Alumnus Jamie Carson (MML, 2020) returned to Robinson this week for an ‘All Things Biking’ event organised by our Wellbeing Team. Jamie was joined by his business partner, Mark Jenkins, an experienced mechanic, to carry out repairs and safety checks on students’ bikes. They were also joined by cycling enthusiast Robin Jones, one of the College’s porters, who helped answer questions and check bikes.

Jamie and Mark founded The Bike Van, a mobile bicycle repair business, a year ago and have already doubled their team to four, with plans to expand further. As well as operating a walk-in repair workshop in Milton, they travel to customers across Cambridge and the surrounding area to collect, repair and service bikes before returning them to their owners.

Jamie said: “I’ve always enjoyed fixing things. While studying at Cambridge, I became involved with Formula Student through the Department of Engineering and really enjoyed helping to design, build, test and race single-seater race cars. We competed at Silverstone, Assen in the Netherlands, in Barcelona and Germany.

“After meeting Mark, starting a bike repairs business in Cambridge seemed like the obvious choice as it allowed me to work in an area that I absolutely love and find hugely rewarding. We have customers from all walks of life - from college students to commuters. For many of our customers, their bikes are a crucial means of transport, so we understand how important it is to get them back on the road as quickly and safely as possible.

“I’m a big supporter of the ‘right to repair’ movement in the US, which challenges our throwaway culture by advocating for people and repair shops to have practical access to the parts, tools, information and software needed to maintain and repair products. Through our work, we are pleased to be supporting and furthering that movement here in the UK.”

Find out more about Jamie’s business: The Bike Van.