*Please note that this workshop will take place at Clifton Community Centre, 1315 Strathcona!*
In this workshop Kim Segal, RMT will teach the ergonomics of bike riding, how to achieve proper bike fit for maximum comfort and minimal strain, as well as working with / preventing injuries.
Kim has offered this workshop multiple times in the past with the WRENCH. We’re really pleased to have her back!
With on site support from WRENCH master mechanic Anders Annell.
Sister Cycle is the WRENCH’s free bike mechanics workshop series by and for women, trans, non-binary, two-spirit and femme-identifying people!
Open to beginners and experienced mechanics, Sister Cycle is led by long time WRENCH instructor Sommer Mazawasicuna at 1057 Logan.
There are limited spaces available in this highly popular workshop series, available by sign up only. Please note that all participants must be fully vaxxed, be able to clear a COVID screening test, and wear a mask. Sign up here.
Note that neither Sister Cycle nor Mellow Vello will occur on the weekends of Louis Riel or Mother’s Day
1-230pm or so: Lesson + demos
230-4pm: Hands-on learning / Practice time!
1. Jan 23: Intro to Bike Mechanics 2. Feb 6: Wheels I: Tires + Tubes 3. Feb 27: Wheels II: Hubs + Spokes 4. March 13 Cranks + Bottom Brackets 5. March 27: Handlebars + Headsets 6. April 10: Gears + Derailleurs 7. April 24: Brakes 8. May 8: Review + Celebration
Mellow Vello is free WRENCH Shop time for women, trans, non-binary, two-spirit and femme-identifying people.
It happens on (just about) alternating Sundays from Sister Cycle from 1-4pm at 1057 Logan.
Supported by WRENCH lead instructor, Sommer Mazawasicuna, this is a time when you can practice your new skills, get help working on your own bike, or help the WRENCH with shop tasks to keep things running well!
Priority participation for Sister Cycle participants. Mellow Vello is available by appointment only. Please note that all participants must be fully vaxxed, be able to clear a COVID screening test, and wear a mask. Sign up here.
Note that neither Sister Cycle nor Mellow Vello will occur on the weekends of Louis Riel or Mother’s Day.
Mellow Vello will happen on Jan 30 Feb 13 March 6 March 20 April 3 April 17 May 1
The WRENCH is very proud and excited to be partnering with the Winnipeg Foundation Centennial Institute and the City of Winnipeg Archives to create an archive of activities that have served to normalise and support cycling as a method of transportation in Winnipeg.
To do so, we are reaching out to you to help compile any and all documents that show the history of developing and supporting cycling as a means of transportation in Winnipeg. This includes culture, infrastructure, utility, sport, industry, business, fashion and style, competitions and social gatherings/clubs, bike building and repair, education, advocacy and organising, writing, art, volunteering and practical responses such as community bike shops. This archive also seeks to include activities of groups based in Winnipeg who may travel outside the city as a part of their purpose such as racing and competitive groups.
We hope to honour the significant efforts- and happenstance contributions- that have been made in this vein and serve current and future activities by providing context, perspective and opportunities for evaluation and growth.
The WRENCH will be sharing relevant documents and storytelling on our social media platforms as material is submitted. We hope to wrap this project by the end of March, 2022.
______________________________________________
Frequently Asked Questions
Thanks for participating in creating the WRENCH Archives
What are we hoping to include?
Any and all documents, files, objects that show the history of developing and supporting cycling as a means of transportation in Winnipeg. This includes culture, sport, infrastructure, utility, industry, business, fashion and style, competitions and social gatherings/clubs, bike building and repair, education, advocacy and organising, writing, art, volunteering and practical responses such as community bike shops. This archive seeks to include activities of groups based in Winnipeg who may travel outside the city as a part of their purpose such as racing and competitive groups; learning networks, and policy projects.
What would we like to include?
Physical items such as founding documents for groups and organisations, meeting minutes, posters and other forms of meeting and event notices and invitations, locally produced or relevant educational documents such as zines, handbooks, maps and guides, organising and communication tools such as leaflets and handbills, newspaper clippings, legal records, photographs, and letters and proposals to governments, politicians, bureaucrats and otherwise.
Digital documents of the same. Preferred file formats are PDF and JPG. Will also accept Word and Excel.
Digital archives could include screenshots events promoted on social media- pending copyright matters. We will also accept audio files of relevant interviews.
What we do not want.
Personal reflections including social media commentary- unless when presented in ways that provide important otherwise unavailable historical context.
Why is this important?
Our purpose is gathering an archive of activities that have served to normalise and support cycling as a method of transportation in Winnipeg. We hope to honour the significant efforts- and happenstance contributions- that have been made in this vein and serve current and future activities by providing context, perspective and opportunities for evaluation.
How to submit
Any submission requires an accompanying ‘Accession’ form to help us and future archivists understand the importance of the submission. You will also be asked to sign a deed of gift handing over ownership of the documents to the WRENCH for public use. Contact Jon Benson, project coordinator at archiveproject@thewrench.ca.
What happens to your document donation after you submit?
We will share relevant materials publicly on our social media platforms as they arrive, with appropriate context to both educate the public and continue to promote the archival project. We may follow up with you to ensure the appropriate context is shared in these instances, and may even invite you to an interview about the material.
The WRENCH will compile and organise everything that is submitted, and donate the materials to the City of Winnipeg Archives so that they can be made publicly available for perpetuity.
WRENCH at the Forks is now CLOSED FOR THE SEASON! Thank you for your patronage!
Thursday Open Shop continues at 1057 Logan for repairs, bike and part sales and Bike Builds from 12-5:30pm- see below.
Open Shop services are available by appointment only. Please note: we are experiencing high demand for our services. Appointment times are booked on a first come, first served basis, and are often full.
What you need to know:
All appointments must be booked in advance. Schedule your booking here onlineor call us at 204-296-3389, ext. 0.
We reserve the right to prioritize services for those with more need.
Services offered during Open Shop include; Bike Repairs, Part Sales, Bike Builds ($40 for a bike, including a bike lock).
Location: 1057 Logan Avenue in the basement of the Animal Services Building.
Guidelines for maintaining COVID safety when you come for your appointment:
1) Please wear a mask. Masks are mandatory inside the building.
2) Arrive on time, or a few minutes early. If you are purchasing a bike, skip the following steps to #8
3) When you arrive, check inside the front door and look down the stairs at 1057 Logan. Pause.
a) If someone is there, please wait till they come back up the stairs and leave.
b) If no one is in the stairwell receiving service, proceed with your bike (if you are bringing it) down the stairs, and let the mechanic know you are there for your appointment.
4) Once you have talked with the mechanic, if there is any reason to wait (you are receiving a repair, or waiting for a bike build), we ask you to leave the premises until we call you on your cell phone with an update. Please do not remain in the building while waiting for service from the WRENCH. Plan to dress for the weather if you think you will be outside for any length of time.
5) When you return to pick up your bike, please pause again at the top of the stairs and check if anyone is already receiving service. Wait until they come up the stairs and leave to go down and collect your bike.
6) Please avoid lingering in the stairwell or foyer for any length of time. Please also maintain social distancing practices at all times. We share space with Animal Services, and try to be as respectful as possible in our shared use of the building while also maintaining strong public health practice.
7) Note that there is hand sanitizer just inside the door at the bottom of the stairs. Please use it!
8) Buying a bike? Head north on Warnock (the side street to 1057 Logan), and then left on Henry. You’ll quickly see the loading dock behind the building. Descend the loading dock and knock on the garage door at your appointment time. Please wear a mask when inside the building.
Announcing… an interim step in solving our space needs! The Valour Community Centre, Clifton Site has invited us to start offering some of our educational programs there as we continue to work towards solving our space needs!!! Thank you VCC!
Earn a Bikes will start there in January, 2022. In the meantime, we figured we’d celebrate this partnership by making Clifton CC our central hub for Cycle of Giving this year.
Let’s Party!
On Friday, December 4, we’re going to get together for an outdoor community party at Clifton Community Centre, 1315 Strathcona St. Everyone’s invited! Expect a Group Ride and Tour of the West End, A Bike Race up Garbage Hill, and snacks and a fire.
Live in the Clifton Community Centre Neighbourhood? We especially want to see you! We’ll have a bike giveaway raffle planned to cap off the evening.
I want to donate!
Yes please! We are again seeking donations to support our capital campaign. Our incentives this year honour the many home workshops that have supported our work over the past two years.
To sponsor Cycle of Giving, find our sponsor package just below the incentive sign up form!
GIVING TUESDAY ANNOUNCEMENT! All incentives ordered before or on Giving Tuesday (November 30th) will automatically receive a WRENCH Home Shop Wall Art and an entry into the hand painted bike raffle!
A $30 gift will get you a WRENCH Home Shop Wall Art and WRENCH Mask.
A $75 gift will get you a WRENCH Mask and choice of either a WRENCH Apron, or WRENCH Baseball Cap.
A $100 Gift will get you a raffle ticket for a one of kind hand painted bike, as well as a WRENCH Mask and choice of either a WRENCH Apron or WRENCH Baseball Cap.
Incentives will be delivered between December 10 and January 15. Scroll down and fill out the form for the incentive you want!
If you would like a charitable tax receipt instead of any of our incentive gifts, please give through Canada Helps. (Sorry, we can’t offer an incentive and a charitable tax receipt for the same gift.)
BUT WHAT IS THE PLAN?
We’re still in a pandemic! This means we are once again reaching out to home builders to build and fix bikes off site. Delivery to home shops will happen on Nov 26 – Nov 27.
Bikes will be picked up and returned to Clifton from December 2-5th for Quality Control work onsite before they are delivered out to our community partners.
Want to help, but not by fixing bikes? Here are some options:
-Make holiday cards to be donated with the bikes (We will deliver bundles of either 15 or 25 plain cards for you to decorate any way you’d like!)
-Got a vehicle that can haul bikes? Let us know!
-Bake some goodies for volunteers!
For any and all quesitons about Cycle of Giving, Contact Jon Benson at cog@thewrench.ca
2021 Cycle of Giving Design by housefires.caCycle of Giving, Year Ten – Moving On Up
Cycle of Giving 2020: We did it!
Cycle of Giving+Moving On Up is a wrap! (Aside from all the deliveries that will happen in the coming weeks.)
Thank you to our incredible community. We did this together.
We received over $10000 in donations from over 150 donors. What an incredible launch to our building fundraising campaign!
We also want to again thank all our sponsors: HLC, Pollard Banknote, Assiniboine Credit Union, Emterra, Payworks, Urban Systems, and Johnston Group.
Thanks also to our amazing partners, Natural Cycle, Mountain Equipment Coop, Bikes and Beyond, Martha Street Studio, and Graffiti Art Programming.
Thanks to artists Kiana Compton, Marco Muller, Sarah Thiessen and Matea Radic for contributing to our incentive giving plan!
Thank you to Anna Weier for writing a piece about us in the Winnipeg Free Press. At least one donor was introduced to our work through that article!
Thank you to DJs Shael, Two Topping, Cadence, Justin Bear, and Equanim for leading the party last night, and to Justin Larivee for designing and delivering a night to remember. You are incredible.
Thank you for feeding and watering us! Oh Doughnuts, Tall Grass Prairie Bakery, Organic Planet, One Great City, Barnhammer, and Half Pints.
And thank you to everyone who offered storytelling about about the cycling community, activism, and associated work in Winnipeg. We learned so much!
All raffle winners and tshirt recipients will receive a call or email on next steps to receive your item(s). Distribution will begin Tuesday- but we ran out of shirts! So, some will receive theirs a little later. (Sarah has graciously agreed to make some more.)
Thanks once again to the mechanics who built from their home shops. We will do some sharing of the delivery work on social media over the coming weeks so you can all follow along. Thanks also to everyone who made holiday cards. They are on their way out as well!
Thank you again for your generosity. While our incentive giving plan is now closed, you can support The WRENCH at any moment through CanadaHelps
Donate and receive a charitable tax receipt
Donate without incentive gifts: Thank you so much for your contribution! To receive a charitable tax receipt, donate online to The WRENCH through Canada Helps.
On Saturday December 5, the WRENCH is celebrating 10 years of the Cycle of Giving. This year, we’ve launched our building fundraising campaign- Moving On Up as a part of this event.
Why a building fundraiser?
We want classroom, bike building, and retail spaces that are accessible, and that feel comfortable and inspiring for all Winnipeggers to visit and use. That means moving above ground! Our current space, located under the Animal Services building on Logan presents challenges for accessibility, isn’t big enough, and doesn’t allow for sunlight in our work spaces.
What is Cycle of Giving?
Cycle of Giving is symbolic of The WRENCH’s core work- salvaging bikes and parts from our local landfill and recycling sites, and putting them to the best use possible so that every Winnipegger can get around the city cheaply, while helping the planet. Hundreds of volunteers have supported Cycle of Giving over the years in a 24 hour build a thon, building bikes with recycled parts at Orioles Community Centre and then distributing them to partner organisations, schools, kids, and families.
What’s different this year?
This year, the project is even more heart warming. To keep covid safe, our friends and partner organisations have taken it upon themselves to receive bike frames and parts into their home based and private shops; and have been building since the beginning of November. This decentralised build will culminate on December 5, a day of simultaneous bike building at shops throughout the city.
In the days leading up to December 5, The WRENCH will be broadcasting stories over social media that celebrate the histories of Winnipeg bike culture and activism; as we continue to re-vision and work towards a more bike friendly city.
Thank you to our sponsors
We wish to extend a big thank you to our sponsors for helping make Cycle of Giving a reality for the city of Winnipeg!
Give your bike some midwinter love, and build your skill set for winters to come. This workshop will be led by Anders Annell, long time WRENCH Shop Coordinator and master mechanic. You’ll have access to a WRENCH bike stand and all of our tools.
Please note, masks are required, and this workshop requires proof of vaccination in accordance with MB Public Health Guidelines.
Accessibility statement: Accessing our shop requires descending a narrow staircase of 15 stairs. Accessing the washroom, once on site, requires going back up the stairs.
By donation onsite- we take all forms of payment except for bitcoin.
Announcing… an interim step in solving our space needs! The Valour Community Centre, Clifton Site has invited us to start offering some of our educational programs there as we continue to work towards solving our space needs!!! Thank you VCC!
Earn a Bikes will start there in January, 2022. In the meantime, we figured we’d celebrate this partnership by making Clifton CC our central hub for Cycle of Giving this year.
Let’s Party!
On Saturday, December 4, we’re going to get together for an outdoor community party at Clifton Community Centre, 1315 Strathcona St. Everyone’s invited! Expect a Group Ride and Tour of the West End, A Bike Race up Garbage Hill, and snacks and a fire.
Live in the Clifton Community Centre Neighbourhood? We especially want to see you! We’ll have a bike giveaway raffle planned to cap off the evening.
I want to donate!
Yes please! We are again seeking donations to support our capital campaign. Our incentives this year honour the many home workshops that have supported our work over the past two years.
To sponsor Cycle of Giving, see our sponsor package at the bottom of this page.
GIVING TUESDAY ANNOUNCEMENT! All incentives ordered before or on Giving Tuesday (November 30th) will automatically receive a WRENCH Home Shop Wall Art and an entry into the hand painted bike raffle!
A $30 gift will get you a WRENCH Home Shop Wall Art and WRENCH Mask.
A $75 gift will get you a WRENCH Mask and choice of ONE of either the WRENCH Apron, or WRENCH Baseball Cap.
A $100 Gift will get you a raffle ticket for a one of kind hand painted bike by artist, tattoo artist, mural painter and Graffiti Art Programming Artistic Director Pat Lazo, as well as a WRENCH Mask and choice of either of the following: WRENCH Apron, WRENCH Baseball Cap.
WRENCH Home Shop Wall Art Drymounted Poster (11×17)
WRENCH Mask- Modeled by Rob Grabowski: Grabowski sized only.
WRENCH Ball Cap (Adult Sized Only)
WRENCH Shop Apron (Adult Sized Only)
Incentives will be delivered between December 10 and January 15. Scroll down and fill out the form for the incentive you want!
If you would like a charitable tax receipt instead of any of our incentive gifts, please give through Canada Helps. (Sorry, we can’t offer an incentive and a charitable tax receipt for the same gift.)
BUT WHAT IS THE PLAN?
We’re still in a pandemic! This means we are once again reaching out to home builders to build and fix bikes off site. Delivery to home shops will happen on Nov 26 and Nov 27.
Bikes will be picked up and returned to Clifton from December 2-5th for Quality Control work onsite before they are delivered out to our community partners.
Want to help, but not by fixing bikes? Here are some options:
-Make holiday cards to be donated with the bikes (We will deliver bundles of either 15 or 25 plain cards for you to decorate any way you’d like!)
-Got a vehicle that can haul bikes? Let us know!
-Bake some goodies for volunteers!
For any and all quesitons about Cycle of Giving, Contact Jon Benson at cog@thewrench.ca
2021 Cycle of Giving Design by housefires.ca
2021 Cycle of Giving Incentives Donation Form
THANK YOU TO OUR 2021 Cycle of Giving Sponsors!
EmterraSalisbury House WinnipegOrganic Planet Worker CoopTall Grass Prairie BakeryFreshCoWest End BizBarnhammer Brewery
Cycle of Giving plans are underway! Here are some of the specifics we’ve confirmed so far, with more info to come:
1) There will be two components to this event.
a) We will once again support satellite building/mechanics. We will deliver bikes to home and business based mechanics willing to do work off site. Deliveries will happen the week before CoG weekend on Fri. Nov 26th and Sat. Nov 27th.
b) The central hub will be located at Valour Community Centre – Clifton Site (1315 Strathcona St). We are really grateful to be supported by the Community Centre this year to do this work- and our partnership with them will extend into the new year as we offer Earn A Bike and other educational programs at Clifton rather than in our shop at 1057 Logan.
For Cycle of Giving, the Clifton Site is really a distribution hub, rather than a worksite. We’ll run daytime hours for people doing quality control- no overnights this year. Finished bikes from mechanics will be returned to Clifton for this step from Fri. Dec 3rd – Sun. Dec 5th (or so), and then delivered to community partners.
We have already begun transferring bikes direct from the 4R sites to Clifton for Cycle of Giving work- it’s so helpful to have that location as a storage option as we prepare! Please note that anyone on site at Clifton for any reason during Cycle of Giving will be required to be fully vaccinated and masked.
2) Yes, we are still raising money to expand our footprint! Space is the only limiting factor for our work; and we are only experiencing increasing numbers of requests for our services. More on this soon.
3) We’re working on a social event spin for COG (covid safe, of course), and other components, too. Stay tuned!
To volunteer/contribute, and for more details, please contact Jon Benson at cog@thewrench.ca. Thanks so much for your support!
What is Cycle of Giving?
Cycle of Giving is symbolic of The WRENCH’s core work- salvaging bikes and parts from our local landfill and recycling sites, and putting them to the best use possible so that every Winnipegger can get around the city cheaply, while helping the planet. Hundreds of volunteers have supported Cycle of Giving over the years in a 24 hour build a thon, building bikes with recycled parts and then distributing them to partner organisations, schools, kids, and families.
Last year we also amped up the fundraising component of Cycle of Giving to launch our capital campaign- with great success! We’re really grateful to our community who continues to generously contribute to ongoing WRENCH development in so many ways.
What’s different this year?
We made adjustments last year to be covid safe. Mechanics worked from their home shops (as well as Natural Cycle, Bikes and Beyond, and MEC!), rather than us all gathering in a central location. We’re continuing with some caution this year with a hybrid model- most of the work will happen in home shops, with Clifton as a distribution site. This will allow our shop at 1057 Logan to maintain our educational work through Earn a Bike, AfterSchool Leaders, and Velotecha.
Become a Bicycle Mechanic with the WRENCH! Are you between the ages of 14-21? Want to learn to be a bike mechanic? After School Leaders is for you! After School Leaders (ASL) is a free advanced Bike Mechanic Training program that combines leadership training with hands on skill building. You’ll leave the program with two bikes you have built yourself and practical skills you can use in your own life, and for employment- a number of ASL grads work at the WRENCH and other bike shops in Winnipeg. ASL runs Mondays and Wednesdays, 4-730pm till mid January at 1057 Logan with a healthy meal each time. We can provide bus tickets too, if transportation is a barrier. Spots are filling up fast for the Oct 4 start date. Contact us today at gregory@thewrench.ca to join! Big thanks to the Student Achievement and Inclusion Division, Manitoba Education for their generous support!
We’re so excited to introduce our newest beer: Winding Ways 🚴♀️
This delicious beer was inspired by the synergy of Banana Cream and delicious Graham Cracker Crust. Combining Toasted Biscuit Malts, Banana Flavoured Esters, and Savoury Baking Spices 🍌
Winding ways was made in support of The WRENCH. $1 from every beer sold will be donated directly to The WRENCH to help them continue to serve our community.
Label artwork was graciously donated by Natalie Baird. The Winding Ways label was inspired by her work on the Jubilee Underpass bike path mural- which she completed in her participation with the WRENCH’s Wheels of Courage Program.
Winding Ways will only be available at OGC, 1596 Ness Avenue, and with a very limited amount available don’t wait! Hurry down to pick up your cans today.
Thanks for thinking of us! We re-cycle bikes back into the community after a bit of a tune up and safety testing.
Drop your bike/parts off at any of Winnipeg’s 4R Sites; and we will retrieve it, along with other donated and discarded bikes when we do our collections.
WHEELS OF COURAGE (WoC) is the WRENCH’s community leadership volunteer program! Today we’re introducing you to one of the projects currently on the go and the WoC participant who is managing it. VERO WARKENTIN is a recent returnee to Manitoba and signed on with WoC after spending the summer working as a mechanic at the WRENCH.
Vero has recruited some fellow Wrenchers and local artists to create beautiful artbikes that will be raffled off, with proceeds going to another Logan Ave. organization — drop-in and resource centre Sunshine House, Inc! Keep reading for a Q&A with Vero.
Q: How did you come up with your project idea?
A: In 2019, I volunteered for the Rainbow Railroad Gala and loved every part of it: the mission, the people, the party, the camaraderie. I was determined to help for the next year. When the pandemic began, the need to support vulnerable communities was magnified. I wanted to create an event that would both support and foster the 2SLGBTQIA community with bikes, and building colourful, proud and magnificently artful bikes was a no-brainer. I’ve been creative my entire life, and that spark has been seen and fanned by incredible artists and teachers in the past. This project is my turn to inspire. For me its less about my own ability to create art, and more about my recognition of the artists in my life and directing the huge impact art can have.
Q: Who are the artists you’ve enlisted?
A: So far, we have a collection of artists, mechanics and artist-mechanics giving their time to this project. Keira Friesen is a potter and mixed media artist who incorporates organic and natural forms in her work. Kevin Celestino is a WoC mentee, fellow Wrencher and visual artist. Leslie Parisien is a fellow WoC mentee and Wrencher, and sometimes textile artist. Sarah Thiessen is a creative jack of all trades, creating visual art, sculptures and performance art to delight and dazzle.
Q: What is an artbike?
A: An artbike is kind of how it sounds: a bike, but art! You could say it’s a type of kinetic sculpture. A bike that is still rideable that looks like a dragon, or has been yarnbombed, or has been painted, or welded up to be a giant man powered parade float — these are all artbikes. It also doesn’t have to be a special occasion bike. You could ride a sparkle unicorn bike with streamer tail to the office every day. I know I would.
Q: Why did you choose Sunshine House as the beneficiary of the funds you are raising?
A: Sunshine House is a vivid space that supports the community as they are. It makes room for whole people with all of our complications, experiences, expressions. At the base of it, bikes are like this too: freedom on wheels, for everyone. It’s a great pairing, and I’m so excited about the possibilities for our Pride Ride in June, the wrap up celebration after the raffle is completed in May.
