The idea for Peddle My Wheels came from a bedroom business I ran that involved selling children's second hand items. It soon became clear there was a high quantity of outgrown, no longer used, children's bikes that people did not know what to do with. I started collecting these bikes and, with the help of people who knew what they were doing, refurbishing them and providing a decent stock of low cost bikes for children and preventing these old bikes going to waste. Adult bikes were added, lovely people joined the company and the second-hand bike markets were launched which now pop-up all over London.
Peddle My Wheels set out with two aims - to run a socially, ethically and environmentally responsible enterprise and to help people move to a more sustainable lifestyle! To this end we started adding new cycle schemes in partnership with London councils. Our Try Before You Bike scheme began in 2017 in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. The scheme supports people when they start cycling and allows them to buy a bike when they are ready. It is now running all over London and has helped thousands of Londoners discover the joys of cycling. Other projects include our social prescribing program and Community Influencers. In 2022 we launched OurBike, an app based community cargo share scheme.
Finally it is important to remember that the 'Us' in the 'About Us' is not only about our genuinely committed Peddle My Wheels team, it is also our generous and kind customers and members, forward thinking council officers, mechanics and cycle instructors, teachers, premises managers, market event managers, charities and community groups we partner with, businesses who have worked with us, climate campaigners, online supporters, business advisors and all the others we have come into contact with over the years.
Thanks to them all. Happy cycling!
Alper
