Bikes wanted in Exeter
Ride On – Cycling For All is busier than ever! And likely to get busier now there are plans to boost the government cycling strategy. The charity is looking for bike donations in the Exeter area.
Ride On is a bike recycling charity based at Exeter Quay. We refurbish second-hand bikes and get them back on the road – In 2019 we put 681 bikes back into use in Devon.
The Coronavirus pandemic and social distancing rules have created a growing demand for bicycles. Public transport cannot run at full capacity and if everyone took to driving private cars Exeter would grind to a halt. Air pollution levels would rise adding to the health risks associated with Coronavirus.
Encouraging cycling and walking is clearly the answer to rethinking global transport systems, increasing clean air, giving people access to more exercise, improving mental health and offering the freedom of independent travel. Cycling is an efficient and affordable way to travel and easily enables social distancing. And work, such as the 4km E9 ‘quiet cycle route’ from Newcourt/Pynes Hill to the city centre, will make roads safer for cyclists and pedestrians.
Donate your old bikes
You can contribute to this initiative by donating your old bikes to Ride On. Whether you are decluttering your garage or shed, have children who have outgrown their bikes, or you’ve bought an electric bike and don’t want the hassle of taking your old bike to the tip or advertising it for sale on Gumtree or Facebook.
If you can deliver your bikes to the Ride On workshop that’s great. (Address below) If not we have bike drop-off points at the following locations:
- Briar Crescent, Wonford
- Lewis Crescent, Digby (St Loyes)
- Lympstone
- Sidmouth
Email info@rideoncycling.org for details.
“There’s a bike boom right now and we are struggling to keep up with demand,” says Sam White, Ride On Workshop Manager. “We will accept donations whatever state they are in. Even if we can’t save a bike, we can always strip the parts that can be put onto other bikes and re-used.”
When you buy a bike from Ride On you know that it has been professionally built, maintained and serviced. If you buy a bike on line from sites such as Facebook Marketplace there’s no guarantee that it is even safe to ride!
Some of Ride On’s key customers are ‘key workers’ – those vital to public health and safety such as care worker Sarah Pennington who is an agency care home worker.
“Within Exeter I cover up to a five-mile radius from my home, which takes me about 30 minutes, e.g. from Heavitree to Langford (on the Crediton road beyond Cowley),” says Sara. “I use bus and train to reach Crediton, Exmouth, Honiton, and Sidmouth. I love that I can take my bike onto the Exmouth train without booking (boarding at Polsloe Bridge) and then cycle across Exmouth at the other end to work in care homes up on the cliffs.
“Cycling keeps me fit, gets me across the city faster than a car, and gives me a zing of freedom every single time I get on my bike. It helps me wake up on the way to work, and helps to clear my head and switch off from work as I head home.”
You can read more about Sarah’s love of cycling on the Ride On website. www.rideoncycling.org
