When COVID 19 hit, a group of young people wanted to offer a solution, get active, and support their community. So, the first iteration of The Bike Drop was born... Founded as a partnership between Creative Sustainability (Owners of Access Bike Project and generally inspirational local folk doing wonderful stuff that brings about lasting change) and The Grace Network.
Our initial response was to offer a pedal-powered delivery service for Stroud District by partnering up with as many local businesses as we could. We helped retailers set up online retailing, meaning we could jump in and offer deliveries by bike whilst shops were closed during lockdown.
Our Journey
As 2022 progressed, the workshop grew into a valued community resource, with an ever-growing base of regular customers. We started to accept donations of old bikes, to fully service and then sell. Following the decision to close his own bike shop in Wotton Under Edge, Tristan became our first full-time mechanic in the workshop, which has been steadily growing ever since.
Without pausing for breath, Harry was keen to get another training scheme up and running. Two apprentices joined the team in November 2023, receiving 3 weekly training sessions and practicing their new knowledge on donated bikes. All apprentices have undergone a two-week residential training course in Oxford, culminating in an assessment for Cytech level 3.
As the world opened up again, we continued to offer a local delivery service on our fleet of e-bikes but also started training some of our riders with the skills to fix bikes: our, theirs, and eventually, paying customers!
Just as this new dimension to The Bike Drop blossomed, 2 Bike Drop babies arrived and we had the big move from Brimscombe Port to Brimscombe Mills, along with the rest of the Grace Network family. This meant a long, hard winter of turning our hands to the construction of a new home and dedicated bike workshop. Morale and warmth were needed daily.
We have continued to grow more than could ever have imagined, opening a store in Cirencester and expanding our space at the Mill. We even have a marketing team member who has developed The Bike Drop brand and helped hone our vision, mission and brand identity.
Our vision & mission
We felt it was time to stop good quality bikes getting thrown away, and the feeling that cycling was accessible only to those ‘in the know’, so we built something different.
We offer a more sustainable way of buying new, and a workshop that refurbishes bikes instead of throwing them away. This gives everyone in our community access to great advice about cycling, and great bikes to enjoy.
Our vision is a world where cycling is the most inclusive, sustainable, and joyful way to move.
Everyday, we make that happen by giving more people the freedom to ride, and the planet a kinder future.
Top quality bikes that are better for your pocket, don’t compromise on quality or safety, advice from experienced mechanics all help us bring that to life.
