12 years of Popup Bikes

It is now over 12 years since Popup Bikes first opened its doors. I visited it within a couple of months of the opening and wrote a post about it. The place started out aiming at coffee and cycle parking with some bike repair and has evolved into a thriving bike repair operation with coffee. Unlike many mainstream cycle shops in Manchester, Popup has not only survived lockdown it has flourished with a workshop that is busier than ever.

 The workshop soon grew in size and moved down to the far end of the arch.

 The slope now accommodates stock, customer bike parking and the latest acquisition, a mobile workshop in an electrically assisted trailer

There is not just freshly made coffee and snacks now, there is also ground coffee for sale.

 And the cafe area has been improved, though sadly the lawnmower has gone...

I can thoroughly recommend Popup Bikes. Three of my machines have been serviced there and that included a major rebuild of my touring bike and they always do a really good job. May the place thrive for another 12 years!

A Convivial Critical Mass

This lovely comment on Facebook sums up the spirit of last night's ride:-

Just got home from CM, had a great time, didn't know a soul but was made to feel really welcome. Thank you lovely people! Looking forward to the next one.

The theme was dress up like a Criticalmass Tree with lots of LED lights. There were several examples of brightly lit bikes.



These drew the admiring attention of a pair of passing community support offices who normally patrol on bikes. They were very impressed with the lights and chatted for a while before moving on.







The turnout was worryingly small, probably caused by the cold and earlier rain, which had only eased off at about 6pm, but the ride seemed larger than the start.



However, we needn't have worried. As the ride moved off to sample the xmas lights it became clear that the ride was going to be a good one. The corking and communication with the traffic was really good - often 3 of 4 people handling each junction. The ride got held up in traffic, but this didn't spoil the atmosphere.



The abiding memory was of a very friendly ride. Lots of conversation over the music and everyone looking out for each other. I even received help from other riders pushing me up the steep hills.



We took a very unusual route out onto Bury New Road and up by Strangeways,



then crossing Cheetham Hill Road and approaching the new Coop building along Red Bank.



The ride ended at a warm and cozy Popup Bikes,



for the Bikes ‘N’ Such Photography Exhibition which included free beer!



The projected photographs certainly added to the atmosphere.



It was a really lovely ride and it really lifted my spirits.

I won't be able to make December & January's rides because of clashing commitments, so hope to see you all again in February.

Thanks everyone for making it such a lovely evening.

-------------------------------

Music playing was by MorPheuSz, Days of Delirium & Nocturnal Nightmares

Cycling, Chocolate & Coffee Morning

Nina McArthur's Coffee Morning at Popup Bikes was a great success. As well as lots of coffee and chocolate, there were several stalls down the back with information and retail opportunities from clothing to art and jewelry.









It also turned into a great cycle networking opportunity, catching up with familiar faces and new people. Popup Bikes, is a great venue for this kind of event, and we should make more use of the place for social and campaigning events.

By the end Nina was left smiling, bottom left below, but somewhat worn out by the hard work.



Nice one Nina!

Popup Bike Jumble

Popup Bikes is an odd-ball bike place in an archway under the tram lines in Corporation Street, near the new Coop building. Dipak, who runs it, has an easygoing but entrepreneurial attitude mixed in with a large helping of social purpose. What with the film nights and photo exhibitions the place is almost like an unofficial/alternative Manchester bike centre

This Saturday Popup Bikes hosted a bike jumble.



It was small in scale, compared to the events at the velodrome.



There were a few bikes for sale as well as parts and accessories,



But on a sunny Saturday afternoon it seemed to end up as much a social event as a commercial one.




When I dropped in again at the end of the day the conclusion was it had gone well, so it may be the first of many.

Coffee Cranks Film Night

The Coffee Cranks Film Night at Popup Bikes was a great success. Zym and co demonstrated their ability to pull in a good crowd to the point where it was standing room only at the back.

PopupBikes really is a great venue for this kind of event, an informal space with good coffee on tap.



By the time Zym started the films there was a good crowd.



And during the films people were still arriving, squeezing into the back. The films were followed by a short discussion and an opportunity to socialise.

A great evening, and may it be the first of many such events.

Coffee Cranks Film Night at Pop Up Bikes

Zym & co. from Coffee Cranks Coop are organising a cycling social night at Pop Up Bikes.

When: Saturday January 19, 2013 @ 4:30 pm - 7:30 pm
Where: Pop Up Bikes, Arch 5 Corporation Street, M4 4DG Manchester

Hello everybody!

We’d like to invite you to watch some films about interesting cycling projects from around the world including a short promo film about our cargo bike that will mark the launch of our crowd-funding campaign.

We hope to inspire you with the versatility of the bicycle and its applications. We’d like to showcase a film or two about cycling infrastructure, and tell you about different efforts of bringing it to our city. You’ll also be able to see some really cool people having lots of fun on bikes.

If you’d like to get involved in different campaigns promoting cycling or just spend some quality time with other cyclists, you can’t miss this. This will be a great opportunity to get to know interesting people who love cycles as much as we do and would like to see more of them on the streets.

We’ll be taking over Pop Up Bikes for the entire evening as guest baristas serving our great organic and fair-trade coffee from our now famous thermos flasks. We’ll also take care of you if you wish to have a proper espresso from the machine that’s in the cafe. We’ll bring loads of our signature home baked biscuits to boot.

We’ll have some great music on throughout the evening and have a cycling postcard sale on as well. So why not come on down and make friends with Coffee Cranks Coop. Bring your friends. The more, the merrier!

We’d like to say a big ‘thank you’ to Dipak from Pop Up Bikes without whom this would not be possible. You’re great!

The films should start around 5.30 P.M.

https://www.facebook.com/events/179219435556578/

Two dynamic cycling projects coming together under one roof.

November Critical Mass

November's Critical Mass was a very chilly one. As the cycles were gathering, the traffic looked so bad we thought we'd be going very slowly. However, as we rolled away the congestion cleared somewhat and we had a reasonably free flowing ride.



There were at three sound systems on the ride, including this trike-mounted one which I hadn't seen before.



The ride was also very colourful, several people were wearing strings of led lights and it was especially good to see Dipak from Popup Bikes back on his bike after his long recovery.

I left the ride as it turned south towards Platts Fields.



It was getting pretty cold by this point.

July Critical Mass in Manchester

Manchester's July Critical Mass was really cool.

Several really nice bikes.



Including this one from Popup Bikes!



A real holiday spirit, both from riders and onlookers.



There was quite a bit of dancing, both on and off the bikes.





And the most wonderful skys....



.

Popup Bikes

I dropped in on Popup Bikes this evening.



Popup is an independant cycle centre on Corporation Street in Manchester, just North East of Victoria Station. It was featured on the Guardian web site last week.

It has facilities for bike parking,



bike maintenance,



a cafe



and lounge area, complete with lawn mower :)



I had a lovely chat with owner Dipak Patel who has tried to get help from the local council & transport authority, but he has received no help at all and in the end has gone it alone. Dipak is a realist, but also very much into the social and cultural aspects of cycling and I hope he makes a sucess of this venture.


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