The bicycle is a cheap, uncomplicated means of transport that needs nothing but a bit of muscle power to cover longer distances faster and more efficiently than walking. It's more pleasant than getting around by bus, train, or car too, especially in rush-hour traffic. And it's cheaper, full stop: in Berlin, a used, working bike can be found cheaply at a flea market. Really, only the repairs are expensive.
This is where self-help workshops come in: the basic idea is to help owners maintain their own bikes, by passing on knowledge and providing tools. If you know how something works technically, you can use it more sustainably and repair it yourself when it breaks.
Self-help workshops support cyclists with affordable repairs, so they no longer have to pay for the professional service of a bike shop, which can genuinely be expensive in some cases. When cyclists are able to patch a flat tire or replace worn brake pads themselves, that's not just better for their wallet, it also encourages more people to get on a bike in the first place.
Self-help workshops also operate at the margins of the capitalist production and consumption system that bicycles are made within. They counteract the tendency to buy new replacement goods instead of repairing what you have, and in doing so contribute to the energy transition.
Kreuzberg has several self-help workshops too: the bike self-help workshop at Regenbogenfabrik, the Velo-Fit bike workshop run by the Berlin City Mission, the ADFC bike self-help workshop, and the Bauhütte Kreuzberg e.V. bike workshop.
Couriers Huile Smith #39 & The Knife #41 belong to CROW Courier, which replaces delivery vans with cargo bikes and, in doing so, helps improve quality of life in the city. The car-free Berlin courier service also fosters a cooperative way of working.