We are up to our eyeballs in bikes and bike-riders! If you are coming in to use the space we will probably be full, and you will most likely have to put your name on our waiting list. Patience is key! We want to help each and every one of you, and we want your bicycle to be awesome and safe.

Here are a few tips for accessing the space during this very busy season:
please be prepared to wait. Be patient, and courteous.

Bring your bike lock! we cannot store or be responsible for you bicycle!!

Bring a book – or read one of ours – you could get a better idea of how to accomplish the repair you are waiting to do.

Be mindful of time. We cannot predict how long it will take anyone to learn and fix their own bike, but what helps is if you come in with one repair you need to accomplish today, not a full overhaul. After 2-3 hours on a stand, it might be time to finish up and allow someone else to access the space.

Hang out, have fun, ask questions, but try not to be in the way. We need our main thoroughfare – the wooden part of our floor – to be as clear as possible. There are people and bikes and frantic mechanics moving up and down – and in and out of – the space all day. Please keep things clear and don’t block the entranceway.

Be respectful of the volunteers who are running the space. They are here to help you, and are in a position to dictate how the space will or will not run. We have basic rules of conduct – i.e. you cannot work on your bike unless you have a repair stand – which are in place for your safety and the functioning of Bike Pirates.

Please do not take our tools outside, unless you have been given specific permission.

Be sure to make a donation for the use of the space, as well as paying for your parts. The donation you make should reflect how much time you spent at Pirates and how much you accomplished. This donation literally pays our rent. You want us to still be here next year, right?

Don’t forget to go for a test ride (especially if you have been working on your brakes!)

Always let us know when you are done, and fill out a receipt at the front desk.

Happy Riding!
Bike Pirates.

Hey, Did you know that we now carry bike locks? Bike Pirates carries “Trelock” locks from Germany. We have received 3 different styles, in a mid-price and mid-security levels (Between $40 and $80). Check them out online here.

And stop by the shop to check them out!

In other news we will have brand-spanking new Bike Pirate stickers in the shop this coming week. Designed by our very talented pal Frank, these have been a long-time coming. Look for them on all of our Pirate-built refurbished bicycles from now on. You can pick one up in the shop too, to help support and promote your Pirate friends.

Also coming soon – lots of Bike Month events! Stay tuned here and lots of other places to hear about events througout bike month, starting May 30th. We hope to see you out in the streets for bike rides, socials, bicycle breakfasts, and of course, our annual Back Alley Bike Wash.

Tomorrow marks the return of our Monthly Bike Build Nights at the shop. This is an opportunity for volunteers to contribute by helping us build up a pile of bicycles for sale in ONE NIGHT. We usually work from around 7pm until 2am building as many bikes as we can, as there is little time to work on sale bikes during open hours. Having safe, affordable bikes for sale is part of how we fulfill our mandate at Bike Pirates, and makes cycling accessible to a few more people 🙂 Building bikes is also fun, and the night is usually a good exercise in team-work, fun, frantic, and sometimes silly. All volunteers are welcome to contribute, keeping in mind that this is geared toward completing as many bikes as possible!

…But our bike build nights are not possible without bikes donated to the shop. During the winter months donations tend to drop off, and we find ourselves staring down a pile of sad mountain bikes…

So Bike Pirates is planning a large-scale callout for a Bike Drive this Spring. This will involve flyering bicycles and residences all around our community (and yours!), so we’ll need lots of volunteers to go out on foot and bike to spread the word. The Drive will take place on a Wednesday evening later in the month, so that folks can drop off their bike when the shop is not busy with normal operations. Please let us know if you would like to help with the flyering, and stay tuned for more details!

We are also planning our Third Friday event for March which will be a Volunteer Appreciation Dinner. Last season we held this in December, but this year we thought it might be a nice way to *begin* the season instead. All volunteers should join us at the shop for a pot-luck style community meal, as an opportunity to socialize, ask questions, and get to meet other Pirates who you may not know.
Again, more details will be coming up soon. Let us know if you would like to help plan for this event.

Yes we are open tonight! We’ve told you before and we’ll tell you again – Pirates don’t celebrate holidays, religious or secular (or completely made up) unless it involves eating lots of delicious food or something. So – YES, we will be open tonight, regular hours. Bundle yourself up and come on by.

Also this week we have TWO EVENTS planned.

Friday night February 25th we will have the relaunch of our Annual Critical Hot Chocolate event. We did this three years before and it was a super fun time. For those who brave the streets for February Critical Mass the evening will end with a hot chocolate social at Bike Pirates. There will be vegan hot chocolate, lots of fresh made baked goods, and live music.

Critical Mass meets at the SE corner of Bloor and Spadina at 6pm and the ride begins at 6:30. Join us at Bike Pirates starting at 8pm for the event!

Saturday night February 26th we will be hosting a presentation and workshop from the amazing folks at the Beehive Collective. The discussion will be based on their most recent campaign The True Cost of Coal. Join us at 7:30pm at Bike Pirates for this exciting presentation.

Both of these events are free to attend, but we will gladly accept donations to help with the costs.

Hope to see you there!

Always curious about ice bike racing but the thought of building your own tires was to daunting? Well now you too can build ice bike racing tires. Come out to Bike Pirates on Wednesday February 2nd, 6-9pm to learn how its all done, taught by the Ice Emperor. The instruction is free, but you need to bring the materials yourself.

Here is what you are going to need to bring:

For a starter a frame with tire clearance for stud protrusion.

Next determine length of screw needed for 2 to 3 mm to stick out , #4 pan head Robertson scews are my prefered ones and #6 second choice. For best results I pre-drill holes for screws so a smaller bit than screw diameter, a hand drill, bit driver and of course hundreds of those shiny things. 300 per are fun, 500 per are better and well my latest tires have 850 + per. Cost of screws are about $4-5 per hundred at Jacob’s Hardware but they should be ordered ahead of time.

Come on out, it will be fun. For further info contact the Bike Joint @ 416-532-6392.

Please be aware that space is limited! We’ll try to fit everyone in, but no promises.

This Sunday evening Bike Pirates will be hosting a workshop on Winter Cycling.

Topics will cover Winterizing your bicycle and yourself, as well as riding and safety tips, including suggestions on doing this DIY as well as tips on reliable clothing and equipment you can purchase.

Presented in cooperation with No Apathy the event is $5/pay-what-you-can, open to the public and will also include a meal from Food Not Bombs.

The Bike Pirates workspace and all No Apathy events strive to provide a safe and respectful environment open to everyone. Any oppressive behaviour or actions (racism, sexism, violence, etc.) will not be tolerated.

Bike Pirates also asks that folks respect our Women & Trans Hours on Sunday (running 12-6pm), by waiting until after 6:30 to queue for this workshop.

Winter Riding Workshop
Sunday November 28th
7pm-9pm $5/pwyc
Bike Pirates – 1292 Bloor St. West

More details available on the Facebook Event page.