Lock 7 is ace. It must have been one of the first cycle cafes in London and since they took it a little further that way it's got even better.
There's now more space for repairs and an array of seating that's worth making use of as you chow down on almond croissants and coffee. It's almost worth getting a puncture!
When you look around and see the cycling revolution well under way in London it is impressive to think that somewhere along the line Lock 7 was a part of starting it. The self proclaimed ‘first bike café in London’, Lock 7 started as a venture to encourage cycling by opening it up and taking it out of moody shops and from the hands of bike snobs. It succeeded. Located on the approach to Hackney’s Broadway Market, the café and workshop has a picturesque spot overlooking the canal with big windows that let the world in.
It has changed a lot over the years with café space, workshop space and product all vying for bigger quotas but today the space strikes a balance between the whole lot. Great coffee, good pastries and a new menu – think sandwiches, salads, quiche etc – in the works. You don’t have to have a bike in need of fixing to visit. The aim of making an accessible place for novices to bring their bikes has been achieved. Lock 7’s staff are welcoming and happy to engage in bike talk but just remember; labour, tools and expert knowledge are one half of the café’s product and they don’t come for free. Help is always at hand here but there are limits. Labour costs are relatively cheap. The café sells a simple collection of helmets, tyres, chains, tubes, locks and spares. And turnaround times are pretty quick for simple bike jobs.
Bike cafes are a relatively new addition to London but to say that they have contributed to the success and popularity of cycling in the city wouldn’t be too much. And Lock 7 was there at the start.