Bike Shop Tour – Bicycle Ambulance – Where I Bike S1E1

Where I Bike: Sam from Bicycle Ambulance

https://www.bicycleambulance.com

https://freshtripe.co.uk

In this episode of Where I Bike, I meet Sam, From Bicycle Ambulance — a small workshop in Cambridge that grew from helping friends fix their bikes. What started as a few roadside repairs has become a local repair shop that pushes to support the local community and keep you rolling.

Tucked inside a modest office, Sam also runs Freshtripe and serves as the Velo Orange UK distributor, surrounded by shelves of parts, tools, and well-loved components — each with its own bit of cycling history. It’s the kind of place where nothing matches perfectly, labels are hand-written, and you’re encouraged to dig around until you find the part you needed. But equally can serve as a boutique with some of the best parts from around the world.

The name “Bicycle Ambulance” came almost by accident — after buying an old ambulance and turning it into a fully kitted-out mobile workshop. From market stalls and car parks to today’s permanent home, the idea has always been the same: to keep bikes rolling and riders riding.
For Sam, repair isn’t just a service — it’s a statement. “It feels better to make something last than to throw it away,” he says. “You end up with something that works better and means more because you’ve put the time in.”

It’s that spirit of longevity and care that keeps Bicycle Ambulance at the heart of its community — a reminder that sometimes, the best thing you can do for your bike is simply to keep it alive.

—————————————————-

The Builder Report — a biweekly series all about you and the communities that keep bikes rolling.

Want to get involved? Upload your builds or send shoutouts through the link below.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1X4fHycR1ew8y2uRYpaA2S8jCSFQ37gtW

—————————————————-

20% Off on orders over £30 at ​@JuiceLubes with code 2NDLIFEBIKES
https://juicelubes.com/2NDLIFEBIKES

—————————————————-

Cycles Bike Pump
https://www.cycplus.com/?ref=tfZ7KH5L8_6sXU

You can also get 5% Off with code 2NDLIFEBIKES

—————————————————-

Stickers And Merch
https://www.saveoldbikes.com

Follow me on Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/_2ndlifebikes

We don’t actually know what this is. We just call it the rib breaker. Welcome to episode one of Where I Bike. Where I bike is a weekly series where I visit bike people and bike shops all around the country. The aim of Where I Bike is to learn more about what they do, where they do it, and why they do it. This week we meet Sam and Rick from Bicycle Ambulance. Bicycle Ambulance started off by them just fixing up their mates bikes that essentially got out of hand and they needed to open a shop to continue. When they first started this up, it was actually in an old ambulance, hence the name and it’s developed into what it is today. Sam also runs Fresh Strike from the shop. It’s a website that stocks everything from VO, Neto, Sim Works, and loads more. But let’s go over to Cambridge for the very first episode of where I bike. Hey, I’m Sam. I run Bicycle Ambulance and Fresh Tribe. Come check us out. [Music] Let’s uh let’s talk a little bit about the shop. Um so can you walk me around and show me where things happen? Yeah, of course. So we’ll start with the website kind of side of things which is this tiny little office. So this is where I run Fresh Stripe, our online web shop uh with a Vevel Orange UK distributor. We deal a lot with Sim Works and Neato too. Basically all stuff that we really like. Um packet here, print stuff there. Pretty simple. Bunch of stock which has got random labels and random stickers and usually it’s not in the right place. So you do have to rumage a little bit. Out of all the kind of like brands that you kind of like and without like upsetting any brands, which is the kind of like really popular stuff that people like come to you time and time again. Um a lot of people come back for Neto and Sim Works. It’s one of those like products which is made so well and so lovely that you kind of once you buy it once you’re like oh actually I think that would be cool on a different bike. So people always kind of come back for that. The thing is it lasts forever as well which is great. Um orange the mug guards really cool. A lot of people love mug guards. Yeah. Yeah. Rate them. Yeah. Rate them. So yeah general shop area. We have a few bikes for sale stuff on the wall that people can check out and buy. This is kind of like your everyday items that people might need from the community that we try and help them out with. And then on this side is kind of like our posher cool stuff that yeah serve a more niche market. And then we’ve just got a collection of our own things basically. So this is my colleagues old juror stuff all fresh and new and just old nice bike parts that we like having around basically. Um yeah. What would you say like out of that kind of like nisha older stuff like is there any like proper gems that you’ve got that there’s a few proper gems in here. We’ve got this really cool old mech by Huitt which is apparently the lightest mech or it was at one point. Um unfortunately it’s a little bit broken but that’s really cool. Yeah. It will never get sold. No. [Music] Uh so how did bicycle ambulance first come about and what inspired the idea of turning an actual ambulance into a mobile workshop? Uh bicycle ambulance came about when we basically got asked too many times by mates to fix their bikes. So we decided to rent a van and then buy a van which happened to be an ambulance and we didn’t even have a name then and then it just turned into bicycle ambulance. So we got an old ambulance k out with a couple of jigs, put all our tools in there and essentially went to one spot or to a company and just fix bikes there for a day. And then eventually we got a kind of a a market stall which was in a bottom of a car park and we used to get all of our shop out of a container. So all of these used to be in a container. We used to pull them out every day and we had our jigs there. So then at that point we had another employee as well where two of us would be running this kind of like market stall. Um and then Rick, my colleague would be running the ambulance. So you emphasize on repairing rather than replacing. Why is that so important? Then why is repairing? I think repairing is better because you’re just putting more life into something. It feels almost nicer to repair something instead of replace it. I say exactly. Yeah. It’s like I enjoy Well, I think we both do. We actually feel great if you actually fix something. It’s not always possible, but I feel that it it does get it has become more and more difficult, but it’s so much just gets thrown away. I’m getting the gist that you like repairing stuff too. Like for sure, I’m going to make that thing fit and work with that thing if I just tweak it this way. You know, it’s like and the amount of like those those kids bikes come in here today. You should have seen what we did to make that. We filed down some brake pads because you can’t get the brake pads to fit in that disc brake, you know, like took some information off the edge. So, it fit in there, you know? It’s like if we can, we really do, you know, sometimes like just not worth it. Like, it’s a waste of We make no money out of it. But there you just feel Well, I think you’re the same. Yeah. You just feel better that you fixed it rather than throw it away, you know? It’s like, yeah, I did that. It’s like not just did I get some money, but I did a thing as well, you know? Yeah. I think it’s like a longevity thing. It’s like I’d rather make something last longer by repairing it instead of just replacing it because possibly what you’re replacing it with is worse than what you can repair. [Music] And then moving over to this side, this is like our work area. So you got two spaces for people to fix bikes. Generally Rick’s on one side, I’m on the other. Got our cutting machine, Philwood spoke cutting machine for our wheel builds. Tool wall with all the cool stuff. I saw Marlon video. He really likes that tool. My favorite part of it is the sound. [Laughter] you kind of got to have it. Um, and then move over to like general repair stock really. So, the kind of bread and butter for stuff that you need all the time. Scrap bins. So, we try and recycle as much as we can. Uh, wheel jig, radio up there. Got to have music. Then down here, you’ve kind of got all your other odds and sods of cables and brake pads. All your random tools in here. So really weird stuff that you might not see or you might not need every day, but stuff that you can, you know, you need to fix a bike. So you mentioned the Marlon’s favorite tool, and I always ask, what’s the your favorite tool, but what’s the tool that you never use, but you can’t throw it away because you will need it as soon as you throw it away? Oh, yeah, I know. Um, there’s quite a few actually. I was thinking this as well. We don’t actually know what this is. We just call it the rib breaker, but this basically is the perfect size for bending road caliper brakes. Oh, okay. When the pads don’t sit properly in the brake and you need to bend the arm, you put that on it and bend it. So, without that, it’s Yeah. You have to use a pair of pliers, which is But that’s not what it’s designed to do. I have no idea what it is, but it’s that’s what it’s been used for. That’s what we use it for. Potentially, it used to be for breaking ribs on people, but we call it the rib breaker. Um I don’t know this guy. I think it’s a Canondell crown race tool. No, that’s a Royce bottom bracket. It’s a Royce bottom bracket tool. Okay. A Royce bottom bracket tool. The kind of thing that we’ve had for years, use maybe once, but you got to have it and never chuck it away. Yeah, that’s a great one. Yeah, [Music] tell me a bit about uh custom builds. Like, do you do a lot of custom builds? People come to you with an idea and like how do you turn that into what could be their dream bike? Um, yeah, we do a lot of custom builds and I think usually that it starts from an idea and that idea is that they may have seen something on Instagram or the internet or a previous bike that they used to own. They either want to redo it and kind of relive a childhood memory maybe. But generally the way it starts is a customer comes in, they have an idea of what they want and we say, “Well, cool. Let’s get an idea of a frame.” And then we say, “What kind of wheel set do you want?” you know, we might do a custom wheel set for that. Something that’s purpose for their riding, which is quite important. Um, and then after that, the group set kind of comes and then the finishing kit, you know, which is handlebars and stem and saddle and bar tape. Um, and you say, yeah, you start at the heart of the bike, which I would say is the frame. Yeah. Um, and then coming from this side, we’ve got basically customers repairs where they hang up. No particular order, just wherever they go. Moving on to like courtesy bikes. So when someone leaves a bike here and they need to get away in a rush, we can lend them a bike. So it’s kind of helping people out where we can. And then under here, this is like our general mess basically. So it’s a combination of bikes that are waiting to be fixed. We need parts for or the customer can’t decide what’s happening. um going into long-term repairs which this chap wants a frame spray so we got to wait for that into I don’t know random boxes of stuff where people donate stuff to us which we can then donate onto other people. Yeah. Sick. Um and then it comes into stock. So some MKS pretzel pedals and Neto racks. Um yeah I spotted these bikes before. I was wondering if they were kind of like you did higher and stuff, but that’s awesome. The fact you’ve got like uh courtesy bikes that people can kind of go away on. Yeah. Such a little niche that a lot of shops wouldn’t be able to do. So yeah, cuz we’re quite far out of town as well, it just made more sense to donate our exhire bikes into curtsy bikes just because people need them. Like Cambridge is quite small, but to walk it is a hassle, so to cycle it is way quicker. Yeah. Not that we have many, but we have enough to help the quick turnaround of customers basically. Yeah. What would you say when it comes to if if you said like I had all the bits, but I wanted to upgrade one bit to be much much better. What part do you think it is? Like what’s worth spending your money on? If you can spend it on one part, which one would it be on? Like you’ve got the like the dopest bike already, the poshest bike, or you’ve just got some commuter. I’ somewhere in the middle. So, it’s like you’ve got some cool stuff. It is a cool bike. It is good. And I want it to really kind of take me home and like it’s I need that one thing. I’ve got a bit of cash. I could spend it on one more thing. Uh and like get some a bit more. If you want to go bougie, I would say Chris King headset. It’s got to be Chris King headset. Like you don’t use it Well, you do use a headset, but you use it like that a very small amount. You don’t turn your bike like that. So, you don’t even get the full use out of a headset in my opinion. But tires as well, it’s a boring upgrade, but a good fast tire will make your bike feel better. I don’t know. Chain set. I think a chain set always looks good. If you have a posh looking chain set that sets a bike off, I think. Yeah. And then we’ve got the kitchen kind of side, which is also our random pile of stuff side. you know, a nice bean grinding machine that our neighbors gave to us. Oh, sick. Which doesn’t really work super well, but works well enough. You know, sink. This is our little toilet area. Not much going on. And then and then in there when it’s really cold in here. Yeah. Uh we use those car heart bibs. Oh, okay. Yeah. Because it gets super cold in here and because we’re a bike shop and we’re stubborn, we don’t want to put the heat on. So don’t I don’t think bike shops use heating. I think that’s a general rule. It’s just a general rule. Yeah. If you’re not pumping tires, you know. So yeah. Um All right. And then upstairs is our stock area, but watch your head if you do come up. Yeah. So up here, this is basically where we keep all our stock for fresh tripe. Yeah. So all the stuff that you can find online is basically in boxes on one side and then a lot of empty boxes for packing and then this side is overstock for the shop that can’t be out. And then basically as you come deeper, we’ve got just basically boxes, empty boxes for mud guards to go out. One of my bikes. Um, and then all secondhand stuff. So if people need something, we can just donate them to it to them or give it away. Just whatever really. And then just random stock and bits and bobs that just gather as bike shops do. They seem to gather stuff. Yeah. Um, but yeah. [Music] Uh, we didn’t mention the frames and bikes that are up on the ceiling. Oh, yes. There’s a couple that I spotted are quite fancy, I reckon. So, what what are these ones here? Basically, the frames, well, all the bikes really are our collection of stuff that we’ve just gathered over the years that we don’t often ride. So, we have like a really nice old Schwin here, which is Rick’s. Uh, the Jack Taylor tandem, which basically Rick really liked the color, and that had sat in his shed for 10 years until we got to this space, and then one day we decided to put it up. I reckon I I’d had that before we started the shop. Oh, maybe. Okay. Maybe had that for maybe like over 20 years. All right. Well, it sat in a shed for a long time. Yeah. And then so those never get ridden. And then the Vel Orange, the Pass Hunter, uh Vel Orange gave that to us years ago or when we started doing distribution, it came with the distribution. We built it up to basically have a show bike. So if we ever go and do an event or we do a a bike ride where we can take the van, at least it can go on the top of the van. It kind of makes it look cool and it’s just a really nice bike. The other fixed gear bike here, the orange one, and then there’s a gray one over here. They’re mine and Rick’s. And the brand on it is McVillain. And that’s a brand we started years ago. Oh, sick. But never gave it much time. And that was easily 12 years ago that we started that brand. And over the years, we just kind of had bought frames and sold them to the to Cambridge here really. So, never really got it online. Um, and it’s something we might start again one day, something we might not. Um, but we built the gray road bike for when the tour to France came through Cambridge and that did around in the shops, which were quite nice. So, we lent out to other shops to have as a window display. And then the BMX’s, the Rally Burners, and the wife beater, they’re Rick’s old bikes, and his kids learned to cycle on the Rally Burners, which are pretty cool. It’s kind of a good way to say it. So good. So good. Yeah. The Orbit is mine. It’s a a old touring bike which I turned into a clunker I guess. Clunker. Yeah. It’s cool. Um and then orange Prestige I think. Prestiges. Yeah. Yeah. Two orange Prestiges which are one is Rick’s and one is his partners. The All City’s Rick’s. The Kona is Rick’s old bike as well. Yeah. So it’s just a collection of our bikes that we ride every now and then basically. Yeah. What would you say has kept you so into bikes all these years and why you think you’re going to continue doing it? Uh, that’s a good question. I don’t know. I think it’s partly the creative side of bikes that someone keeps coming up with new things that I quite like the look of. When you repair something or fix something or replace something, you always get that feeling of happiness. It’s like instant. So, I guess that’s part of it as well. Generally just riding bikes. I like being outside in nature. I like riding bikes. Like hanging out with like-minded people. Coffee always helps. Um yeah, I don’t know. Just generally like bikes. It’s just that simple. I don’t think there is anything else to it. I don’t know. Makes me look sad. [Music] [Music] [Music] That brings us to the end of the very first episode of Where I Bike. Massive thank you to Rick and Sam for letting me hang out for the day. If you want to go and share some love and go check them out, there is website and uh Instagram and stuff is down below. But thanks again, guys, for letting me come and hang out. This is a weekly series, so here’s a little sneak peek of what to expect next week. So, I’m Wayne uh Tailwind Cyclingery, which is here. Come in. Come and have a look. [Music] [Music] So, to keep up this series and the channel in general, uh, do feel free to subscribe to the channel. It’s absolutely free and it helps me out a bunch. And if you can’t wait to the next video, that one up there is a particularly good one. [Music]