The new “Icicle Garden” starting to snowball at the Bicycle Garden at 267 Sherbrook.
ALERT: Now accepting donations of old skis and boots and other winter equipment.
Give the gift of freedom and bring extra joy during a code red winter. Donate any unused skis you have to our new “Icicle Garden” – winter equipment library setup by Winnipeg Trails as part of the Winter:Peg initiative. With your help, we will grow a rental library of winter equipment. The equipment is offered to anyone. The equipment is offered on a sliding rental scale. Those who can afford it will see their donations go to supporting trail building and ski access this winter. Those who can’t get to make the most of winter. Win Win.
You can even store your underused skis and continue to access them. Just donate them, book some time, and we’ll wax them and simply make sure they are used more often. Anything helps. Thank you!
Home of upright bicycles, perfect for winter...
From Oslo to Oulu and from Whitehorse to Winnipeg, join the millions people of who ride through snowy winters with ease. All you really need is a scarf and your favourite mitts to float through a fractal-filled winter wonderland. A comfortable bike helps. Find out what makes the humble old-fashioned upright bicycle the world’s most trusted vehicle in the snow.
Behold..
kicksled heaven
It’s time to get groceries in style. We don’t care how young or how old you are, these things Are. The. Best.
Tread softly,
glide far
This is going to be a winter to remember. While Winnipeg Trails gets busy building/grooming as many winter trails as it can, the Bicycle Garden has you covered for gear. We’ve been collecting winter equipment so you can join the fun. All equipment rentals are by donation with proceeds going to making equipment available to others and trail building. Ask about special non-profit and school loans and book your skis or snowshoes today. Donations of old skis, snowshoes, and tuning skills are gratefully accepted.
Visit the Bicycle Garden
Located at 267 Sherbrook. Our brick and mortar retail space, begun as a COVID response pop-up and extended until June 2021 by popular demand. Try a new or rebuilt dutch bike. Shop for imported goods meant for life by bike.
Fix. Go.
Yes we repair bicycles. We may specialize in Dutch bicycles, but we can fix a flat or adjust the brakes and gears on just about anything. Conveniently located in Winnipeg’s West End, we’ll keep you going and if we don’t carry the parts you need, will help you find someone who does.
Solutions for Parents
Life’s too short for the mini-van. We’ve got something for every family.
The finest SUV money can buy
We are proudly North America’s only dealer of WorkCycles, the fine handmade Dutch bike manufacturer based in Amsterdam. Among the many things they make that you should probably buy, the Kr8 Electric Assist Bakfiets will make even a Hummer-lover’s heart flutter. This bike is a dream for the school run or picking up a week’s worth of groceries. Check out their beautiful top of the line omafiets too. Order now for spring 2021 or sooner.
We mean business.
We offer heavy-duty bike sharing solutions for the kind of employer that runs lean machine and is always on the look out for their employees’ happiness, health and well-being. Bikes make trips for coffee and those meetings downtown SO much better. Why not buy a small fleet of bikes for the office? You can fit 10 in the space of one car (and at least two instead of that potted plant everyone forgets to water). Your staff will thank you for it!
Safe havens
Not all bike parking is created equal. We’re on a mission to make bombproof racks that hold a bike right. We’ve replicated the rack you would find in the suburbs of Rotterdam or Leiden. We only make one kind. Why bother with anything else? Try one out and you’ll see why this design is tried, tested and true and why there are 100000s of them lining the streets of Holland.
Made to order. Available in any colour of the rainbow.
Masters of metal
Plain Bicycle’s inventors-for-hire will work with entrepreneurs, schools and businesses to reinvent wheels. Be creative. We can help.
Build a Better City, Together
The Plain Bicycle Project is a social enterprise initiative of Winnipeg Trails, a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing human-powered transportation in Winnipeg. The two go hand in hand. After all, what good is a bike without a great place to ride it? We’ve fought for you for years, and your support helps us push Winnipeg to the next level. Thank you!
Learn-To-Ride
We organize volunteer-based, learn-to-ride workshops tailored to adult women based on learn-to-ride program methodologies developed in the Netherlands and Finland. These workshops place an emphasis self-esteem building, peer support and comfortable simple bicycles. Suitable for anyone taking up cycling after a long hiatus, for those who never learned. Contact us to find out when we’re holding the next course or get involved as a volunteer!
How the Plain Bicycle Project began...
This initiative began with a cockamamie plan to bring one shipping container full of pre-loved bicycles from the Netherlands to Winnipeg. ..a bike culture bomb… The idea was to flood the heart of North America with the hallmark of Dutch cycling culture. By importing the quintessential bike type ridden by millions of men, women and children every day – the omafiets or “Grandma’s bike” – we relied on our families, friends, acquaintances and colleagues’ help to foster the growth of a different type of bicycle culture. Together, we made it happen. The rest is history.
The Podcast
One day, someone told us she wanted to tell the story of the project. Then, when she decided to get a plain bike, it became her story too. And the story of a city in flux. Listen to Erin Riediger’s Plain Bicycle Podcast. Listen on:
When you buy bikes from us, you help support projects like..
The Plain Bicycle Project is a social enterprise proudly run by:
