The Greasy Chain

Welcome to www.thegreasychain.ca hosted on the Bike Collectives website.

INTRODUCTION

The Greasy Chain is a community bicycle shop located in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, Canada. Learn to fix your bike with volunteers, buy a refurbished/fixed bike or as-is non-repaired bike, buy used parts, earn a bike with volunteer hours, or just volunteer to help us out! We do not sell new bicycles and we are not a retail bike store; our goal is to refurbish used bikes (donated or recovered from landfill) to give them new life again while educating people about bicycles and bike repair along the way. The more people on bicycles more often the better!

CURRENT UPDATES - current info will be posted here - most recent listed first

2019-08-23: And that's a wrap! The Greasy Chain is CLOSED for the season! See you again in 2020! If you need something please contact us and we can set up a date/time. Normally we would close in mid-September, but with upcoming obligations we're closing now. Still want to help out? Contact us to access the shop in the fall/winter months as a volunteer. We have heat and an insulated building to keep those -40 temperatures out!

2019-07-25: The Greasy Chain would like to clarify that it does not purchase bicycles or bike parts from the general public or anyone. It does not trade bikes for bikes or parts for parts, or combinations thereof. This policy has been in place since day one of the project in order to discourage bike theft in our community.

If someone says that The Greasy Chain is buying stolen bikes and parts from people then they're wrong. The only parts we have purchased have been new parts such as cables, housing, grips, chains, and a few other items. These new items are purchased locally and mostly through Two Tired Boys bike shop. New bike parts are not purchased from the general public. The Greasy Chain does not service or repair spray painted bicycles. This is a more recent policy. If someone shows up to repair their spray painted bicycle then they are refused service. As a blanket policy applying to all, this helps discourage bicycle theft as well.

2019-06-10: CLOSED! The Greasy Chain will be closed Monday, June 10/19 (Go Raptors Go!) and closed Saturday, June 15/19 (holidays). The Greasy Chain will re-open on Monday, June 17/19 at 6:00 pm for regular Public Open Shop hours. We make no apologies for any inconvenience (sorry not sorry!).

2019-05-31: Bike Week 2019 is a wrap! We are back to regular hours. Saturdays 2pm-4:30pm for Volunteer Shop. Mondays 6pm-9pm for Public Open Shop. We urgently need volunteers to help us - no experience required! Please show up to a shop time if you can spare a few minutes.

2019-05-18: Victoria Day Long Weekend hours: Open regular hours Saturday, May 18 from 2pm-4:30pm for Volunteer Shop. Open regular hours Monday, May 20 for Public Open Shop. We have 3 refurbished bikes for sale ready to ride. Check out Kijiji or portage.hellogoodbuy.ca for listings and photos.

2019-04-15: 2019 opening dates: Mondays 6pm-9pm for Public Open Shop starting Monday, May 6, 2019. Saturdays 2:00 pm - 4:30 pm for Volunteer Shop starting Saturday, May 11, 2019. Closed Saturday, May 4 as our volunteers are helping at the Portage la Prairie Fire Fighters Burn Fund 38th Annual Bike Auction: Saturday, May 4 at 10am, rain or shine, Portage Fire Hall 124 3rd St NE. Bikes available for viewing starting at 9:00 am.

2018-11-27: We did the math, and The Greasy Chain received just over $1,000 in donations and proceeds from refurbished bicycle sales in 2018. We thank all of our patrons and volunteers for their support this year. Keep being awesome!

2018-11-25: Want to donate your bicycle? Please Email or call ahead so we can accept your donation. Please do not leave donated bikes outside of the shop, or they will be stolen!

2018-09-15: As of Fall 2018, the shop is closed for the season. Operations will begin again in May 2019. From May to September 2018, shop was open on Mondays 6pm to 9pm for Public Open Shop, and Saturdays 2pm-4:30pm for Volunteer Shop, or by appointment.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Email: portageatcommittee@gmail.com

Phone: 204-249-0088 - please leave a message

For postal mail send to:

The Greasy Chain

c/o Canadian Mental Health Association - Central Region

236 Saskatchewan Ave E

Portage la Prairie MB R1N 0K9

PHYSICAL LOCATION

160 1st Street NW, Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, Canada, R1N 1Y9, at the corner of 1st St NW and Fisher Ave W in a newer built (2014-ish) garage, beige siding, with big white garage door and white side entrance door. It is beside the Skyview Bridge next to Tupper St N (west side of Tupper) and south of railway tracks and south of Fisher Ave W. It is east of 1st St NW. Access lane from 1st St NW or a back lane from Lorne Ave heading north between Tupper St N and 1st St NW.

WHAT THE HECK IS THE GREASY CHAIN??

The Greasy Chain community bicycle repair shop is a not-for-profit project of the citizen-City group Portage Active Transportation Committee. Typically shop closes over winter starting end of Sept. through to start of May. The Greasy Chain is open to everyone in the community, and is a completely volunteer run shop. Come learn to fix your bike, pick up a spare part, donate your old bike or parts, or come help volunteer. We are always looking for volunteers of all skill levels to help clean up, sort parts, take parts of bikes, repair bikes, web design, poster creation, putting up posters, heck even someone to be present to open the shop, so basically anything!

Public Open Shop is Monday nights 6pm-9pm. Repair your own bike with help from volunteer mechanics, learn as you go, and have fun!

Volunteer Shop is Saturday afternoons 2pm-4:30pm. Volunteer to help keep the shop running smoothly from menial tasks to complex trouble shooting.

Ready to Ride (used/repaired and as is) bikes for sale, used parts for sale on an affordable sliding scale, Earn-a-Bike (volunteer in the shop to earn your bike), use of tools and shop space by donation. Bikes, parts, tools, and cash accepted as donations.

We kindly ask everyone to sign in with name and reason for visit to help track/maintain statistics and project impact.

With respect, we do not purchase any bicycles or parts, and we do not trade services or bikes/parts for your bike or your parts, in an effort to combat bicycle theft in our community. We absolutely do not buy your stuff or trade for your stuff.

Statement about Bicycle Theft: The Greasy Chain would like to clarify that it does not purchase bicycles or bike parts from the general public or anyone. It does not trade bikes for bikes or parts for parts, or combinations thereof. This policy has been in place since day one of the project in order to discourage bike theft in our community. If someone says that The Greasy Chain is buying stolen bikes and parts from people then they're wrong. The only parts we have purchased have been new parts such as cables, housing, grips, chains, and a few other items. These new items are purchased locally and mostly through Two Tired Boys bike shop. New bike parts are not purchased from the general public. The Greasy Chain does not service or repair spray painted bicycles. This is a more recent policy. If someone shows up to repair their spray painted bicycle then they are refused service. As a blanket policy applying to all, this helps discourage bicycle theft as well.

PREVIOUS INFORMATION

This bike shop was established in summer 2016. As of May/June 2017 Public Open Shop hours were Wednesday nights 6pm-9pm.