’s values also push it into the surrounding community. In Byker, there are regular Wednesday evening sessions to help local kids fix their bikes and keep them on the road. Similar Dr. Bike events are planned for Friday evenings in Chester-le-Street’s Riverside Park. The drill is simple: a bikestand, a toolkit and a friendly volunteer or two to provide the know-how.
“We get funding to help us do that in the community, and we also provide formal training and one-to-one training in the shops,” Neil said. “We can even offer pro mechanic qualifications. “
Investment in the community also extends to work with volunteers. The two sites currently have more than 40 people helping out in various roles. More than half of the bikes refurbished by the charity are worked over by these volunteers before a staff mechanic gives the final seal of approval.
In addition to practical skills, many benefit from a sense of purpose and involvement.
“We have a wide range of volunteers,” Neil added. “Some have physical problems; some have mental health issues. Sometimes it’s people who are isolated and want to come and socialise.
“We don’t expect everyone to be an ace mechanic, we want to include people and give them experience, pass on some skills. A lot of volunteers are interested in learning about the bikes in more detail and we’re happy to take time and teach those skills. But if somebody just wants to come along and be part of the day and socialise, that’s absolutely fine.”
More than fine, that social experience often proves more transferable than the bike-specific skills on display. “We definitely pass on skills that people can take away and use in other organisations, but it’s more the social side of things that helps a lot of people,” Neil added. “We have one guy who comes into Byker for an hour every Wednesday. He was in a car crash, suffered head injuries, and this is part of his rehabilitation. He’s interested in bikes and it helps him to come in and work with us for an hour helping to build bikes for the shop.”
‘Give people bikes and they put their money to better use’
The community aspect is not limited to work with volunteers – although the Byker shop in particular has a strong commitment to working with refugees and asylum seekers, finding a common language in the nuts and bolts of the workshop.
Recyke y’Bike also shares a lot of the bikes it refurbishes with its partners.
“If we can’t use a bike for a shop sale, we have a scheme where we can give bikes away to people on low incomes, people with a physical or mental need where a bike might help,” Neil said. “Sometimes, again, it’s asylum seekers and refugees. They don’t have much money and they often spend a lot of that money on bus fares travelling back and forth to appointments with the authorities. Give them bikes, and they can put that cash to much better use than buying bus tickets all the time.
“Other bikes go to one of our partners, a charity called Key Enterprises. They help a lot of volunteers to learn new skills. They work on the bikes, sometimes they make bike furniture out of them, but it’s all about teaching people skills and giving them somewhere to socialise.
“We give bikes to Deerbolt Young Offenders Institution, to help advance their education and skills and collaboration.”
‘Cyclists need better infrastructure’
During the Covid lockdowns, cycling gained in popularity. Quieter roads, and a surge of interest in outdoor, permitted activities, saw demand outstrip supply.
“Bikes suddenly became the in thing and we couldn’t supply enough of them,” Neil said. “Bike shops were running out of stock.”
However, there are still challenges to overcome before cycling can become a way of life for everyone. Riding to Chester-le-Street to meet Neil and the team was straightforward: once on the A167, a dual-use path means there’s no need to put a tyre on the road and find a way to share that space with motorists. However, not every route is as simple to use, even for experienced cyclists.
Neil admits that his own cycling has been limited in recent months, with his standard commute turning into a daunting mission on two wheels.
“I live in Westerhope and most days I’m going to Byker,” he said. “My first big stumbling block is the massive A1 and when I’m over that I’m into heavy traffic until I get somewhere closer into Newcastle. So yes, we need better infrastructure.”
Building dedicated cycle routes is beyond Recyke’s remit, but there is plenty that can be done to encourage new cyclists.
“People speak a lot about lacking confidence. They want reassurance that they can have a safe experience while they are on the roads. Recyke y’Bike has worked with British Cycling, we have some ride leaders who can take groups out on an organised ride. Some of us are trained as level one cycling coaches so they can teach basic cycling skills, a little bit like the cycling proficiency you might have done at school.
“We can plan some lessons, get people in and give them confidence that they know how to ride a bike, how to manoeuvre corners and other basic bike skills.”