JOURNEY IN THE MAKING
Bike repairs & servicing
Refurbed bike sales
Student bike leasing
Big Loop Bikes provides bikes servicing and repair, sale of professionally refurbished bikes, bike leasing schemes for employers and 'Dr Bike' sessions in the community. We set it up in 2017, with a small workshop within Hydebank Wood College, based on an idea that students at Queen’s University Belfast (QUB) and students in Hydebank College came up with, and with financial and practical support from the Big Lottery, QUB and the Prison Service.
But we always had a big ambition that Big Loop Bikes would extend beyond Hydebank into the wider community, allowing it to grow into a movement of people, with different backgrounds, who enjoy bikes – riding them, fixing and recycling them, selling them and encouraging others to use them – and who enjoy spending time with other people. ​​
Today, Big Loop operates at two locations within Belfast. At our full service bike shop on the Queen's University campus we provide bike sales, servicing and repair to students, staff and the general public. We also offer bike leasing for QUB students and staff.
At our community workshop in North Street we refurbish bikes for sale through our other outlets, and recycle parts from bikes that can't be refurbished. This circular economy model strengthens Big Loop's contribution to waste reduction, meaning that we provide both a social and environmental return for our customers and supporters.​
These locations allow us to provide opportunities for people serving sentences in the community, and for volunteers to work alongside them. ​New relationships, new skills, a sense of purpose and a shift in identity are all important in helping people to turn around their futures. Our Big Loop shops and workshops provide the spaces for our movement and its members to grow.​
Big Loop at Queen's University
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Opening Hours: Tuesday - Friday, 9am - 4pm
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Location: Ground Floor, Admin Building, opposite the McClay Library near the entrance to Botanic Gardens.
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Telephone: To book your bike in for servicing or repair, drop in to the bike shop or ring us on 028 9027 8088.
GIFT
VOUCHER
BUY A BIG LOOP VOUCHER
Big Loop gift vouchers are now available!
Our gift vouchers can be for any value you choose, and can be used to pay for servicing, repairs, or the purchase of bikes and accessories.
Vouchers are available for purchase at our Queen's University shop, or can be ordered and paid for by telephone on 028 9027 8088, and can be posted to an address of your choice.
JOIN THE
BIG LOOP MOVEMENT...
Would you like to play a part in building this movement?​
We are looking for volunteers to help us develop and run an expanded social enterprise, and the wider Big Loop movement.​
We need people who will help to collect bikes, strip them down and rebuild them.​
There are also opportunities in marketing, sales, administration and book-keeping. We plan to run Big Loop Bike events, and create a community space where you and everyone else, regardless of their background, will feel welcome and involved. So whatever your interests or skills, we’ll find a role for you!
Above all, we are looking for people who want to share new journeys with people who have been through the justice system.
Click here to get in touch with us and discuss how you could get involved in the Big Loop Movement.
