Presentation to Sustainability Conference

Industry background

Mechanic skills undervalued.Cycle mechanics are generally pretty poorly paid, and unqualified. The cost of a cycle mechanic per hour is a lot less than a car mechanic.

Qualifications still an unusual thing amongst cycle mechanics.Cytech, an industry recognised qualification has existed now for over 20 years.Yet over this time there have only been 3500 people who have received the qualification.The Association of Cycle Traders lists 2600 bike shops in the UK.

Knowledge is becoming increasingly available in every area of life.The internet revolution means information is increasingly at your fingertips.

From fear to empowerment

Fear in the industry of losing that which sets professionals apart.It is a common complaint that bike shop staff don't explain problems in plain English. Staff use technical terms and show off product knowledge rather than try to bridge any disparity in understanding.

Fears of being ripped off through lack of knowledge. It is a common complaint that people using cycle repair workshops aren't sure if they're getting ripped off.Cycle repair customers often leave fearing they may have been charged for work that wasn't necessary.

We believe through training people:1. Cycle more – The most common reason for not cycling, “bike has an puncture” 2. Appreciate a well maintained bicycle – Teaching people to pump tires increase cycling pleasure massively!3. Are better at diagnosing problems – Is that noise supposed to be there? Get it fixed or forget about it....4. Feel empowered in resolving problems (whether that is fixing themselves or visiting a bike shop)

Training people empowers them in their relationship with their bike, and empowers them in their relationship with the support there for them, which includes bike shops. They will ride more, value a bike that works well, find it easier to diagnose problems and feel empowered if they decide to fix it themselves, or have to take it to a bike shop.

The role co-operatives have to play

Giving people ownership over the solutions to the problems in their lives, builds empowered communities. Travel is very more often than not a local issue, which affects more than just how people get from A to B. It includes issues of quality of life related to on street neighbourhood parking, traffic noise pollution and air pollution.Using co-operation as a means to achieve this creates organisations that are:

Engaged and EmpoweredCommunity co-operatives delivering support and training can't lose sight of how successful they are being.When a co-operative delivers on the aims shared by its members it is acting on the behalf of an engaged community.

ResponsiveIf what a co-operative is delivering isn't what the community wants, it's not isolated from that reality. It has a responsiveness to its communities need written into its rules.