People in Newmains, Wishaw, Shotts and surrounding areas are being invited to push off and head round to Perchy Pond later this month.
A bike day has been organised by the Newmains Community Trust and Connor Mooney, who runs Cairney Cycles.
Connor will be carrying out bike repairs, worth up to £50, free of charge thanks to the Scottish Cycle Repair Scheme.
The “Newmains on Wheels” event is taking place at the NCT Centre at 15 Manse Road on February 25.
The repairs service will start at 10am and will be followed at around 11am by a “gentle pedal” to nearby Greenhead Moss nature reserve and around Perchy Pond before returning to the community centre for tea and coffee.
Connor said: “Along with the NCT I’ve been doing different workshops teaching people who to fix their bikes. We are showing people how to maintain their bikes and get the most out of them, which is really helpful.
“With the good weather hopefully coming around we thought we’d hold an event that encourages peoeple to get back out on their bikes. It won’t be too energetic, we’re going for a ride round Perchy Pond and just trying to encourage people to get the bike back out of the cupboard and come down to the community centre and get pedalling.
“I have free repairs to offer under the Scottish Cycle Repair Scheme again so if your bike is needing something done then you can bring it down and I will have a look at it. We’re gearing up for the summer and looking to get something regular going.”
Connor, 30, who had previously worked at Halfords, set up Cairney Cycles in 2020 after struggling to get his own bike repaired. Since securing initial funding the former St Aidan’s pupil has gone on to fix hundreds of bikes belonging to people living in North Lanarkshire.
All types of cycles are welcome under the repair scheme, including adult and children’s bikes, e-bikes and other non-standard cycles like trikes, tandems, or cargo bikes. Manual wheelchairs can also be repaired.
He continued: “I really enjoy working with the bikes and helping people out. Hopefully the weather is fair, as February is a bit of a gamble but even if it’s raining we’ll still be out having a bit of fun on the bikes.
“To some degree people have got back in their cars [since lockdown] and are back working and may not have as much free time. I’ve took on-board feedback and that’s why we’re running this on a Saturday. It makes it easier to get the whole family out.”
There has been an increase in funding in recent years in North Lanarkshire for cycling and walking paths and while Connor welcomes the improvements he believes that more is required.
He added: “One of the things we have noticed with route planning is that it’s quite difficult to get about even with the cycle routes, one of the things we’re trying to highlight is that you have to cross major roads even to get to the local park.
"We’re taking the easiest route there. There are lots of cycle routes around but it can be quite hard to get to them if you’re not confident on the main roads.”
As well as repairs Connor also sells refurbished bikes for adults and children, including mountain bikes and BMX, making it much more affordable to get on a good bike.
For more details and to register for the cycle repairs visit: cairneycycles.com/event-details/newmains-on-wheels
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