HMCS St. John’s bike shop raising funds for Navy Bike Ride

The fix is in: HMCS St. John’s bike shop raising funds for Navy Bike Ride

By Joanie Veitch,
Trident Staff

Grounded due to an ankle injury, S1 Christophe Guida, a boatswain, is putting his time to good use — fixing bikes and raising money for the charities supported by the Navy Bike Ride.

Attached with HMCS St. John’s while he can’t go to sea, S1 Guida is running a bike repair shop at HMC Dockyard, behind the ship’s shore office in building D-125, every Tuesday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Having worked at bike repair shops in his youth in Montreal, S1 Guida not only knows his way around bikes, he’s got all the gear to fix them — enabling him to offer everything from simple brake adjustments to full bike inspections and larger repair jobs.

Offering advice and maintenance tips as he goes, S1 Guida is efficient, doing a thorough inspection and getting right to work as the bikes come rolling in.

“I’ve always enjoyed biking and fixing bikes,” he said, joking that he had to get good at repair work as he “wrecked a lot of bikes” in his youth, and working at a bike repair shop helped offset the cost of new parts and repair work.

“Bikes can get expensive…the bike, the parts and the repairs…working at a bike shop helped with that,” he said.

After joining the Canadian Armed Forces in 2007, S1 Guida began riding less. Between time spent at sea and taking courses, the busy Navy schedule meant it was harder to find time.

But after being sidelined while he waited for surgery following his ankle injury, when pandemic restrictions hit last year, S1 Guida returned to biking and — once again — got back into doing maintenance and repairs on his bike in a large warehouse area at the back of the St. John’s shore office.

“With the Navy Bike Ride, my boss suggested doing bike repairs would be a good way for St. John’s to do a fundraiser for the event. So that’s what I did,” said S1 Guida.

Taking bikes in by appointment, S1 Guida is offering services including: small bike tune-ups and repair for $10 – including full inspection, adjustment of brakes, drivetrain and headset, along with frame clean-up — and large tune-ups and repair work for $20 – including all the same services but with additional full frame and drivetrain cleaning, along with installation of any new parts.

Bike repair lessons are also available for $15. To book an appointment, either email S1 Guida at christophe.guida@ecn.forces.gc.ca or text at 514-952-6766.

This year’s Navy Bike Ride — the virtual Harry DeWolf Challenge — runs from June 12th to August 29th. Funds raised by participants support the Royal Canadian Naval Benevolent Fund and Support our Troops, both organizations dedicated to the wellbeing of past and present military members. For more information about the 2021 Virtual Harry DeWolf Challenge, or to register, visit: http://Navybikeride.ca