The Idea

I've been mulling over this idea for a few weeks now, it's something that came to me whilst driving my van and daydreaming about helping the Bristol Bike Project and separately about building custom bike frames for the Cobble Wobble. The two threads of thought got tangled and without intending to I realised that I'd come up with something that was pretty interesting. The idea has evolved to become The Bicycle Project (it's a working title), something that I hope will develop into a real thing...

The purpose of the Project is to generate useful bicycles for people who really need them by creating learning opportunities for others.

The Bristol Bike Project is a wonderful example of this kind of thing, however this Project is different in a number of important ways:

1. The people who will receive the bikes are in the 3rd world.

2. The bikes will be designed specifically for these people, as tools.

3. The frame will be made, and bike assembled, by paying students and volunteers in the UK.

The intention is to create a working bicycle that is as useful as can be, taking into account everything from frame design to maintenance of components through out its life.

Rather than raising money to make these bikes in a factory the project will engage with local riding communities in the UK to offer affordable group learning opportunities (such as frame building and bike mechanics) to build the bikes from scratch and fund the purchase of their constituent parts. 

By developing a single utility bicycle design and standardising its components the Project will be able to address many of the problems associated with suitability, maintenance and sustainability that other bicycle distribution charities encounter. 

So there it is, just a seed of an idea at the moment, but one that I'm actively watering....