BikePad is located at Woolmanhill Flat 31! Following a hiatus period where we restructured and rebuilt, we now have bikes for hire and a weekly opening of the workshop for anyone wanting to fix their bikes or get their bike fixed by one of our volunteers. Opening hours for both bike hire and bike maintenance workshop are 3-6pm every Wednesday till week 11 of each semester.
Bike Hire
You can rent a bike for as cheap as £20 for one semester or £40 for the whole year (September-August), plus a £40 deposit on the bike and equipment.
Road-ready from day one. The hire includes the following:
- bike
- U-lock
- helmet
- hi-vis jacket
- lights and reflectors
- and a city cycle map
If there are any problems with the bike, you can bring it to our workshop and we can fix it throughout the semester. All bookings are made online through the green button below. If you have any questions before continuing with the hire, feel free to email our BikePad team at bikehire@rguunion.co.uk
Bike Maintenance Workshop
Need a quick fix to your bike, maybe your chain oiled up or your tyres pumped? Our volunteers can show you how to maintain your bike and we have plenty of useful tools to make sure you're always road-ready!
Getting Involved
As part of our BikePad scheme, we are recruiting enthusiastic people to help support the maintenance and distribution of the bikes.You do not need to be experienced - we can offer you free bike maintenance workshops to become a trained volunteer. We are also looking for people who are keen in joining with the data team, to help gather, analyse and suggest changes which can be done to improve road layout in Aberdeen. Within the data team you will be working with other groups which are helping implement changes in Aberdeenshire such as Grampian Cycle Partnership, Nestrans, Sustrans, GetAbout and Aberdeen Cycling forum to name a few.
Please email bikehire@rguunion.co.uk or message us on the Go Green Facebook page for more information or to get involved.
Become a member
As a member you can join all of our events and volunteer in with us in these roles. After signing up below, please email us your preferred role to gogreen@rguunion.co.uk
Cycling into campus
It’s no secret that Aberdeen isn’t the most cycle friendly city, but luckily getting to the RGU campus is fairly easy!
The old Deeside Railway Line path starts at Duthie Park and passes close to campus, before continuing into Royal Deeside. The Line is one of Aberdeen's main traffic-free routes and from Duthie Park to campus there are options to cycle almost completely separated from traffic (other than one junction!). Routes from the city centre and student accommodations to campus, including the recommended route using the Deeside Way, have been identified and are available here.
The old railway line is flat and traffic- free but not well lit, so make sure you’re set up with lights and bright clothing in the winter. South Crown Street, included in the route between Union Street and Duthie Park, is uphill when cycling back to the city centre.
Your Safety and Building Confidence
It’s important to keep safe and know the rules of the road before you set out on your bike. The do’s and don’ts for cyclists vary between countries, so this section might be particularly useful for international students. The UK government has handily put together all the rules in the Highway Code that apply to cyclists. You can have a read of here.
The most important thing to note is that in the UK, cyclists are generally expected to behave like other traffic. This means stopping at traffic lights and pedestrian crossings, waiting your turn at roundabouts and junctions, and not cycling on pavements (unless there’s a sign to tell you otherwise, of course!).
To get started with cycling and become a more confident cyclist, Cycling Scotland's Essential Cycling Skills guide is a good starting point with lots of information and tips.
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