The London Bike Kitchen is an open DIY workshop where you can work on your own bike instead of giving it to someone else.

We will be open Sunday 27 May from 2pm for drop in sessions! (Sorry, got a class going on that morning.)

Beta Launch

We're open Saturdays and Sundays from 11 - 7pm. Drop-in DIY tool/stand hire is all day Saturday and Sunday, but occasionally we will have a course on Sunday mornings (11am - 2pm). Drop-in will continue from 2pm - 7pm. As this is our testing period, please - be gentle. Also, your feedback is much appreciated. Drop us a line with your questions, comments & concerns: londonbikekitchen@gmail.com.

WaG Night, Monday Night

Every Monday night WaG (Women & Gender-variant) will be doing a short session on topics like adjusting brakes, how to fix a puncture, fitting your bike to your body, and much much more!

WaG is a dedicated space for women and gender-variant people to fix their own bikes, with mechanics on hand for help and advice. 

What do we mean by ‘women and gender-variant’?
Anybody who identifies as a woman, or anybody who has a non-normative gender identity. This could mean transgender, genderqueer, ftm, mtf, transwomen, transmen, or any of the many other various identities which are not ‘male’ or ‘female’ in the traditional sense.

Why ‘women and gender-variant’ only?
Growing up, women aren’t generally encouraged to fix bikes or given access to knowledge about mechanics in general. As a result, women can feel like they can’t fix stuff themselves, or think it’s a man’s domain. All this can also be true for people with gender-variant identities. When most mechanics are men, there is a kind of heirarchy of knowledge, whereby the men fix the bikes and teach the women, and the women watch the men fix the bikes (and learn little), or are taught by the men. We want to do away with all this, and create a space where you are empowered to learn about your bike, share what you know (or just get on with it yourself!), all without the pressure and machismo that sometimes exists in male populated spaces. We offer a stand and tools, and some help and advice when you get stuck. If you’re really new to bike mechanics, you might want to take one of our introductory courses to get started.

CLASSES!

Wheel Building + Truing: Ever wanted to roll around town on some wheels you built yourself? Got a wonky wheel that's a bit untrue? Come take our course and learn how to straighten things out for a smooth ride. This course will take place over a Tuesday & Wednesday evening, May 15 & 16, from 6 - 9pm. Cost: £60, includes tea, coffee, snacks & annual LBK membership. Only four (4) spaces available so be sure to book quick. 

If you'd like to build your very own wheels, you can book a one-on-one consultation to make sure you buy the correct bits for your bike. Cost: £10. Sign up and let the smugness begin!

Introduction to Bike Maintenance: Let's start from the very beginning...a very good place to start... In LBK's Introduction to Bike Maintenance course, we'll show you the basics of bicycle maintenance.This will take place on two consecutive Sundays from 11am - 2pm. The cost will be £60 and will include a year's membership to LBK, and tea, coffee & snacks. Five (5) spaces are available, and if you don't have your own bike, don't worry - we can provide you with one.

Membership
LBK membership is automatically included in the cost of a course, but if you don't want to take a course, it's £10 for the year and gets you a fancy little LBK membership keyring to keep your bike lock keys on. You also get to hire a stand/tools for £10/hour instead of £12/hour, unlimited tea + coffee, special members-only events (i.e. movie nights, BBQs) and the knowledge that you were one of the founding members of this brand spanking new social enterprise.

Fees
£10 per hour if you're a member, £12 if you're not. This is for workstand/tool hire and comes with cleaning + greasing materials, advice from staff, tea, coffee, library access and bike wash. You can bring your own parts or buy them from us - we carry the basics and can order more specialised items.

About

The London Bike Kitchen is an open DIY workshop where you can work on your own bike instead of giving it to someone else.

We're here to:

• a) Promote self-reliance and confidence through education
• b) Make cycling accessible and affordable
• c) Get more people of all backgrounds on bicycles

We have a full tool library, mechanics on hand to help and courses to build skills so that you can learn how to take care of your sweet two-wheeled machine: Intro to Bike Maintenance, Bike Building, Wheel Building, Total Overhaul and Long Distance Tour Preparation. To enhance your experience we'll also hold women + gender-variant nights, monthly rides, bicycle-related events (including the infamous Bicycle Bingo) and Members Only Perks.

As a charitable social enterprise, our goal is to create a workshop that is self-sustaining and open to everyone. The money that you spend here will subsidise classes and shop time for those from disadvantaged backgrounds, allowing them to gain access to bikes and bicycle education.

We are located at 28 Whitmore Road, N1 5QA, near the canal on the border between Hoxton and De Beauvoir in Hackney.