our Mission

Kickstand is a space for education and empowerment about cycling, cycle repair, and mechanics. With bikes and other wheeled modes of transportation as our ‘hub’, we will build a stable, diverse, robust, and resilient community by providing a low-barrier, safe, and inclusive workspace for anyone interested in learning about and repairing cycles. We will advocate for and promote sustainable transportation and safe, accessible cycling infrastructure in the Metro Vancouver area. We will actively reduce environmental impact and waste by extending the lives of older cycles and repairing and recycling used cycles and parts.

our vision

“An empowered and knowledgeable community working together so that cycling in Metro Vancouver is affordable, accessible, and safe.”

our values

  • We will provide an accessible, safe, and positive workspace for folks from all walks of life to repair and maintain their bicycles and other wheeled modes of transportation.

  • We will empower and educate shop users and volunteers by providing mechanical instruction using hands-off teaching principles.

  • We will work to make the repair, maintenance, and ownership of a cycle financially accessible.

  • We will build and foster a diverse cycling community by providing a welcoming and radically inclusive space for folks to gather.

  • We will support and be supported by our community by practicing principles rooted in mutual aid, rather than transactional exchange.

  • We will dismantle systemic barriers to cycling by extending our services to underserved populations.

  • We will champion and promote a circular economy by repairing, up-cycling and recycling donated bikes and parts, and by encouraging and promoting sustainable transportation.

  • We will endorse other community organizations whose values and mission are in line with our own.

  • We will use the above values to drive our decisions and guide our growth.

SAFER SPACES AGREEMENT

At Kickstand, volunteers, shop-users, and community members should not discriminate against any individual.

  • We ask everyone to be respectful of others, this includes but is not limited to: Ask people what their pronouns are. Do not assume someone’s gender and do not use gendered language to refer to other people without their permission

  • Do your best to accommodate communication needs and styles. If someone comes in who does not speak English, be respectful and patient, try your best to accommodate them by pointing, gesturing, drawing, or writing

  • If someone is facing an accessibility barrier, ask how you can accommodate them

  • Do not patronize or look down on others

  • Do not make judgmental comments about other people’s bike condition, price, or style

  • Be open to learning about the people who are working with

If you feel uncomfortable in the space or because of something that happened in this space, please talk to a volunteer on shift or send an email to kickstandbikes@gmail.com. We will actively respond to any violation or concern. 

Kickstand acknowledges that our learning and our work towards making our space safer and more welcoming will never end. We welcome productive feedback and suggestions on how to improve the safety, accessibility, and inclusivity of our space and resources.