Dr Bike FAQS

When is your next Dr Bike?

Have a look at our 'Whats On' page.

Is it completely free?

Yes, all repairs and adjustments we do are free including any new parts we fit, if you are able to we do have a donation tin which helps Dr Bike and our other projects to continue.

Do I book, let you know I'm coming or just turn up?

Just turn up during the times we publish on our 'What's On' page. Sometimes there may be a queue but we always have at least two mechanics so you shouldn't have to wait too long. Please don't turn up with 5 minutes to go expecting lots of work to be done, at least 30 minutes before our finish time would be appreciated.

Can you come to our community or workplace event?

We pay our mechanics and provide new parts free of charge so we are happy to attend events if we are available but we have to charge, see our 'mobile Dr Bike' page for more details. We regularly apply for funding to continue our projects so if we know of an event well in advance we can sometimes include it in a bid.

Do I leave my bike with you?

This is a 'while you wait' service, we don't have space to store bikes. Some of our regular venues have cafes nearby so you are welcome to get a coffee while we complete a repair but bikes must be collected before the workshop ends. If you prefer we are very happy to show you how to do the repair.

What parts do you have in stock?

We have brake and gear cables, brake blocks, inner tubes, grips, pedals, chains plus lots of sundries.

Do you bleed hydraulic brakes?

No.

Do you have disc brake pads in stock?

No, there are too many different shapes for us to stock, however if you bring your own we will fit them for you.

What sort of repairs can you do?

Our regular repairs are getting brakes and gears to work better so we'll replace cables and brake blocks if necessary and set up gears. If you have a puncture we'll usually fit a new inner tube. Damaged pedals or grips we'll usually replace. We'll check chains and gears for wear and can replace chains as long as the gear sprockets are not too worn.

Can you true wheels?

Yes, at the Queen's Park workshop we have a trueing stand but at other workshops please bring the whole bike (not individual wheels) and we'll true wheels while on the bike.

What repairs don't you do?

As a general rule we don't service or replace bearings (we can usually adjust wheel bearings) or change gear cassettes and chain rings.

Do you have a bike shop and do bigger repairs/rebuilds?

No, we are based in our Queen's Park storage containers for Dr Bike workshops but our mechanics have home workshops and depending on commitments may be able to help - please ask.