More bikes. More cargo. More happy people. Just in time.
Two 40′ shipping containers packed to the brim with bikes are already on their way to Winnipeg. By the time you read this, one of the containers may have already arrived. The whole world is running out of bikes, but not Winnipeg. Well, not if we can help it. Note that many of the bicycles are already reserved for a special project kicking off this spring. So whether you want a pre-loved bike or a new bike from Holland or a Danish cargo bike, book yours now or come into the shop and see what is already here.
Visit the Bicycle Garden
Located at 267 Sherbrook St. Open Tues-Fri : 11am-6pm Sat noon-6pm. Our first brick and mortar retail space, the Bicycle Garden began as a COVID response and pop up. It is home of the Plain Bicycle project, a social enterprise that supports Winnipeg Trails non-profit work. It has been extended until October 2021 by popular demand and we may just keep it going forever.
Come in. Try a new or rebuilt dutch bike. Shop for local and imported bag, bells, baskets, doggie carriers – everything designed for life a spent moving by bike. The Bicycle Garden is both culture hub and store, so if you are thinking about changing your life and aren’t quite sure what to do, come down and let’s chat.
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 a North America’n dealer of WorkCycles, a 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:
