Source: Posted in the St. Catharines Standard on Jan. 22nd 2025 by Matt Barker.
A bicycle repair program established to help keep lower-income individuals mobile is now shifting gears.
After fielding numerous calls from other people in need of help with their two-wheelers, Bike Me Up Niagara, under the umbrella of Start Me Up Niagara (SMUN), next month is launching a pilot project to serve the wider community with maintenance, repairs and upgrades on the average bicycle not serviced by higher-end bicycle shops.
Traditionally, Bike Me Up services were offered to people unable to afford repairs elsewhere.
Program co-ordinator Wayne Schmidt said subsidized services for low-income people will continue to be available Tuesdays to Thursdays 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., but the general public starting Feb. 3 will be welcomed on Mondays and Fridays.
For those folks, it will cost $60 for basic tune-ups, which will help support the operation, he said.
A tune-up includes a general examination of brakes, gears, wheel hubs, tires and tubes, plus any parts repaired.
Bike Me Up Niagara got its start in the spring on 2018. Recently it has caught the attention of many cyclists.
“All of a sudden, we were overwhelmed with people looking for a lower priced or reasonably priced bike shop and it was too much work, we couldn’t keep up, and we couldn’t maintain the service level for people who we’re here to help,” Schmidt said.
“We’re looking at it again this year thinking we’d like to bring business in to help keep this shop sustainable.”
Schmidt has nurtured partnerships with other bicycle shops in Niagara, which have referred average riders to Bike Me Up.
He said Front Row Sports in Thorold, Liberty! Bicycles in St. Catharines’ downtown and, further north, Bikefit on Scott Street are among those partners.
“Bikefit figures they can keep us busy all summer, as many people are looking for the service we’re offering … our local higher-end bike shops, if you look on their websites, they say they don’t want to work on Canadian Tire or department store bikes, they only want to work on the higher-end stuff.”
Schmidt said those bike shops are “happy” to refer general riders to Bike Me Up as neither are competitors.
“We’re fortunate to have volunteers who have been with us for a long time,” said SMUN executive director Laura Dumas, “so hopefully, opening it up to the greater population will help us maintain the bike shop and offer services across the board.”
Dumas said there are plans to at some point offer workshops to show people how to repair their bikes.