As many students may have noticed, the Bike Kitchen, UBC’s one-stop shop for all things bike related, has recently undergone some pretty major changes. For the last 12 years, the non-profit bike shop had been tucked beneath the old SUB, but at the end of September, they relocated to a trailer on East Mall where they will stay for approximately 18 months while the old SUB is being renovated.
“The move [to the new location] was a challenge … We had way more space in our old location, so we’ve had to downsize a lot of what we keep in our workspace,” said Jordan Mackinnon, a mechanic at the Bike Kitchen. “But now that we’re more out in the open, everyone sees us … we get way more foot traffic. It seems to be going well.”
Despite the change in location, the operating hours remain the same as before. From now until at least January, the Bike Kitchen will be open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Additionally, the services provided have not changed. The Bike Kitchen offers repairs, installations, used refurbished bikes, and new parts and accessories, as well as workshops and volunteer opportunities.
“We’re also a DIY tool use space,” said Mackinnon. “Our assessments are free, and then we usually give you the option to either leave your bike with us to repair, or we can teach you how to repair it yourself and you can pay a shop rate to use [our] tools.”
Taken on by the AMS Bike Co-op in 1999, the Bike Kitchen has evolved from being “a place to build up [the] campus Bike Share” to now a “full-service community bike shop.” As the UBC campus is a popular biking destination, it is busy year-round with students, locals and tourists.
The new Bike Kitchen trailer is located at 1896 East Mall, in front of Irving K. Barber and beside Brock Hall.