The Bike Shed

There is a huge warehouse shop in an industrial unit in Gillibrands, Skelmersdale selling recycled cookers, fridges, furniture, paint and so, with the whole place run as a social enterprise. In the midst of the warehouse is a bike repair and recycling shop named The Bike Shed, run by a guy called Dieter, which is the subject of this review.
I am sold on the idea of a social enterprise bike recycling business as totally oozing green credentials. As with the rest of the warehouse, the bike shop is a bit Steptoe & Son, with loads of frames and partially completed bikes hanging from the ceiling of what we might loosely call the showroom, with the other room being the workshop.
I’ve had one bike serviced here at a cost of £20. From talking to Dieter, I would say this was a deluxe service with the whole bike stripped down and servicable bearings regreased before reassembly, and therefore something of a bargain at that price. I’ve had three different components replaced — gear shifter, rear dérailleur and bottom bracket. In all cases, the part & labour cost was a lot less than any high street bike shop would charge. Where it gets even more bargainous is when Dieter has the necessary component in his parts box. For example, parts cost for a 6-​speed shifter was just £2. (OK, it was a thumb shifter to replace a twist grip shifter, but who wants to spend £20 on a part like that for an old bike — not me!) Another time, I brought my mate here looking for a pannier rack and Dieter fitted one while we waited for £5 all in.
The best thing seems to be to go in and talk to Dieter, who I would say is offering his extensive mechanical skills and experience at a fantastic price. If you are at the cheaper end of the market, then servicing and repairs should be cheaper here and you should get a lot more for your money. If you are in the market for a cheap recycled bike, tell Dieter what you are looking for and he will see what he has in stock. However, don’t be expecting bikes in stock ready to buy and ride away, it is more a case that bikes get built to customer orders from the available stock of frames, forks, wheels, etc. At the higher end, sometimes really good bikes are donated to the project, so you could pick up something quite special. Or if was a custom build you were after from old or new parts, I would talk to Dieter and see what he says.
The only thing I would say is leave your expectations of other bike shops at the door and you will get a lot more out of this place.