Empowering more women to ride through The Big Bike Revival

Cath Palgrave trained as a bike mechanic to work at a charity called The Bike Project, which was aimed at getting refugees and asylum seekers on bikes. She describes the experience as “brilliant” but says she “was looking for a new challenge”.

Having always cycled for transport, she says she loves cycling: “I think it’s a really good way to get around the city. I wish more people would cycle.”

However, despite people telling her that they would like to cycle more, they were nervous, particularly about going into bike shops. “Especially as a woman, the world of bikes, and especially bike mechanics, is quite male and I’ve been quite patronised, so I understand.”

While working for The Bike Project Cath met a lot of people who would tell her that they wished they could get a bike or that she could mend their bike for them. “It seemed like there was a real need for it,” she says.

Fixing in the community

And so the idea for taking bike repairs out into the community was born: Cath started offering free Dr Bike fix sessions.

Fixing bikes out on the street or in community centres makes it more accessible, Cath points out. “I wanted to just make it really normalised. Doing something like Dr Bike out on the street, it’s going into a space where people are, you’re not asking them to come into your space.”

She also acknowledges that bike repairs can be expensive or people don’t know how much they’ll cost, which is another barrier to getting back on their bike. The fix sessions allow her to explain what she can do there and then and what will require a bit more work, so they get a better understanding of what’s needed.

“You tell them where the local bike shop is if you can’t fix it. Then they can go in and say, ‘oh, I need this fixed’. It gives them a little bit more knowledge. That’s why I wanted to get involved: to empower people just to get on their bikes.”

Learning to do

In addition to her fix sessions, Cath has started offering learn-to-fix sessions. She explains that she used to be a teacher. Her dad taught her to ride a bike, she says, and he was very much of the opinion that if you can cycle, you should be able to fix a puncture.

“He would never mend it for me and I always had to, which at the time was very annoying, but I’m quite grateful now.” Fixing a puncture is a simple thing for Cath, but she understands that “to a lot of people it’s quite daunting”. So she started teaching them basic maintenance.

“People have said now they can mend a puncture or they know how to oil their chain or put their chain back on, so they can cycle for further. A lot of women have said that they used to call their husbands to come pick them up if anything went wrong with their bike. And now they don’t have to. So it’s more empowerment with them.”

Help from The Big Bike Revival

Funding from The Big Bike Revival was essential to Cath being able to offer the sessions. She went freelance after working for The Bike Project “just to sort of see if it would happen, if I could make a living out of it, and I can”.

Cath says: “Getting the funding the first time made me realise that there was a need and I could do it. In a way it was almost a little bit like a case study of ‘can I form an organisation?’”

So, along with some friends, Cath set up a Community Interest Company (CIC). This meant “we can access more funding but also so we can trade as well”.

Cath adds: “Some of the time we get funding, some of the time we charge. The idea is to subsidise people who can’t afford stuff with the stuff that we charge for or with the funding, so it is available to all.”

The funding has allowed Cath to consistently offer Dr Bike sessions outside a local community centre once a month throughout the year, so people know where to find her. “It means that I know that I can do it, and they know their bikes will get fixed. I couldn’t have started the CIC without it.”

Bringing people together

Cath emphasises the importance of social connection and how cycling brings people together – something she didn’t think of when she first started offering the sessions.

“There are people that I see regularly. I run a bike kitchen and they come every month, whether they need to have their bikes fixed or not. It’s not just about mending bikes or teaching people how to mend bikes.

“It’s also about them becoming part of the community. I think that’s really important because I think cycling is a really good way of getting to know other people.”

Cath laughs as she explains that people stop her on the street to say hello and she has to admit she’s not sure who they are. They tell her that she mended their bike or taught them how fix something. She also has people come to see her after friends have told them about her.

“I’ve met people again who told me that without the stuff that I’ve done, they wouldn’t be cycling and I couldn’t do that without The Big Bike Revival. People have told me it’s made a difference.”

Plans for the future

Cog Nation is still only in its first year; Cath says “it’s a bit scary,” but she has plans. “I’d like to pay myself, that would be a good plan,” she says, and she also wants to make a name for herself, “so people know what we do”.

The Big Bike Revival funding means that she’s been able to be consistent with where and when she’s offered sessions. “For example, like the third Saturday of each month I’ll be at a certain place and I’ll do a Dr Bike there. So trying to get known, that’s one big thing I want to do.”

She also wants to get more people on board. “I’ve got a few friends who are freelance mechanics,” she says. “I’ll try and get them to join so we can increase our capacity.”

She wants Cog Nation to offer Dr Bike, learn-fix-sessions and bike kitchens, as well as some training. But, she says, “we don’t really do led rides,” and she would like to partner with other organisations so that Cog Nation can add these to their offerings.

“But this year I think it’s just to solidify what we’re doing and get good at teaching people how to mend. I think that’s a big thing for me. I’d really like to empower people and especially women to be able to feel OK at fixing their own bikes or knowing when they can’t. So that’s my big thing for this year.”

Barriers to cycling

One major barrier to cycling more in Birmingham, however, is the lack of infrastructure, which Cath describes as “rubbish”. She believes that Birmingham is “a real car-centric city”.

She says: “I’ve lived all over England; I’ve lived all over the world. I’ve cycled all over the world. I have to say, Birmingham is one of the worst places I’ve cycled, apart from possibly India. But as long as you give room for the cows, in India, you’re pretty much all right. I think people are scared of cycling here and I absolutely get it.”

She thinks one thing that helps people get over that fear is teaching them how to cycle: cycle away from the curb, signal, let road users know what you’re doing. “That gives more people confidence, but also say, if you don’t feel safe, get off your bike. I’ve had to do that as well.”

Her hope with Cog Nation is that the more people who feel confident in cycling, the more visible it’ll become, and the more people will cycle. “It’s the whole critical mass idea. I don't think it’s going to make a massive, dramatic change overnight. I think we’re chipping away at it.”

There are some good cycle lanes in Birmingham, she says. “The Bristol Road one really is great. But it’s not linked up and that’s the problem with Birmingham, there’s no linking up and it’s not shown as a viable form of transport, and I think that’s what it needs to be.”

For this to happen, Cath says, better cycle parking is needed and people’s workplaces need better cycling provision, such as showers. “I think all that needs to happen and the push has got to come from the authorities. But doing stuff with grassroots, I think we are going to make a difference.”

Law enforcement

One thing that Cath really thinks would make a difference is better enforcement of existing traffic laws. There’s “a horrible sense of entitlement with driving,” she says.

She adds: “If I had the power, one thing I would do is get enforcement of already existing traffic laws, because that’s what scares people. People driving too close, people driving too fast, people driving at you.

“Those laws already exist. If they were properly enforced, I think that would make a dramatic change.

“I know there’s this big thing about we need cycle infrastructure away from roads but I don’t know whether that can really happen. I don’t know how much physical space we have. And, actually, roads are cycle infrastructure.

“I don’t know how you get people to realise that cyclists are allowed on the road. Maybe the enforcement would come along with that. But that’s one thing I’d love to see happen. I can’t do it myself. But yeah, if I had the power. Perfect.”

Cycling as transport

Cath points out “that cycling is absolutely a viable form of transport” that allows people to get around and to carry plenty of equipment but there’s a lot of resistance.

“You’ll see on social media whenever there’s things about LTNs or maybe giving a little bit more provision for people who aren’t in cars, drivers are up in arms. The majority of people don’t need a car to get to work and I’ve carried so much stuff on my bike.”

Ending on a positive note, Cath says that cycling is enjoyable. “It’s really good fun to cycle. You see more about you. Just today when I was cycling around, I saw a lot of people I knew waving at each other and you don’t get that if you’re in a car or even on public transport.

“Yes, there’s a long way to go in Birmingham, but actually it is a fun way to travel as well!”