News

As Bikeworks celebrates its 20th anniversary, we are proud to become an official Action Hub partner with Fatima’s UK Campaign. The partnership is grounded in a shared belief in the ability and potential of children and young people in and leaving care, and the importance of creating strong relationships, positive experiences and opportunities that can …

This September, six NRP riders will set out from Land’s End to cycle 535 kilometres — 332 miles — to Guildhall in London. Matt Kennedy, Alex Stebbings, Dean Walker, Ryan Hicks, Joe Cowley and Richard Wightman are taking on the five-day challenge with one goal: to raise £10,000 towards increasing Bikeworks’ specialist cycle fleet for …

Why practical skills, wellbeing and supported routes into work matter By Zoe Portlock, Co-Founder and Co-CEO, Bikeworks The report names the problem. The next question is what works. Alan Milburn’s Young People and Work interim report sets out the scale of the challenge facing young people who are not in education, employment or training, and …

Bikeworks exists to reduce barriers to cycling. For two decades, we have used cycles as a tool for good. The work has always been practical: finding the cycle, setting, support and maintenance that make riding possible where conventional cycling provision does not reach far enough. In our 20th year, No Child Left Behind brings that …

Theo joined the Little Wormwood Scrubs All Ability Club with Full of Life, a local community centre, for his first ride on the new Veloplus. The Veloplus The Veloplus is a specialist platform cycle for wheelchair users. It allows people to ride without transferring out of their chair, making it one of the most important …

“I feel very good on the bike. Meeting people, people waving, people asking you about the bike. I feel very good going around on it.” Cycle Connect rider In Westminster, the Smile Machine is hard to miss. Bikeworks’ side-by-side e-assist cycle carries residents through the borough for everyday journeys, appointments, errands, fresh air, conversation and …

Why the Government’s Mobility Devices Consultation Matters for Disabled Riders By Jamie Lawson, Inclusive Cycling Advisor, Bikeworks For many disabled people, an adaptive cycle is not a leisure extra. It is how you get moving outdoors. It can be the difference between staying at home and getting to the park, between relying on someone else …

This International Women’s Day we are shining a light on Silvi Vargas. Silvi Vargas is a London-based BMX racer, coach and bicycle mechanic whose work is opening up BMX to more women and girls. Originally from Colombia, she discovered the sport after watching Colombian rider Mariana Pajón win Olympic gold at the London 2012 Games, …

At Bikeworks, we see cycling as more than just a way to travel – it’s a tool for enhancing wellbeing, physical activity, and building connections. That’s why we’re excited to offer our Build-a-Bike programme: a two-day, hands-on experience where young people can learn new skills, boost their confidence, and leave with a bike they’ve assembled …

David Dansky was a close friend and colleague to us at Bikeworks. Many will consider David to be the godfather of our Cycle Connect activities. He recognised early what riding alongside someone could make possible. Not as an adaptation, but as a different way of understanding cycling. Shared experience. Shared conversation. Shared freedom. The presence …

For many young people, disengagement from formal education is not about ability. It is about confidence, trust, and access to learning that feels practical and achievable. Across London, schools, alternative provision settings, and youth services are working with young people who have had disrupted education, are neurodivergent, are managing anxiety or behavioural challenges, or have …

Give a Christmas Gift That Keeps People Moving Why a Bikeworks Gift Voucher Is a Meaningful, Sustainable and Unique Present This Year Every December the same search begins. People look for Christmas gift ideas that are useful, meaningful and not destined for landfill by January. Something sustainable. Something ethical. Something that actually makes a difference. …

Stella’s journey with My Ruby Bike shows what disability inclusion looks like in real life: practical support, the right adaptations and the confidence that grows when people are given the conditions they need to thrive.   International Day of Disabled People 2025 – Bikeworks Every International Day of Disabled People invites us to reflect on …

Counting Women: What This Moment Reveals Zoe Portlock, Co-Founder and Co-CEO, Bikeworks Looking Back as We Approach Twenty Years As Bikeworks approaches its twentieth year, Jim and I have been reflecting on the values that have shaped us since the beginning: inclusion, accessibility, community and respect for identity. These are not abstract concepts or strategic …

We have just celebrated our birthday. From our beginnings as “Olympic Bikes” –  a grassroots idea born in the run-up to the 2012 Games – through to today, we’ve held one vision: to make cycling accessible to everyone. What started as a response to inequality in East London has grown into a social enterprise with …