We have had a stellar Membership March and Good Cycles would like to thank everyone who signed up this month for their care and generosity. You are making a difference in the lives of young people overcoming their barriers to employment. And now, the moment you have all been waiting for …
Membership March 2024 Prize Winners
Two month Lug+Carrie subscription: Peter E.
Bridge Road Brewers Prize Pack: Hilton S.
$250 Good Cycles Voucher: Laura S.
2 FYXO Melburn Roobaix Tickets: Cathy R.
Vittoria road tyres and Vittoria t-shirt: Jules F.
Vittoria MTB tyres: Corey M.
Vittoria gravel tyres: Miwa T.
Lime credit voucher: Simon W., Ben M.
Purpose Precinct Prize Pack: Nathaniel F.
Homie $50 voucher: Sam G., Martin W.
Moon Meteor-X Auto 450 Lumens Lightset, Good Cycles drink bottle, Rock “n” Roll Gold Chain lube Prize Pack: Matt O., Clare H., Rebecca M., Luke H., Jess H., Bec M.
Merida drink bottle, Merida t-shirt, Rock “n” Roll Gold Chain lube Prize Pack: Tara L., David W., Russ M., Darren B., Ryan T., Ernesto N., Leon H., Simon T., Anthony B., Emily C.
Rock “n” Roll Gold Chain lube and Good Cycles drink bottle Prize Pack: Josh R., Gabby S., Malcolm C., Karla B., David D., Matthew S., Francesco Z., Ed Z.
Congratulations to our prize pack winners!
We hope our Membership March winners enjoy their rewards. Feel free to drop in to any of our stores if you have any bike related questions, our staff will be sure to help you out. Be sure to check out your monthly newsletter for all things Good Cycles, in the meantime, happy riding everyone!
100% of our profits go towards employing young people facing barriers to employment.
Make a positive impact on a young person’s life by getting your bike serviced with us.
Recently our team has been working together with Citywide to deliver bin liners on behalf of the City of Melbourne for food and garden organics waste to registered homes around town. We’d like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the amazing work our staff have been doing these past few weeks, demonstrating teamwork and communication skills to complete this project.
What the project involves:
Under the guidance of Team Leader Gareth, the crew gathers in the morning and would receive a section of a map with participating residences. Each crew member receives a bundle of bin liners and travels to their respective drop off locations in a van. Using e-cargo bikes as well as travelling by foot, each team member delivers a bin liner to each property on their list. After every shift, the team reconvenes to check how many residences received bin liners and how many more remain for the next shift.
Over the course of three weeks, the 7-person crew delivered bin liners to 10,000 addresses in the City of Melbourne. An astonishing accomplishment and all credit goes to our crew of young people who have meticulously worked together to get the best out of each other. “It’s been great to see how smooth the workflow has been. I’m so proud of the teamwork that has been on display throughout these three weeks,” says Team Leader Gareth. “Major shout out to Lucas as without his organisational skills, none of this would have been possible,” added Gareth.
"Fantastic to partner with Good Cycles for our FOGO bin liner delivery program for a third time running. Their professionalism and can-do attitude made getting the job done easy and supporting young people on their journey to rewarding employment is such a great outcome. We look forward to future employment opportunities."
Tim Wright
Senior Recycling Manager, City of Melbourne
The Good Cycles team have proven themselves to be hard workers in a team environment, taking with them many communication and leadership skills that they can transfer into future employment. As this project did not require a driver’s licence or other forms of certification, it is another example of meaningful, entry level work that breaks through barriers to employment.
"Citywide is pleased to have supported another successful FOGO Liner Delivery Program for the City of Melbourne, in collaboration with our long-standing and entrusted partner, Good Cycles. The liner program aims to encourage the ongoing uptake of FOGO services throughout the Melbourne municipality whilst also serving as a valuable entry point for youth employment and skills development through Good Cycles' community partnership initiative. A win for the environment, the Melbourne community and young job seekers."
Gabrielle Lethlean
Sustainability and Continuous Improvement Lead, Citywide Waste
Our Good Logistics team has made an environmental impact on many residences within our community, helping to prevent tonnes of food and garden organics waste from ending up in landfill and helping shape the way we think about residential waste. Each delivery of bin liners means that we can take another step towards shaping more livable communities, converting residential food and garden organics waste into fertiliser and compost.
Find out more about the positive impact we’ve been making.
As a social enterprise that empowers young people with safe and meaningful work, we believe in the power of positivity. It is one of the moving forces for our good cycles of change. We recently asked some of our bike mechanics to shine a light on this positivity, and posed the question: What makes a bike shop accessible? Here are four values that our bike mechanics bring to our stores.
Listening
We make sure each customer is heard, that we respect your time and budget so you can get the best out of your customer experience. Listening to a customer will allow our mechanics to solve any issues you may have, which means you can get back to cycling and getting the most out of your bike.
Respect
We understand that your bike may be your primary mode of transport and is important to you. We can work together to get you back on the road with our quality service. For us, respect also means being honest with you if the cost of service will outweigh the price of your bicycle. Our mechanics will always be happy to assist you with any query you might have.
Being Approachable
We stay grounded by constantly reminding ourselves that we serve a diverse community of cyclists. Commuters, seasoned roadies, adventurous MTB riders, second hand bike enthusiasts all visit our bike stores for regular servicing and to purchase parts & accessories. We open our doors with gratitude for each and every person that visits us.
Engaging with the client
We never make presumptions of our customers’ wants and needs, nor their cycling skills and level of bike knowledge. We take the time to ask questions, to understand what each person wants so they can get the very best out of their bike.
"We're here to do what's best for your bicycle, because we love seeing the cycling community grow."
James
Good Cycles Bike Mechanic
"Very friendly, invested and helpful; very reasonably priced for the CBD."
James T.
Goldsbrough Lane customer
Our mechanics take the time to take special attention to details and are collaborative in finding what’s best for a customer’s bicycle. We are passionate about working for the community and providing the quality service to get you on your way. And remember, when you shop with us, know that 100% of our profits go to towards employing young people facing barriers to employment. Why not make a positive impact today and bring your bike in for service with one of our friendly mechanics.
100% of our profits go towards employing young people facing barriers to employment.
Make a positive impact on a young person’s life by getting your bike serviced with us.
Get discounts off servicing and accessories when you sign up to be a member this year.
The sun was shining on thousands of cyclists, as we offered free safety checks as part of Bicycle Network’s annual Ride2Work day
Blessed by some lovely springtime weather, commuters were encouraged to leave their cars at home and ride to work, with thousands of cyclists taking part. It was a busy day for our Good Bikes crew, as we activated two event sites, did some onsite servicing for 80 Collins St, and even had a partnership with the riders from GMHBA Health Insurance in Geelong.
One site was right in front of our Docklands Bike Hub store on Harbour Esplanade, the other at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. There was a great buzz as our friendly team offered safety checks and tune-ups, while the kind folk from Bicycle Network counted participants and provided healthy snacks and delicious coffee.
It was great seeing Lime there showing off their bike and scooter share. Since 2020, Good Cycles has partnered with Lime to provide “Good People” for fleet maintenance; keeping the batteries charged, tyres pumped, and ensuring they run smoothly.
Out in Geelong, we offered commuters from GMBHA some special servicing deals through our Membership, and then back in Melbourne while people got to work, our on-site servicing were down in the 80 Collins St end-of-trip facility fixing bikes preparing people for their ride home.
“It’s awesome to be out in the sunshine, enjoying the day surrounded by awesome people while giving a couple of newbies a chance to try to expand their skills in the bicycle retail space."
James
Good Cycles Mechanic
If that wasn’t enough – it was also a great day for two new Youth Employment Program participants, joining the Good Bikes team. “It’s awesome to be out in the sunshine, enjoying the day surrounded by awesome people while giving a couple of newbies a chance to try to expand their skills in the bicycle retail space” says James.
Ride2Work Day 2023 was a fun-filled day. It was great to be a part of one of the biggest events in the years’ cycling calendar. A big thank you to Bicycle Network for all their support, and to every rider who chose the most sustainable and healthy option for their commute; to go by bicycle!
If participating in this year’s Ride2work day meant dusting the cobwebs off your bike, or using it for the first time in a while, and you’ve discovered you’re in need of a tune-up, drop it into one of our stores, or book a service online. Our mechanics provide professional servicing and repairs to all types of bicycles. To find your nearest Good Cycles store, hit the link below.
A few months ago, ABC News Melbourne reported a story, shining a light on some of the work Good Cycles does in the heart of Melbourne’s CBD.
Beginning in May 2022, the Caledonian food waste program, also known as the Garbage Butler program, was initiated with support by the City of Melbourne and Citywide, with the aim of reducing cafe food waste from landfill.
Renowned for its bustling cafe culture, Melbourne’s CBD is laden with cafes and eateries, with many occupying backstreets and laneways. In such highly trafficked areas, between the cities pedestrians and its busy streets, the e-bike and trailer are the perfect mode of service, able to weave through the tight route without creating the kind of obstruction a van or truck may if it were tasked to do the same role.
Each day the team operates, they depart from our City Services headquarters in North Melbourne, riding into the city, where they visit a number of participating cafes, collecting food waste into tubs and loading them on to our built-for-purpose trailers. Later, the food waste gets processed, averting tonnes of biodegradable waste from landfill into rich compost fertiliser.
Good Cycles City Services team member S’moe, who’s been with Good Cycles since 2018, spoke to ABC reporter Iskhandar Razak on his personal experience in his role.
Most excitingly, the Caledonian food waste program has recently been confirmed as a permanent program, shifting from its pilot phase, to be rolled out to service more cafes and eateries in Melbourne’s dining precincts.
Caledonian food waste collection employees work as part of Good Cycles’ Youth Employment Program. Good Cycles is proud to be a part of this innovative, sustainable solution that not only removes food waste from landfill, reduces noise, vehicle congestion and CO2 emissions used to collect waste, but does so in a way that incorporates our mission of helping young people in creating ‘Jobs for the Future’.
To read read more about our mission, on our Impact page.
"This job has given me purpose and a reason to wake up in the morning, so I'm very grateful for that."
S'moe
City Services Team Member
Good Cycles wishes to acknowledge the support of the programs partners:
'The Commercial Project' takes a closer look at the people and spaces that inhabit the Nightingale Village Precinct.
Recently The Commercial Project – a branch of The Local Project that lends a focus on multi-residential building living, visited our Brunswick store, to chat about the overlap in values and approach that opened the door for Good Cycles to take up residency on the ground level of the Nightingale Evergreen building.
Situated in the cul-de-sac of Duckett street Brunswick, the Good Cycles Brunswick location has been made possible by a co-op of building residents that sought a commercial tenant whose business aligned with the philosophy of its residents, and would complement the precinct.
Through practices of sustainability, a focus on inclusion and community, and a shared for love for all the benefits of pedal-powered 2 wheeled transport, Good Cycles is honoured to have our newest home in this award-winning space.
In this wonderfully produced video, watch the Good Cycles team speak to our mission, and the connection and support that exists from being situated in this unique and special community.
"...Our primary focus is around creating jobs for young people who experience barriers to employment, gain some experience and transferable skills that will take them into wherever they want to go in the future."
What drew you to build this bike up, with the parts you’ve used?
I’ve always wanted a Soma bike and after getting the fork originally for a different build I decided to also build the frame up. Originally, I build it up with the group set from my old commuter bike, a 1x GRX Di2 setup. But soon after using the bike a bunch more, especially loaded up as a bike packing setup I decided to go down the 12 speed MTB setup. The wheels were custom built as I wanted to have my own set of custom wheels. I also have a 27.5” wheelset for it, but sadly due to stock shortages no cassette for it.
Was there a particular intention for this custom build?
I wanted to build a super versatile bike that could be used for both commuting and bikepacking.
Having built it up, is there anything further you wish to change or experiment with?
For now, I’m loving it and it’s feeling super perfect, the only thing I’m going to add is a basket to the front rack
Any particular rides you’d like to do with the bike, or have already done?
I’m planning out a multi-day bikepacking trip out west of Gisborne ending at my partner Eve’s Mum’s house. I’ve also just had way too much fun riding this thing through mud
Frame Soma Wolverine V4 Type-A
Fork Soma Unicrown 15x100mm
Rims DT Swiss G540 (700c) or DT Swiss EX471 (27.5”)
Hubs DT Swiss 350
Tires Vittoria Terreno Dry 700x38c or Vittoria Mezcal 27.5×2.25”/2.1”
Accessory bags Ortlieb Gravel panniers, Ortlieb Fork Pack Plus Large,
Other accessories Wahoo ELEMNT Bolt, Tubus Logo Evo Rear rack, Soma Lucas 3 Front Rack
Evie's Soma Grand Randonneur build
What drew you to build this bike up, with the parts you’ve used?
Before this my only bike was a classic Peugeot road bike, and I wanted a more versatile bike which could handle gravel trails and the road, and carry a decent load to be able to commute.
Abby suggested the Soma Grand Randonneur, which I liked, and we chose the rest of the parts to complement that frame.
Was there a particular intention for this custom build?
I really wanted a do-everything bike. A big emphasis was just comfort – I’ve never really owned a bike that fit properly before so it’s a very nice change.
Having built it up, is there anything further you wish to change or experiment with?
The combination of drop bars and front rack means finding an appropriate basket or bag is going to be an interesting challenge.
Next year I’m going to be studying Product Design so if the opportunity comes up I’m sure the bike will end up as a bit of a test-bed for parts of my own design.
Any particular rides you’d like to do with the bike, or have already done?
I rode to and from work at Green Street! Getting home was a challenge – almost entirely uphill up Mount Alexander Road, but I managed it.
I’m also looking forward to doing the Maribyrnong River Trail on an appropriate bike.
Setting out in late August, JP, our Geelong store manager and devout adventure cyclist, ditched the morning chills of Melbourne and set forth, bike bag in tow to Vietnam. With a loose plan in mind, JP is currently exploring the south coast of Vietnam aboard his trusty Norco Search XR steel framed flat-bar bike.
Traversing gaps between fishing villages and local resorts, the beaches, and countryside between Vung Tao and Nha Trang make for some spectacular scenery. Check out some of the pics of his adventure on our blog. You can also follow his journey’s progress on Strava, where he’s racking up the k’s each day.
So, starting off, could you tell us a bit about how the Hunt 1000 compares or differs from other bikepacking rides you’ve done?
The Hunt will be by far the longest and toughest ride I have done. I’m allowing 12 days to complete it with a rest day or two included in that time. Previously the longest backpacking trip I have done is four days. I am really excited about being able to switch off from life and work for two weeks and just have riding along as my only objective!
In addition to the overall distance the amount of climbing is huge, up around 30,000m usually, which is somewhat intimidating and a bit of an unknown. I’ll have to see how that goes – I like climbing normally so it should be okay, but wow it will be some slow going!
The most appealing difference to the other stuff I have done would be the remoteness of some of the sections, particularly the really remote wilderness sections and Jagungal wilderness in particular. I’m really stoked to be able to ride through those places.
Can you tell us a little bit about your prep for this event?
My primary strategy has shifted from get as fit as possible ahead of time to ride myself fit over the first 3-4 days – it’s a bold strategy and we will see how it plays out!!
My prep has been quite stop start and interrupted by life and work unfortunately. I have been trying to ride at least an hour most days, and for the past month 90% of all my riding has been on the bike I will take loaded up so I can habituate to the way it feels and moves and the strain on my joints and muscles.
I have put in some over-nighters with some big days of distance and elevation wherever I can while juggling other commitments, but it has been difficult.
Due to my lack of preparation I have modified my plans from 10 days to 12 days just to have some time up my sleeve. I figure I’m on holidays so I should take advantage of that and enjoy myself as much as possible.
The most appealing difference to the other stuff I have done would be the remoteness of some of the sections, particularly the really remote wilderness sections and Jagungal wilderness in particular. I’m really stoked to be able to ride through those places.
What are your go-to’s for food along the way? What will you pack with you to get you through?
Lucky for me I have always enjoyed bakery treats and takeaway food! My plan is to cram my food bag full when I can and see where I get too with that. I plan to carry a number of dehydrated meals as back up, but will eat real food as much as possible.
I have a pretty serious caffeine situation, and I have found specialty instant coffee that I can tolerate and will be bringing a supply of that too!
Riding Highcountry
Have you made any changes to your bike set up for this particular event?
My setup has been pretty consistent for the past year or so. I ride a Kona Unit X which I absolutely love. It’s by far the most comfortable bike I have ever owned. Highlights include a Tumbleweed Persuader bar, a custom frame bag from Rockiest, and my absolute favourite – a cut down Wald 139 basket on a front rack that I got from Blue Lug – the shipping was a killer but man I love that thing! Not having to worry about cramming my tent and sleeping back into a tiny stuff sack is a dream and it allows me to pack the most important thing on a trip – extra space!
The one change I made specifically for this event was to change my tyres. I usually run bigger 2.6 but went done to a more easily rolling and efficient 2.3 tyre. It doesn’t seem like a lot but it has actually made a significant difference to my rolling speed.
We wish Mark a safe, fun, and trouble-free event. Good luck, Mark!
To see the live tracking of the riders progress, click here
There are a lot of great initiatives going on. Just as well – it has been pretty tough going lately. Everything Good Cycles does to make mental health a reality for all is actively supported by you, our members. We do not provide a ‘mental health service’. There are other important and accessible initiatives to make a real difference to mental health and well-being, like:
Promoting cycling
Fostering participation
Creating jobs
Cycling is so effective for well-being that riding is one of the ‘alternative prescriptions’ doctors around the world recommend for mental health. If you want to know more about just how much you are helping yourself by cycling, read more from our friends at Bicycling Australia.
Obviously, it’s a lot easier to benefit from cycling if you have access to a bike. That’s one of the reasons Good Cycles has donated 60 bikes in the last 12 months to help people participate in the social and economic life of our communities. It might include exercise, visiting friends, or getting to work. It doesn’t matter whether you ride for the mental health benefits; they happen anyway.
It takes a bit of coordination and planning to create jobs, and as supporters of Good Cycles, it’s one of the things our members enable. The research evidence is ‘strongly supportive of a causal relationship’ between unemployment and mental ill-health. Our jobs are specifically targeted for those who are under-represented in the workforce so it is also one of the initiatives that improves mental health equity. Thanks again, members.
See all of the continuous paths available around Melbourne and Geelong with Google maps in Cycling mode. The Melbourne Bike Grip Map shows you a visualisation of all of the bike paths available to you so you can max out your 5km bubble.
2. Ride With GPS
One of our favourite tools for planning rides whether short or long. Ride with GPS offers plenty of different map overlays to help you plan your route while also showing other people’s routes that you can take inspiration from.
3. arevo Journey Planner app
Another tool we use to help us plan journeys is arevo. The app uses colour to represent different types of roads or cycling paths, handy when you are looking to use off-road paths only.
Bonus points for it being made here in Victoria!
4. Park Tool’s Repair Help
Park Tool makes workshop grade bike tools, but they also have a handy website, Repair Help, to help you fix your own bike. Park Tool’s Repair Help covers everything from fixing a flat to building a wheel. Useful when you can’t make it into our shop for a service!
5. Sheldon Brown
The late Sheldon Brown was a delightfully eccentric American bicycle mechanic (amongst many other things) and he created this website to help everyone from bike mechanic nerds to everyday cyclists trying to demystify tyre sizing.
It’s a great resource when fixing up older bikes to check for part sizes and compatibility. The website is very low tech (it’s 20+ years old) but that means it loads fast!
6. Desire Lines
Desire Lines is an Australian website showcasing events, bike touring and bikepacking ride reports/essays and much more. Community driven, it always has great photos and is great for dreaming of future trips!
These are some of our favourite cycling resources and we trust they’ll become some of yours too. If you need some bits or pieces to keep the adventures going head to our online shop, we deliver Australia-wide and 100% of your purchase goes towards our mission.
Bike maintenance at home
Still want more? We’re hosting an online bike maintenance session to keep you pedaling through lockdown!
Date: Wednesday 22 September, 2022
Time: 5pm – 6pm
Cost: $25 / FREE for Good Cycles members (check your inbox for the promo code)
