Community Bike Shops - Part 2

Over the last few years, I have had the opportunity to visit a handful of community bike shops around the United States. This is the second of five posts to show the shops I've seen first-hand, even if I stopped by when they were closed.

Community bike shops (also called community bike projects or co-ops) tend to be non-profit organizations with brick-and-mortar locations that serve the specific bicycling needs of a community. Some have large budgets and paid staff, others are completely volunteer-run. Most shops have a mission statement, which is the best way to learn about what they do and how they operate.

The general model:

• Reduce the barriers of entry to cycling by taking donated bicycles and parts to be salvaged, rebuilt, and sold at very affordable prices;
• Empower people with knowledge of how to repair and maintain their own bikes with either classes or DIY shop space and tool libraries;
• Host events; either for fun, education, or fund-raising; and
• (From my experience) they also function as safe spaces for people to learn and hang-out.

The shops I've been to are geographically distant from one another, but the similarities are evident. I highly recommend seeking out a co-op bike shop in your neighborhood or the next time you are traveling. Supporting them with a purchase or donation is a great way to share the love of bikes with others.

Photo by Ogden Bike Collective

Ogden Bike Collective

Ogden, Utah

Mission Statement from their website: 

"The mission of the Bicycle Collective is to promote cycling as an effective and sustainable form of transportation, recreation, and as a cornerstone of a cleaner, healthier, and safer society. The Collective provides refurbished bicycles and educational programs to the community, focusing on children and lower income households."

During a road trip in July 2018, we stopped in Ogden to visit our friend Terry who had moved there from Tacoma a year earlier. Terry worked in the bike industry for many years and jumped in as a volunteer at the Ogden Bike Collective shortly after arriving there. He was even working in the shop the afternoon we rolled into town.

To my surprise, the Ogden Bike Collective occupies its own large building. Owning your own building is the Holy Grail for co-ops. As a former dry-cleaning site, it was obtained in a deal with the City of Ogden after being repossessed. More recently it's needed a new roof and foundation work, but these considerable investments are worth it to maintain this spacious location.

The collective needs the cavernous space to maintain the volume and scale of the Ogden operations. Terry tells me that they currently have around 400 volunteers on their roster who donate anywhere from 1 hour to 500 hours of time annually. Those volunteers are sorting parts, stripping and rebuilding used bikes for sale, and teaching youth volunteers through an Earn-A-Bike program.

They also refurbish bikes for charitable redistribution to the community. They gave away 150 bikes to kids just before the holidays in December 2019 and another 100 kids bikes during the year at smaller events. They also work with other goodwill programs to provide bikes for people in transitional housing situations. Terry says that if they had the means they could easily double the number of bikes they give away as there is always a high need in the community.

Besides selling refurbished bikes and parts, the second most important thing they offer is tools and guidance. "People roll in bikes that are broken and then ride them out fixed," says Terry. "Most are lower income." For folks on a limited budget, it is empowering to give them the skills and space to maintain their bikes, especially if biking is their primary mode of transportation. 

Ogden is just one of four locations of the Bicycle Collective in Utah, but Terry says each shop is unique. Based on volunteer interests and abilities, they have different fundraising events and different shop rides specific to the needs of each community. In Ogden they run a Bike Valet service at city events, taking donations for monitored bike parking at twilight concerts and festivals. They also host an annual Bike Prom. I like that they also have a few freak bikes on-hand and my kids jumped right in to try them out. (That trike above has a seat for a stem and no handlebars!)

Ogden Bike Collective is doing amazing things for their community. Thanks for the tour, Terry! Stay tuned for the next installment as we check out more community bike projects.