Dr Bikes are coming up at these locations, plus many more: South Ayrshire Council (1/2/2012), University West of Scotland Ayr campus (6/2/2012), Scottish Government buildings, central Glasgow (7/2/2012) and Glasgow University Green Week (9/2/2012).
Contact us if you would like to arrange a visit to your workplace or event.
]]>He sent us scans of the booklet that would have gone with the bike when it was sold.
Dr Bike is all about getting people cycling by making sure their bikes are in tip-top condition, and supporting you cycling by making sure your bike stays that way. A badly-rusted chain or slipping gears can make the difference between a pleasant commute and an arduous struggle up the slightest slope.
If we are coming to where you work, look out for the posters telling you where and when. If you aren't sure, contact your Bicycle User Group or building manager. Workplaces with bookings so far include the Sheraton, the Scottish Government, Royal London, RCAHMS and the Marriot. We'll also be at Napier University, Heriot-Watt and Stevenson College. We are at Edinburgh University's campuses every month - check their website for the full programme.
We post many of our upcoming Dr Bikes on the Bike Station website, and on Twitter, so sign up so as not to miss out.
If you would like to arrange a Dr Bike visit, booking is very straightforward. And if you know someone who uses a rusty chain as an excuse not to get pedalling, make sure they know.
]]>Our 30,000th bicycle is an Edinburgh Bicycle co-operative Contour bicycle, from the early nineties and it's already been repaired and reconditioned. It had been well used and well looked after, proof that a well-maintained and good-quality bike lasts a long time.
Over the years, almost every conceivable type, age and condition of bicycle has come our way. The oldest dated back to 1896 and was rescued from a skip. It's been fully restored and has pride of place in our workshop. We have had Japanese bikes brought over by overseas students and with centrifugal gears, Swiss bikes with number plates, racing bikes from the 1930s, red postal bikes, a child's bike from the 1940s that the owner remebers as a child being wheeled through blitzed streets.
Bike number 30,000
Most of the bikes though, are regular bikes for travelling around town and with the growth in cycling in Edinburgh, each one we repair finds a new cyclist.
So far we have reconditioned over 13,000 bikes, just under half - all back out on the road. Those that are beyond repair, we strip for their re-usable parts - there's almost nothing we can't do something with. As much as possible, we re-use the parts to recondition the ones we do repair. At our Fix Your Own Bike sessions, anyone wanting to repair and maintain their own bike has full access to the vast stock of parts.
And the rest is sent for metal recycling - not going to waste.
Bike 25,000 
Our oldest bike - 1896
All the children's bikes are selected to look as good, shiny and new as possible, something that will look great being opened on Christmas Day.
The Glasgow Bike Station are offering 10% off all bikes and 25% of all accessories bought with a bike before 18th December. Bike sales in Glasgow are held as usual every Saturday from 9am till 4pm. Arrive early to avoid disappointment!
In Perth, children's bikes will be on sale all week long - 10.30am to 4.30pm.
At the Edinburgh Bike Station, there will be extra children's bikes for sale on Saturday 17th December.
]]>Bring it to us in the week before Christmas and we will build it and store it until Christmas Eve, ensuring it stays a secret! We'll even wrap a ribbon round it for you! Bring two and you'll get a fiver off.
Pre-booking by telephone is essential. Call us on 0141 552 2606.
]]>This will take place on Edinburgh’s network of off-street paths as part of the Innertube project being delivered this year by the Bike Station and ELGT, funded by the People’s Postcode Trust ‘Dream Fund’.
WHAT: The Innertube Christmas Fun Day- A free community fun day full of activities including Christmas crafts, bulb planting, making bird feeders, Dr Bike, storytelling and festive refreshments!
WHERE: The Hawthornvale Entrance to the Innertube cycle path network, Hawthornvale, Newhaven
WHEN: Sunday 11th December 2011, 11am - 2pm ELGT needs volunteers and families to come along to this free community drop in event to plant daffodil bulbs, listen to storytelling and make Christmas crafts with natural woodland materials.
Volunteers will be rewarded with hot chocolate, mince pies and some free daffodil bulbs to take home and plant, either in the garden or in pots. There will also be the opportunity to have bikes checked by Dr Bike and make a bird feeder to take home and keep the birds fed this winter.
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The bike turned out to be a Granby "taper tube" bicycle, dating back to 1936.
She sat it to the side while she looked for parts to restore it and keep it as original as possible to the era.
Four months of patience and it was almost complete: original Lauterwasser bars, Williams steel 3 arm chainset, Brooks B17 saddle and vintage centre pull brake, Dunlop LA 26 x 1/4 rims and a fixed hub. The stem height and reach are fully adjustable and are in keeping with the time period. The only thing holding it back from completion was a broken spoke - very narrow gauge and double butted. But thankfully a discussion with a member of the veteran cycle club led Liz getting the required spoke from another member, Vic Polanski (who used to be a professional grass track racer and raced on a Granby Taper Tube!) and also regular visitor to the Bike Station in Perth. He confirmed the approximate age of the bike as between 1936-38. So with the spoke fitted the bike was complete. It rides super smooth and hopefully as good as it's first day on the road. It is sad to think that this piece of cycling history could have been sent to the scrap yard and have been lost for good!
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This isn't the oldest bike we've restored - that one dated back to 1896. We have taken in some 30,000 discarded bikes, and this just goes to show what we can do with them.
Once construction is complete, ESW will be landscaping the cycle path and the areas which surround the two new buildings. The landscaping plan uses trees and shrubs native to Scotland and, to help the landscaping establish as quickly as possible, ESW is running a ‘Tree Hosting’ project - starting from now, volunteers will host a tree in their allotment or garden for up to 2 years, until 2013, when it will be replanted on the Hawthornvale path.
ESW will supply the trees in pots which will can be put straight into the ground, allowing them to be more easily replanted in two years time. The trees will take a little bit of care but as they are small should be easy to cope with - and no blame will be attached if your tree fails to thrive for whatever reason.
Would you like to host a tree which will be used in ESW’s landscaping of the cycle path in 2013? If you would like to be a Tree-Hoster please get in touch as soon as you can so we can arrange a collection date for your tree. Contacts: Irene Kernan (irene@edinburghsculpture.org) or Andrea Geile (ESWmembersrep@googlemail.com)
]]>There is hot soup from Midday!
All welcome, under 16’s should be accompanied by an adult
For further information please contact Esperanza Martin on 0131 445 4025 esperanza@elgt.org.uk
The event is part of ELGT's and the Bike Station People's Postcode Lottery Dream Fund project to improve and promote Edinburgh's traffic-free path network.