Your bike is broken, but having it repaired in a bike shop is too expensive? That’s what the Radhaus is for – our bicycle self-help workshop. Here you can repair your bike for a small fee and, if necessary, buy spare parts at wholesale prices or free second-hand parts. Please note the instructions below. Knowledge and skills are not a prerequisite for visiting the workshop. Even though we are a self-help workshop, we are always there to help and advise you and are happy to explain what you need to know about your bike. So don’t worry: even if you are completely clueless and have two left hands, you can still repair your bike with us. You can also sell and offer used bikes here.
NEWS / CONTACT
From now on, individual appointments are no longer required for the Radhaus. During the official opening hours, any person can now come by without an appointment and use our self-help workshop independently (first come, first served).
The following rules must be observed:
- We have two mounting stands that can be used at the same time. Therefore, only a maximum of two customers can visit our workshop at the same time; at full capacity, a corresponding waiting time must be expected.
Opening Hours
Tuesday: 9a.m. – 4p.m.
Office hours: Please see our german page.
E-Mail:
Facebook: @RadHausAStATrier
Workshop: Campus II Basement, Room F041 (See map)
PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS HOW THE RADHAUS WORKS
The Radhaus may be used by all students of the University of Trier. Please bring your Tunika (student ID) with you. (The workshop is financed proportionally through the student body fee: the Radhaus costs each student about 30 cents per semester).
The Radhaus is a self-help workshop and not a regular bike shop. This means that you are present during the repair and take your bike back with you at the end. So you can’t just leave your bike with us and pick it up later after it’s been repaired. If you want this kind of service, you have to go to the bike shop. Take a lock with you to lock your bike outside in case the repair cannot be completed. We generally do not store bikes. In exceptional cases, if your bike is not roadworthy at all, if you do not live near campus and have no means of transport, it can stay with us until the next opening day. However, you must then be present again for further repairs.
Personal responsibility: As we are a self-help workshop, there is no guarantee or warranty for repairs and parts. If necessary, we will show you how to do it or give you instructions on how to repair your bike. In addition, you can and should test ride your bike before leaving the workshop to make sure everything is in order. Sometimes we do this ourselves, especially if you are unsure.
PRICES
User fees: They are used for the maintenance and appreciation of the workshop. The AStA uses the fees to finance the facilities, tools and all necessary equipment. Fees per visit:
3 € for small repairs up to 30 min. (e.g. changing a tube/tire, adjusting brakes)
6 € for larger repairs over 30 min. (e.g. centre wheels, change gears)
10 € for repairs over 60 min.
FIf the repair of your bike takes several days, you only pay 2 € for each following day.
Cash only: It is not possible to pay by credit card at the bike shop. If you don’t have enough cash with you, you will unfortunately go home empty-handed or you will have to withdraw money from the nearby bank.
Spare parts: We regularly buy new parts ourselves at the lowest possible prices but of sufficiently good quality (e.g. from Shimano) from online retailers and pass the prices on to you directly with virtually no surcharge. We always try to have the most common spare parts in stock so that we can repair your bike “just in time”. However, it does happen from time to time that special parts are needed for the repair that we do not have in stock. You will then have to buy these yourself and bring them with you next time so that we can fit them together. We will of course help you to choose and order the right parts (e.g. by sending you an email with a link to the corresponding spare part). As a rule, however, we try to use free second-hand parts, if possible and available. Our collection of used but still functional parts is quite large, so you can often find what you are looking for.
SALE OF USED BIKES
Donated bikes: Are available for students depending on their availability. As a rule, these bikes are not yet roadworthy! If you would like to have one of these bikes, we will repair it in your presence according to the usual rules. The donated bike itself is free of charge, the price is then determined by the repair costs (usage fee plus new parts).
Private sales: You can also sell your own bike to other students through our workshop. We will be happy to advise you on a reasonable price. The bike will then receive a note with the name and email of the seller as well as the selling price. Once the bike has been sold, you can come and collect the proceeds from us or we can transfer the money to your account.
From time to time we post used bikes with photo and price in our bike market on our Facebook page: Radhaus-Bikemarkt
Alternative sales offers: If you are looking for a cheap used bike and can’t find what you are looking for, we can also recommend small ads section at hunderttausend.de and Ebay-Kleinanzeigen. There is also the local bicycle flea market run by the ADFC Trier.
ABOUT THE RADHAUS
Most students have limited financial means, and repairing older bikes in the bicycle shop around the corner is sometimes unfortunately no longer worth it. In such cases, the cost of repairing the bike can sometimes exceed the second-hand value of the entire bike. As a result, many bikes remain broken and unused. The Radhaus wants to counteract this fate!
We buy new spare parts cheap and pass the prices on to the students with little or no extra charge. If you need more unusual parts, we recommend that you buy them in advance at your local bike shop. We also make use of our free range of used spare parts whenever possible and desired. This usually makes repairs considerably cheaper and is also good for the environment thanks to recycling: we are also happy to accept scrap bikes in order to dismantle and reuse the parts that are still usable.
In addition to the economic and ecological aspects, there is also an educational aspect, in that we are happy to teach you practical knowledge about handling bicycles on site, if you are interested. Many bike adjustments (e.g. brakes and gears) and minor repairs (e.g. repairing a flat inner tube) can easily be done by yourself once you know how.