BECYCLE Workshop

BECYCLE Workshop We run a community-led workshop aimed at improving cycling access and teaching people how to fix bicycles in Aberdeen.

At BECYCLE, you can borrow a bike, fix your own or help others fix their bike by becoming a volunteer

Charity registration No SC053291

BECYCLE Workshop needs your vote!We are through to the Public Vote stage of the Just Transition Participatory Fund. This...
21/11/2025

BECYCLE Workshop needs your vote!

We are through to the Public Vote stage of the Just Transition Participatory Fund. This fund is available to organisations supporting the Scotland's transition into a more sustainable nation.

BECYCLE Workshop is Aberdeen’s fully donations funded, community bike workshop. Providing affordable bike loans and free-at-the-point of access repairs since 2007. Our entirely voluntary organisation has helped thousands of everyday people from all walks of life become self reliant, build confidence and support sustainable skills.

Our workshop needs this funding to...

- Replace its aging tools and equipment
- Grow our operation and support even more people
- Teach more hands on skills to the local community
- Support other smaller charity workshops in the city
- Ensure we can continue to support Aberdeen well into the future

https://www.jtpbfund.scot/aberdeen

Hi, I'm Chris and I've been volunteering at Becycle for a little over 2 years, though one of the volunteers calls me Big...
16/11/2025

Hi, I'm Chris and I've been volunteering at Becycle for a little over 2 years, though one of the volunteers calls me Bigfoot cos almost no one has ever actually seen me there in that time.

My bike is a Chas Bland, year unknown. This is the bike that turned me full roadie. I spotted it on Facebook marketplace for £100, along with the words '531 Competition' and 'Campagnolo', which was all I needed to go check it out. It was custom made down near Bristol for the wife of the guy who was selling it.

It has a few scuffs and the paint job wasn't very well done in the first place, but it's light (for steel) and I love riding it. I've made a few small changes since I got it (bigger tyres, smaller chainrings) and have signed up to hopefully conquer the Bealach na Ba sportive on it next year ⛰️

Hi! I’m Owen, BECYCLE’s newest Australian import.I’ve recently arrived in Aberdeen and upon arrival I decided I was in d...
23/10/2025

Hi! I’m Owen, BECYCLE’s newest Australian import.

I’ve recently arrived in Aberdeen and upon arrival I decided I was in dire need of a hipster spec, all-terrain, basket bike to commute on. After a few days scouring facebook marketplace I found this rusted up but functional 80s Peugeot for £20. Rode it home and then took it straight to BECYCLE the next day. Having never worked on bikes before, I was keen to learn how I could rebuild it with new old components.

Within my first week volunteering at the workshop, rumours of a weekend trip to the Cairngorms arose - all of a sudden, I needed to get the bike ready within the fortnight! What started initially as personal project, very quickly became most of the other volunteer’s project too! I’m extremely lucky to have had a hand from almost everyone who came through the shop to while I was building it.

Loading the bikes into the car the night before the Cairngorm trip, I was adjusting the brakes and tightening the headset - hoping it wouldn’t fall apart in the mountains. All in all, It survived gloriously, and has been running brilliantly since!

Last month volunteers Jason and Scott took on the Cairgorm2Coast challenge organised by OutfitMorayThe 100km route start...
16/09/2025

Last month volunteers Jason and Scott took on the Cairgorm2Coast challenge organised by OutfitMoray

The 100km route started at the Cairgorm Resort car park and finished in Lossiemouth, featuring 30km of hiking, 35km of 'gravel' riding and 35km of road riding.

Having quickly watched a couple of YouTube videos, and with the guys having built two specifically made bikes for the event, they decided to ride their road bikes from Etape Loch Ness earlier in the year instead, because "We'll make up time on the road"...

Bianchi via Narone
Lemond Arrivee

Having survived the hike as the fastest of the walkers (just a smidge under 5hrs), the pair got changed in the toilets of a Royal Legion building - surrounded by leather clad bikers in town for Thunder in the Glen. And with shaky legs and sore backs mounted their steeds to begin the arduous trail ride towards the finish.

Three punctures for Jason later, the pair reunited at the start of the road section with more midgie bites than miles covered. Jason having been exiled to the tarmac having used up all the spare tubes... The road section was fairly uneventful (except for a small detour...) and two narrow tyred road bikes finally shook their way into Lossiemouth, in time for a well earned pizza in the back of the van.

Hi I'm Camilla, I'm a recent addition to the crew of volunteers. I've always loved bikes and at 16 I knew I wanted to bi...
02/08/2025

Hi I'm Camilla, I'm a recent addition to the crew of volunteers. I've always loved bikes and at 16 I knew I wanted to bikepack. My dream came true this January when I embarked on my first solo trip from Valencia, Spain to Livorno, Italy more or less I rode 1400km.

I built the bike in the picture as my first project at becycle, I knew some mechanics but this is the first bike I made from scratch, I picked the frame and added all the components.

For me this is just the start....

Safe riding ✌🏻
Camilla

Another half a year has passed at the BECYCLE workshop. Here is the summary of our community’s accomplishments in number...
14/07/2025

Another half a year has passed at the BECYCLE workshop. Here is the summary of our community’s accomplishments in numbers for this time. And we’ve still got another half to go 💪

Great thanks to everyone who makes it happen🚲

Enough has been said about our bikes from cycling to Poland last year. Here is a bike I built when I got back, inspired ...
02/06/2025

Enough has been said about our bikes from cycling to Poland last year. Here is a bike I built when I got back, inspired by the many practical bikes I saw while in Europe. It is my attempt to make the most usefull bike possible for Aberdeen.

The frame is a British Eagle Ranger, I have no idea how old and can't find a picture of another one online. When I pulled it out the scrap pile it had a few large patches where the paint had bubbled up from rust so I cleaned it off and used rust converter to prevent any more problems after that I painted over it with clearcoat. It has a Dynamo to power lights so I never need to worry about charging them or having them stolen, the Dynamo hub had a roller brake so that was kept and now works as the front brake. To make locking it up as fast as possible it has a ring lock (Also called a frame lock) with a cable looped round the seat post that can quickly be wrapped round anything and secured with the lock. This is a significantly cheaper solution than the combined locks as they are not common in Scotland.

Overall I think it was successfull and it has proven to be a very usefull bike for getting myself and my stuff around Aberdeen.

For this month we don't have a single volunteer, but three! On the 27th of April volunteers Chris, Jason and Scott succe...
04/05/2025

For this month we don't have a single volunteer, but three!

On the 27th of April volunteers Chris, Jason and Scott successfully completed - on an eclectic mixture of bikes.

A complete unicorn Chas Bland (Campagnolo Veloce), an uncommon Bianchi Via Nirone 7 (Shimano Sora) and a rare Lemond Arrivee (Shimano Ultegra). Pleased to report a fine ride all round, with no mechanicals (which would have been embarrassing) and only a few aches and pains in the days after. A lot more climbing training - or training at all - needed before the next one...

Our thoughts also go out to the friends and family of rider Steven Wilson who was killed during the event.

„This old genesis is the first bike I ever bought myself, it's the bike that made me into a mechanic, it took me a day t...
05/04/2025

„This old genesis is the first bike I ever bought myself, it's the bike that made me into a mechanic, it took me a day to take it apart and six months to put it back together. I've ridden it into the ground at least three times, it refuses to die and maybe one day it will make it all the way to the Croix De Fer in the French Alps.

They started making these in 2009 and it may even be that old! Who knows, this bike sums up not just my approach to fixing bikes but life, if you want to make it happen, you can probably find a way.

The parts on it don't matter, they never did and frankly I think that's the last thing anyone should be concerned about when it comes to cycling. Just get outside and ride your bike, that's all you need!”

18/03/2025

To help improve accessibility BECYCLE is trialling Thursday evening quiet sessions, between 6 and 9pm on March 20th and 27th. (The best way to check if we're open is at Becycle.uk)
We will aim to reduce noise and crowdedness within the workshop. These sessions are aimed at improving accessibility and enabling a more relaxed introduction to the workshop for new volunteers and community members alike. However, we hope that everyone will feel welcome to come along to the workshop with this altered vibe ✨.
1. Quiet calming music/no music. We will avoid playing loud music and stick to quiet instrumental music, which we will switch off if requested.
2. No groups, please come along to a quiet evening BECYCLE with no more than one extra person for support, such as a support worker or friend. As always, children must be accompanied by an adult.
3. Stands in the workshop limited to 2. Additional stands may be used outside if weather and volunteer availability permits.

February 2025Few words from Alistair about his really fun project🤩:“This is my “synchronous drive train” fixie. I got it...
01/03/2025

February 2025

Few words from Alistair about his really fun project🤩:
“This is my “synchronous drive train” fixie. I got it from Bikepad when I went to meet Joseph, who’s now a volunteer. I flipped it to fixie at becycle, but on my first go I tried to stand up and felt like that’d let me freewheel, that’s when I crashed it and becycle people helped me replace the fork for a carbon one and the golden cranks. I later put them on the same way as a bit of a joke, which seemed to not be so crazy, it was fun and helped me work out my core, I commuted on it several times 😅.”

Keep swiping for close ups of the bike and to see it in action!🚲😵‍💫

And then here’s the summary of great work from our volunteers last month💪:

40 appointments
20 bike loans (8 standard, 2 kids, 8 student, 2 refugee/asylum seeker)
23 volunteers
6 loan returns
>274 volunteer hours
£5025 minimum economic impact*

*Scottish Government Rate of Volunteering Contributions (£18.34 p/h)


Address

21 High Street
Aberdeen
AB243EB

Opening Hours

Monday 4pm - 8pm
Wednesday 4pm - 8pm

Website

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