Tuesday, 9 June 2026

Ocean Grove Men’s Shed Bike Restoration Initiative Rolls Into Action

It is a sad fact that across Australia, an estimated 300,000 bicycles wind up in landfill every year. The Ocean Grove Men’s Shed bike group has launched an initiative aimed at restoring these unwanted bicycles to give them a new lease on life.

Dubbed “ReCycle & Restore,” the program brings together bike minded members to breathe new life into donated bikes, which are then sold back to the community at heavily discounted prices or donated through Bicycles for Humanity.

“It’s about more than fixing bikes,” says project coordinator Ron Lippold, a founding member of the Bike crew. “It’s about giving guys the opportunity to engage, share, learn and ultimately give back to the community.”

Each week, a small team of about 7 men gather in the Shed’s workshop to assess, repair, and refurbish donated bicycles. Some need only a good clean and minor tuning; others require new wheels, brake systems, or even full rebuilds. Bikes deemed too far gone are stripped for parts.

Community initiatives include 12 bikes donated to the Pomonal Mens Shed post 2024 bushfires for distribution (in association with Queenscliff Mens Shed), 7 bikes donated to Bicycles for Humanity – a global, grassroots movement that collects donated bikes and ships them to communities in need, primarily in Africa and a refurbished toddler’s bike to Hello Birdie Cafe in Grubb Road Ocean Grove.

We’re building bikes, sure,” Ron adds. “But we’re also building a mens shed bike community, one spoke at a time.”

IMAGE: OGMS bike members Russell Francis, Ron Lippold, John O’Neil and Andrew Gundlach outside Hello Birdie Cafe.