Cycles of Repair

Bike mobility offers a sustainable, non-carbon transport mode, yet it is often limited by economic, technical, and cultural barriers to repair. This Master’s Thesis by Maximilian Carl Stahl in Eco-Social Design tackles these challenges through the co-development of a mobile repair workshop and imaginative event formats. Participatory design with Pedale Radicale (Bolzano), REX Bicis (Bressanone), and Ciclostile (Trento) informed tangible outcomes. Independent repair initiatives often operate outside mainstream economic systems. To support their continuity, the project explores diverse service models - from donation-based repair days to commissioned mobile events.

This thesis proposes a modular repair trailer as a vehicle to promote autonomous cycling, co-designed with grassroots communities and informed by ethnographic research through networking and volunteering.

• Future Bike Repair Event Visualization

Beyond the technical setup, the project proposes alternatives for the social space of repair through future bike repair event formats. The benefit of open events focused on material conservation is to make repair publicly visible as an act of empowerment and shared resilience.

“Fixing together means reimagining sustainability as a social experience.”

One connecting element is a pedal-powered repair trailer, co-designed and built from standardized 30×30 aluminum profiles, weather-proof plywood and customized Euro boxes: modular, repairable, adaptable, and easy to replicate. The bike trailer enables emission-free travel of the event equipment without relying on fossil fuels - basically replacing a pick-up truck.

• Bike Repair Event Setup Process

And how much time, work, and money are we collectively able to contribute to make circular mobility not just an idea, but a functioning, shared reality? As theoretical outcomes this thesis co-developed potential financial models, ranging from possible to speculative event & financing proposals.

• Cycles of Repair Instagram Profile