Interested in Volunteering at the Bike Shed?
Great, we'd love to have your help.
I don't know much, can I still help out?
Yes you can. With even just basic tool skills you can help many people, and if you like working with people we can help you learn to work with bikes.
Advantages of Volunteering
There are many advantages to volunteering at the shed.
- Improve your bike repair skills – at the bike shed we think that learning comes from doing, and you'll learn lots helping others with their bikes
- Lunch is provided - we always stop and have lunch from the CERES cafe; and we insist all volunteers have lunch with us and get a snack or two during the day. This is partially to reward the volunteers for their time, but more importantly it gives the volunteers a much needed break and a chance to get to know the other volunteers.
- Training days – every few months we have in-depth training days. Past topics have included three speed hubs and wheel building.
- You get a warm fuzzy feeling from helping others and promoting bikes and building a better future.
Where do I start?
All volunteers must start by being a casual volunteer.
- If you have never volunteered before, then you must fill in a volunteer contact details form and present it to the key holder when you arrive. All volunteers, even casual volunteers need to complete the form. (Note: the form is available at the shed.)
- We prefer volunteers turn up at 11am. The shed is open most Fridays, Saturdays and Sunday.
- You must present yourself to the key holder and tell them you are here to volunteer.
- Wear appropriate clothing for volunteering, preferably something that can get very dirty.
- No open toed shoes are allowed inside the shed.
How do I become a regular volunteer?
If you enjoy volunteering and turn up regularly, we will ask that you come to a committee meeting and meet the committee members. If the committee thinks you would benefit from some training, they will arrange for an appropriate training course for you.
What do I need to know?
The key things you need to know are:
- The bike shed is not a bike shop, we are a community resource that is here to teach people how to fix their bikes and provide facilities for them to fix their bikes.
- We are not a charity. All items must be paid for. This rule also applies to volunteers.
We also suggest all new volunteers familiarise themselves with all the information on this website.
Tools
Most tools are either hanging on the board or sitting on bench, but delicate tools are kept in the locked drawers. Speak to one of the regular volunteers if you need help find a certain tool.
Please be careful with our tools and ask about using tools that you aren't familiar with. Some tools are easily damaged when used improperly.
A few basics tool instructions:
- Cable cutters are only for cutting cables and cable outers, not spokes, chains, etc.