To celebrate National Volunteer Week, we’re introducing you to the hard-working people that dedicate their time to repairing old bikes for people in need. We interviewed them to find out what brings them back week after week.
Meet Nick
How long have you been volunteering with us?
For about a year now.
What made you decide to join our volunteer program?
Bike Hub combines my love of bikes and a commitment to minimising waste. It results in people who really need transport getting wheels for free!
What keeps you coming back week after week?
I enjoy learning about bikes almost as much as connecting with people from around my community. I genuinely look forward to Bike Hub each week to see what surprises pop up, whether that’s other volunteers, families picking up their bikes or some amazing old bike needing a renovation.
What advice do you have for someone thinking about becoming a volunteer, but is still sitting on the fence about it?
I was hesitant as I felt that I would need to know stuff to be useful. As it happens, just being there is useful, regardless of how minor a task you help with. My advice, just turn up for a few weeks and see what happens.
What have you enjoyed learning about the most since you started?
You might not know everything about something, but sometimes you know enough.
What’s your top top for repairing a bike?
Compressed air to free-up a stubborn handlebar grip is pretty nifty and WD-40 for pretty much everything else!
Meet Tony
How long have you been volunteering with us?
I started volunteering when Community Bike Hub opened, way back in 2019.
What made you decide to join our volunteer program?
I love the mechanics of bikes and finding cool old parts. There are so many quirks to parts – it’s fun learning them all.
What keeps you coming back week after week?
I enjoy the mechanical challenges that come with the volunteer gig. Figuring out how to get stuck parts un-stuck and bits and bobs working so they can be saved from landfill.
What advice do you have for someone thinking about becoming a volunteer, but is still sitting on the fence about it?
Turn up! You don’t need any experience and you’ll have the support you need to learn how to fix all sorts of bikes.
What’s your your top tip for repairing a bike?
Tuning gears can be a tricky one. Using the cable barrel adjuster and limit screws can help get it right.
Meet Max
How long have you been volunteering with us?
For a few years now – on and off!
What made you decide to join our volunteer program?
I had a friend who introduced me to the space. This was when I was starting to get interested in the mechanics of bicycles. It was a really fun inclusive place and I felt like I was part of something really special.
What keeps you coming back week after week?
For me, being able to gift someone with something as special as a bike is most definitely what keeps me coming back. For some, a bicycle doesn’t mean much but for others, it’s a doorway to so much more – a mode of transport. So that’s what keeps me coming back for sure!
What advice do you have for someone thinking about becoming a volunteer, but is still sitting on the fence about it?
Come give it a go. And by that I mean pull a bike apart. Take the time to hear what the mechanics have to say and talk to the other people around. There is a lot more to gain than just learning how to fix and maintain a bike.
What have you enjoyed learning about the most since you started volunteering?
Probably learning the little things, like adjusting brakes and gears that can make your ride so much better.
Meet Teri
How long have you been volunteering with us?
I started volunteering a couple of years back – just before COVID hit.
What made you decide to join our volunteer program?
I stumbled across the Inner West Bike Hub and heard about the program through one of their mechanics. I dropped by and helped them sort through older bike parts, and have never looked back since.
What keeps you coming back week after week?
Two things keep me coming back – all the things I still have to learn and want to learn and being able to give back to the community.
What advice do you have for someone thinking about becoming a volunteer, but is still sitting on the fence about it?
Come give it a go.
You’re helping the team out by just being there – sorting old parts, helping organise the space or anything in-between. If you’re worried you don’tg enough about bikes, that’s not a problem either. I started with little to no knowledge about how to fix a bike. It’s a supportive environment and you’ll have plenty of opportunities to hone in on your bike repair skills.
What’s the favourite thing you’ve learned being a volunteer with us – your top tip for repairing a bike?
Hmm… I think my favourite thing is using the barrel adjusters to help you dial in the shifting on a bike.
How to become a volunteer
It’s easy to become a volunteer with us. You don’t need to sign-up or have any experience to start volunteering, just the motivation to learn.
As a volunteer, you’ll be working on donated bikes with the support of our volunteer coordinator. In any session, you could be doing something as simple as changing a flat tyre to something more complex like tuning the gears.
Drop into one of our volunteering sessions to give it a go.
Volunteer sessions run:
- Fridays from noon to 8pm
- Saturdays from 10am to 3pm
More information
For more information about volunteering, visit our volunteering page.