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WESTMINSTER WHEELS TRAINEE SINCE 2023 I was unemployed and I went through a probation program which took me to Westminster Wheels: I grew up cycling a lot – I like my bikes – and my motorbikes as well! I found Westminster Wheels something that I liked and went from there. I’ve always been a hands-on guy and this was a very hands-on job… I started refurbishing bikes and that’s one thing that sort of catches my eye a lot: seeing something that’s old or coming in as scrap: stripping it down, putting it back together again, giving it another life. It captured my attention. It’s like coming into a new world, to be honest! I felt very supported. Barny, Tomasz and the whole team at Westminster Wheels helped with a lot of things: we clicked very well. Even now, they’ve got a WhatsApp group chat and if I have any cycle issues; you get the whole Westminster Wheels saying; “do this, do that”! Then there was Annabel at Cycle Confident: I did a six-month City and Guilds qualification level 1 and 2, and Annabel taught us a lot. It was challenging at times, so she had a lot of patience with me, to be honest! One thing that Groundwork did was they helped me move to carry on working with mechanics. Balfe’s Bikes was an opportunity they put me up for and I took it on… The first opportunity I tried for. Westminster Wheels helped me to move on to this apprenticeship that I’m doing now: a Cytech Level 3 with Balfe’s Bikes, Notting Hill. The grand plan is to stay at Balfe’s and see where I go from there… Hopefully looking forward: I open my own store! Thank you very much to Groundwork, the team at Westminster Wheels and Balfe’s for taking me on.”

Studies on consumer spending by mode of transportation have all reached the same conclusion: People on bikes spend more money… OK so, in some cases, people on bikes spent the same per individual trip as people in cars: but in all cases, people on bikes spent more in the long term – because they make more trips! It’s an undeniable truth that people on bikes shop more often: A study in Muenster, Germany, found that people on bikes shop more regularly than people in cars… 11 times per month compared to 7 times for motorists; thereby increasing their exposure to temptation on every trip… Cycling is a generally more civilised and human-scale activity… Thus, people on bikes make more unplanned stops! While pedestrians are the most likely to make spontaneous stops, people on bikes also ride slowly enough to notice businesses, and let’s face it: bike parking is infinitely easier than finding a spot for your car. And if we break it down in terms of pure lucre: people who ride have more disposable income, because they spend less on all that intensive stuff like car insurance, maintenance, parking, and fuel. So there we go… To all town planners and council workers everywhere: keep the initiative flowing to get people cycling! And to all you business owners; make sure you cherish your most sustainable, healthy and chilled-out demographic!

Cycles and trains share a symbiotic relationship when commuting in London. It’s an honoured tradition for commuters to travel to the centre by train, with their bike in tow… Then complete the final league of the journey riding easy on their eco-friendly bicycle! With Marylebone station as our friendly local terminus, we have enjoyed a remarkable collaboration with Chiltern Railways, who are as keen as we are to encourage people to enjoy the health, sustainability, exercise and fun of cycling. So we’re incredibly grateful to them for this donation of cycles – ready for some loving extra refurbishment by our Westminster Wheels mechanics. Then sold or given away to more good causes in the community. THANK YOU Chiltern Railways! IN 2023, our DR BIKE also held a residency at Marylebone Station: Wednesdays and Thursdays from 7:30am -10:30am. If you cycle from Marylebone station, check out the massive Westminster Wheels posters displayed at the platforms courtesy of the Baker Street Quarter Partnership (‘Make it Marylebone’) and Girl & Boy Studio.

Delighted to be a stockist for Co-Bags, a 100% recycled plastic bike pannier from Copenhagen. Available in black, green or blue. All for £15.49 each!