About us

our mission

We provide students and the wider community with an accessible environment where they can learn to fix bicycles, share resources, and work together. We engage in cycling education, outreach and advocacy to promote biking as a safe and sustainable means of transportation.

Sustainability and responsible consumption are important parts of the Bike Kitchen’s mission. That is why we recycle and reuse bicycles – not only does it keep bikes out of the landfill, but it also enables us to build bikes out of used parts for our various programs.

History

The AMS Bike Co-op was founded in the spring of 1998 by a group of very dedicated students and the support of the AMS and Trek. The original purpose of the co-op was to build a shared fleet of purple and yellow bicycles that could be used by students to reduce the number of car trips on campus. This initiative was hugely successful and continues to be a foundation of the Co-op’s programming. The Co-op continued to expand its programs after P+Y was well-established, gaining a dedicated core of volunteers and becoming a hub for cycling on campus.

The most ambitious project of the Bike Co-op was to launch a nonprofit community bike shop, the Bike Kitchen. The Bike Kitchen was founded in 1999 through the support of BEST and with the help of Our Community Bikes. The shop was established to provide a space for students and other community members to learn how to use our tools to maintain, repair, and build their own bicycles. The Bike Kitchen also recycles abandoned and donated bikes to provide students and the wider community with reliable and reasonably priced bicycles and parts. In 2017 we partnered with the City of Vancouver in an effort to keep bikes out of the landfill and get them back in the hands of community members.

Today, the AMS Bike Co-op and Bike Kitchen work together to deliver programs that aim to make cycling more accessible for people all throughout the Lower Mainland.

We are part of the Vancouver Community Bike shop Network (VCBN), a coalition of community bike shops in Vancouver that cooperate to share resources and build capacity for a more diverse and inclusive cycling community.

Code of Conduct

The Bike Kitchen is committed to maintaining a safe, comfortable and welcoming atmosphere and we require everyone using our space to agree to the following: 

Code of Conduct 

• Be respectful of all people regardless of age, race, ethnicity, gender, religious or cultural background, ability, or sexual orientation. 

• Be respectful of someone’s pronouns, and if you are unsure please ask folks what pronouns they use. 

• Refrain from harassment against any participant. Harassment includes but is not limited to the following: verbal or physical abuse, deliberate intimidation ; targeting individuals in a manner that makes them feel uncomfortable, unwelcome, or afraid ; teasing or ridicule.

• Refrain from unsafe actions, including, but not limited to, actions that may cause harm to any person or damage to property. 

• Respect others, their personal belongings, and their personal spaces. 

Space users are asked to sign this policy and agree to this code of conduct when entering the Bike Kitchen.

The Bike Kitchen has a zero tolerance policy regarding the items listed above. If there is a breach of the Code of Conduct the staff reserve the right to respond in a manner they deem appropriate which may include, but is not limited to: being asked to leave, permanent bans, and/or referral to campus & external authorities. 

meet our board of directors

Organized as a student club under the AMS, Bike Kitchen is governed by a Board of Directors who are elected by our members at our Annual General Meeting. The board is the heart of our community initiatives, helping to develop and facilitate programs and events.

Our Constitution & By-LAws

You want to know the inner workings of this student-club-non-profit-business ?

Here are our constitution and by-laws, last updated in 2019 and 2024. If you have questions, please reach out to the board at board(at)thebikekitchen.ca and the programs manager at admin(at)thebikekitchen.ca

safer spaces policy

• We acknowledge that we are on the traditional, ancestral, unceded territory of the  xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam) peoples.

• We aim to be an accessible and inclusive place where everyone can feel safe, welcome, and respected especially regarding: race/ethnicity, cultural background, sexual orientation, gender presentation, gender identity, age, ability, mental health status, economic/social class, physical appearance, body size, condition or cost of their bicycle, religion, citizenship or citizenship status. 

• Staff members, volunteers, or shop users should not discriminate against an individual based on any of the above-mentioned items.

• We do not tolerate harassment of or by staff members, volunteers, or shop users.

• This is a safe space for members of the LGBTQ2I+ communities. Please ask which pronouns someone uses and do not assume someone’s gender identity based on their appearance.

• We will do our best to communicate with folks who do not speak English, or for whom English is a secondary language.

• We are aware that our location poses accessibility challenges and we will do our best to make this space accessible to everyone. If you are facing an accessibility issue, please inform a staff member.  Physical accessibility is a top priority in our long term planning.

• If you feel uncomfortable because of something that happened in this space, please talk to a staff member. We will actively respond to any violation.

• We acknowledge that our own work towards making our space safer and more welcoming is ongoing. We welcome suggestions on how to improve the safety and accessibility of our space and resources.