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The Woodstock Man Cave Motorbike Club and Workshop in Cape Town
A new social space and sanctuary for the motorcycle mad
According to avid local bike buffs Simon Rice and Devin Paisley, all motorcyclists have a primal need for a man cave: a sanctuary entirely devoted to them and their instinctual passion for the hog. And so, with this in mind, the two entrepreneurs, who met at a motorbike track in February 2014, have established exactly this: a zone for the two-wheeled zealot.
“We wanted to create an environment where people like ourselves can talk bikes, work on bikes and escape to in winter to relax and have fun,” explains Simon, who’s mind is constantly on the open road despite his conventional day job in the retail sector.
The warehouse-style venue, which opened down a little alley in Woodstock at the end of June 2014, has both a social and practical element. While it’s very much about building a community of custom bike lovers, it also aims to give all those outriders who live in tiny, cramped Cape Town apartments a secure space to both store their machines and to strip them down and build them up if so desired.
Motorcyclists can park their choppers at the Man Cave for lengthy periods of time and have peace of mind that they’re safe from wandering hands thanks to heavy roller doors and CCTV surveillance. And if bike owners don’t want to just stash their trusty steed but want to tinker with it too, there are two long-term work bays for those looking to get stuck into big custom projects and two other fix-up zones that can be rented on a daily basis. Basic tool sets are provided, and Simon and Devin are happy to suggest reliable suppliers for certain parts and services.
And the best part about bike building or tweaking at the Man Cave is that you’re scraping, welding and sandblasting alongside other like-minded blokes who’re generally all too willing to offer helpful advice, connect you with another chop-smith chum or just keep you company while you’re stripping motors and polishing chrome.
This is because a sense of ‘family’ is central to operations at the Woodstock social club, and to further foster connections, the venue also boasts an upstairs lounge area with a bar where members can, as Simon says, “sit, chill out and talk shit”. Plus, once a month, the Man Cave facilitates a Sunday outride that gets the whole gang together and tearing up the tarmac down Cape Town’s back roads.
And on Saturdays, the workshop-cum-clubhouse welcomes members of the general public, hog enthusiast or not, into the clan too. From 9am to 3pm, the macho haunt serves up fresh croissants and mean cups of Deluxe Coffeeworks java (it’s dished out in enamel camping mugs with bike brands stamped on their sides) and encourages anyone to pop in, survey the space and join in on the conversation about all things motorcycle.
For most of the week though, it’s a den just for riders where they can do what they want to do and be who they want to be, even if that takes on slight Neanderthal tones. So, if like Simon and Devin, you have a primal connection to your prized possession, this may be a ‘cave’ you’re keen to call home.
Tip: If you sign up for a membership at The Woodstock Man Cave, you’ll have automatic access to the monthly DIY classes that the venue owners plan to run. These tutorials will cover all aspects of custom motorbike building, from powder-coating to stripping and sandblasting.
The Bill: Membership fees at The Woodstock Man Cave are R150 per month or R1500 per year, and affiliates get access to the upstairs lounge, all functions and the DIY classes and preference on storage space and work bays. Long-term storage with limited access to your motorcycle costs R600 per month (bikes must be stored for at least three months), whereas short-term bay rental costs R800 per month (to access your vehicle between 8am and 6pm) or R1000 per month (to have 24-hour access to your bike). On the other hand, making use of the long-term work bays will set you back R4000 per month and using the communal work zone costs R500 per day or R150 per hour. Coffee is priced at an affordable R15.
Opening Hours: Saturday: 9am – 3pm (those working on their bikes at the Man Cave can have access to the venue whenever they need it)
7 Barron Street | Woodstock | Cape Town | +27 (0)84 683 5361
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