Kerbside Oxford: mobile bike servicing in Oxford
Qualified mobile bike servicing, brought to your door in Oxford. Velotech Silver certified and insured, with a written condition report on every job.
Services and prices
Basic Service, £40 (At your address)
A full safety check and every running adjustment, done while I am with you. Nothing is fitted without you agreeing the cost first.
- Full M-check of frame, forks, wheels, headset, bars, cranks and drivetrain
- Gears indexed so they shift cleanly across the block
- Brakes adjusted: pads aligned, levers set, cables tensioned
- Every fastener torqued to spec with a calibrated wrench
- Chain and cassette wear measured and reported
- Tyre pressures set for your weight and riding
- Written condition report covering the work carried out and what the bike needs next
Parts fitted during the same visit
- Puncture repair or new inner tube: from £8 added to a service (add-on only)
- New grips or bar tape: from £12 added to a service (add-on only)
- Brake pads replaced: from £15 added to a service, from £25 booked on its own
- Gear cables and outers renewed: from £18 added to a service, from £28 booked on its own
- Brake cables and outers renewed: from £18 added to a service, from £28 booked on its own
- New tyre fitted: from £20 added to a service, from £30 booked on its own
- New chain fitted: from £25 added to a service, from £35 booked on its own
- Chain and cassette replaced: from £45 added to a service, from £55 booked on its own
Each figure is a starting price covering the part and fitting it, confirmed before anything is fitted. Work needing a bearing service or a hydraulic bleed is quoted separately. No call-out fee within 6 miles of Oxford.
Who runs it
Kerbside Oxford is one mechanic: George Tomkinson, a second year Business and Finance student at Oxford Brookes University, Velotech Silver qualified. A handful of bikes a week are taken on around lectures, which is why a service is £40 rather than what a shop with premises and a wage bill has to charge, and why every bike is worked on by the same person.
E-bikes, £55
I work on the mechanical side of e-bikes — drivetrain, brakes, wheels. I don’t touch motors, batteries or electronics. E-bikes are heavier and take longer to work on, which is what the price reflects.
What is not taken on
Broken or loose spokes, or a buckled wheel; Wheel building or rebuilding; Hydraulic brakes need bleeding; Bearing press work — headset or bottom bracket; E-bike motor, battery or electrical fault. Each needs a truing stand, a bearing press or a bleed kit that does not travel, or electrics that are a dealer's job. The booking form lists them so a customer finds out before booking rather than on the day.
Bookings need at least 3 days' notice, so the right parts are in the car before setting off.
Two bikes, one visit, £60
Two bikes serviced on the same visit cost £60 rather than £80, saving £20, because the journey and the setup are already paid for by the first. Both get the full service and their own written condition report. Allow about two hours.
Areas covered
Oxford, City and villages: Central Oxford, Jericho, Summertown, Headington, Cowley, Iffley, Marston, Botley, Osney, Grandpont, East Oxford, Wolvercote, Kidlington, Cumnor, Wheatley, Yarnton, Rose Hill, Blackbird Leys, Eynsham, and anywhere within about 6 miles.
Frequently asked questions
How much is a bike service in Oxford?
The basic service is £40 and takes about an hour at your address. That covers a full M-check, the gears indexed, the brakes adjusted, every fastener torqued to the manufacturer specification, tyre pressures set, and a written condition report. If the bike needs a part, you can tick it on when you book and I will bring it: a puncture from £8, new grips or bar tape from £12, brake pads from £15, gear or brake cables from £18, a new tyre from £20, a new chain from £25, or a chain and cassette together from £45. Those are starting prices covering the part and fitting it, because the same job differs considerably between a basic commuter and a hydraulic-braked road bike. You are given the real figure before anything is fitted. There is no call-out fee anywhere in Oxford or within about six miles of the city.
Do you come to me?
Always. Every job is done wherever the bike already is: your home, your office, outside your college. Nothing needs dropping off anywhere. Both service levels and every single job are carried out at your address, and there is no call-out fee within about six miles of wherever I am based. All I need is somewhere to stand alongside the bike.
What areas do you cover?
Oxford and the area around it. Central Oxford, Jericho, Summertown, Headington, Cowley, Iffley, Marston, Botley, Osney, Grandpont, East Oxford and Wolvercote, plus Kidlington, Cumnor, Wheatley, Yarnton, Rose Hill, Blackbird Leys and Eynsham. There is no call-out fee within about six miles of the city. If you are just outside that, ask anyway. I will tell you honestly whether it is worth my while, rather than quietly adding it to the price.
Is there anything you will not do?
Yes, and it is worth knowing before you book. Anything needing a truing stand or a press stays with a shop: broken or loose spokes, buckled wheels, wheel building, and bearing press work on headsets and bottom brackets. Hydraulic brake bleeds need a bleed kit I do not carry on a mobile round. E-bike motors, batteries and electrics are a dealer’s job. The booking form lists all of these so you can tick them and find out there and then rather than on the day. Ticking one does not stop you booking — if the rest of the list is work I can do, I will still come and do it.
Do you fix hydraulic disc brakes?
Partly. Pad replacement, rotor truing and caliper alignment are all part of what I do at your address, and pads can be ticked on when you book. Bleeding a hydraulic system is not something I carry the kit for on a mobile round, so if the levers are spongy and the brake genuinely needs bleeding I will tell you that, show you why, and point you to someone who can do it rather than charge you for a job I cannot finish.
What is the written condition report?
Every job, at both service levels, ends with a written condition report, and it covers two things. First, what was done: everything inspected, everything adjusted, and any parts replaced. Second, and more useful to you, what the bike needs next: measured wear on the chain, cassette and brake pads, any bearing or cable approaching the end of its service life, roughly how much riding you have left before each becomes a problem, and what it will cost to put right. You are never left guessing what condition the bike is in or what is coming. It also builds into a service history you can hand on if you ever sell it.
Do you service e-bikes?
Yes, for £55 rather than £40. E-bikes are heavier, their drivetrains wear faster and everything takes longer to get at, so the price reflects the time it actually takes. All the mechanical work is covered: brakes, gears, wheels, bearings and drivetrain. I work on the mechanical side of e-bikes — I do not touch motors, batteries or electronics. If the fault turns out to be electrical I will identify it as such and point you at a dealer rather than guess at it. E-bikes wear chains and cassettes fast, so the condition report on one is worth reading closely.
How long does a bike service take?
About an hour at your address for the service itself. Each part you add takes another fifteen minutes or so, so a service with a new chain and a puncture sorted is closer to an hour and a half. You do not need to be with me the whole time. I only need you at the start and the end. I book by the day rather than to a fixed appointment, and agree a time with you once the booking is in, so you are not waiting in for a two-hour window.
Are you qualified?
Yes. I am Velotech Silver qualified, the recognised UK standard for cycle mechanics, covering hydraulic brakes, bearing service, wheel truing and drivetrain work, and I carry public liability insurance. Ask and I will happily show you either certificate.
Who actually does the work?
One person: me. I am a second-year Business and Finance student at Oxford Brookes, Velotech Silver qualified, and every bike is worked on by me at your address — there is no rota of casual staff and nobody else touches your bike. Being a student is the reason this works the way it does. I take on a handful of bikes a week around lectures rather than filling a diary, which is why a service is £40 rather than the £60 to £80 a shop has to charge to cover a unit and a wage bill, and why you get an hour of undivided attention and a written report instead of a bike left on a rack for four days. The qualification is the same one shop mechanics hold, and I will show you the certificate.
How do I pay?
In person on completion, by card or bank transfer. The booking form does not request card details and no payment is taken in advance. If the bike turns out to need something beyond what you booked, you approve the figure before I fit it, so you will never be handed a bill you have not already agreed to.
Can you do two bikes in one visit?
Yes, and it is cheaper that way: two bikes serviced on the same visit is £60 rather than £80, because the journey and the setup are already paid for by the first one. Both get the same full service — the M-check, the gears indexed, the brakes adjusted, every fastener torqued to specification, tyre pressures set — and each gets its own written condition report. Allow about two hours rather than one. Pick two bikes when you book and tell me what the second one is, so I turn up with the right parts for both. Anything either bike needs fitting is priced per bike and confirmed with you before it goes on. Three or more, message me and I will sort something out.
Can I book a repair without a full service?
Yes, for anything from £15 upwards: brake pads, gear or brake cables, a new tyre, a new chain, or a chain and cassette together. Pick "just a repair" when you book and no service is added. A repair on its own costs £10 more than the same job added to a service, because it is a visit of its own rather than fifteen minutes while I am already with the bike, so pads are from £25 on their own and a new chain from £35. Punctures and bar tape are the exceptions and are only fitted alongside a service, because crossing Oxford for an £8 inner tube does not pay for the journey. Every figure is a starting price: what the part itself costs depends on the bike, and you are given the real number before anything is fitted.
What happens if my bike needs parts?
You are told before anything is fitted, and given the cost. I carry common consumables such as cables, pads, tubes and chains, so most jobs are finished in one visit. Where a part has to be ordered, wear is measured first, the figure is sent to you, and nothing is ordered until you have approved it. Nothing is replaced while it still has measurable service life remaining.
Do I need to book in advance?
Yes, at least three days. The booking page will not offer anything sooner, because the parts your bike needs have to be in the car before I set off, and a same-day booking means turning up without them. This is also deliberately low volume, a handful of bikes each week, so slots are limited and the page shows only genuine availability. If something is urgent, message me on WhatsApp rather than booking — I will tell you honestly whether I can help.
Can you fix a puncture at my house?
Yes. Punctures are carried out at your address from £12, typically in about fifteen minutes. If the tyre casing is worn through or the rim tape has failed, I will show you the cause and advise what it needs, rather than returning the bike to service on a repair that will not hold.
Contact
Message on WhatsApp, or phone 07483 860099. Booking is online at https://kerbsideoxford.co.uk. Postal and email details are on the terms page.
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