Community Bike Shops - Part 3

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 third 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.

Vélocity Bicycle Cooperative

Alexandria, Virginia

From their website: Vélocity strives to "grow and empower a more inclusive biking community through affordability, education, and embracing the fun of riding."

 

I stumbled upon the non-profit Vélocity Bike Co-op while visiting my mom in Alexandria in March 2018. We were out for ice cream in the upscale Del Ray neighborhood (Tacomans would equate this area to their Proctor neighborhood.) Rents are higher here and it seemed an unlikely place to find a non-profit bike shop. Even though the shop was closed, a set of night owl volunteers let us in to have a peek.

It's a relatively small space, covered with everything bike-related from floor-to-ceiling and wall-to-wall. Bikes for sale would normally be outside on the sidewalk during business hours, but they were inside for the evening and it was a tight fit to maneuver our family inside. With spring just around the corner, the volunteers were working hard to add more used-bikes to their inventory.

My mom hit it off with the volunteers, explaining our interest in their shop based on our own bike co-op in Tacoma, 2nd Cycle. You may recall that my mom enjoys riding bikes, too, and once I even shipped her a folding bike through the mail while she was stationed overseas.

 

We quickly learn that they warehouse their overstock at a separate location and focus on using this storefront for DIY repairs, parts and accessory sales, as well as some classes. Not wanting to overstay our welcome, we thank the volunteers for their time and efforts and leave a cash donation. They gave us a water bottle and an area bike map in return.

With the smell of old tires and grease still fresh on my mind, I make time the next day to tune-up Mom's Kettler city bike that she picked up while stationed in Germany. I was planning to take advantage of the Mount Vernon Trail, which partly runs along the Potomac River from Alexandria to Arlington and would connect me to Washington, D.C. Mom offers to babysit that evening and I set out after dinner for a 15-mile round-trip to the Lincoln Memorial.

Only a few miles into the ride, the bike starts gear-skipping. It had been fine earlier on a test ride. Isn't this always how these things happen? It's now dark and I can't seem to locate the exact problem. Deciding to press on, I find a gear that seems to minimize the skipping. No sooner had I reached the Lincoln Memorial and taken a photo, my phone died. Great. Good thing the volunteers at Vélocity hooked me up with a paper map! The trail is not well lit, but I feel better about finding my way back home with the map in-hand. Somewhere around the Ronald Reagan Airport, I pull over again under a bright lamppost along the trail to take another look at the skipping issue. It's driving me mad. With the bike flipped over I can now see a damaged link in the chain that's sticking. I soft pedal back to Mom's house, knowing exactly where I'll be heading the next day.

Back at Vélocity, we grab an open work stand and point out the damaged chain to a volunteer. The rest of the chain isn't worn out, so he points us to a bucket of old chains and suggests finding a similar one and harvest a link. This works great and is essentially a free repair. In the daylight, we spot a few Vélocity ball caps that we can't live without and make another donation to cover our shop time. It was great to fix the bike ourselves in the neighborhood, just like we would back home in Tacoma.

Stay tuned for the next installment as we check out more community bike projects.

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.

Community Bike Shops - Part 1

Over the last few years, I have had the opportunity to visit a handful of community bike shops around the United States. This is a series of posts to show the ones 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;
• Most shops host events; either for fun, education, or fund-raising; 
• From my experience, they also function as safe spaces for people to 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.

2nd Cycle Community Cycle Center 
Tacoma, WA

Mission Statement: "To demystify and normalize bike riding as a part of daily life, and realize the bicycle as tool for personal and community empowerment."

Here in Tacoma we are fortunate to have 2nd Cycle, a non-profit community bike shop that has been operating for about 10 years in the Hilltop neighborhood. The folks at 2nd Cycle have really opened my eyes to the added value a co-op shop brings to a community.

They have had to relocate three times over the years, mostly for reasons of growth. They had humble beginnings in a small room off an alley behind a Vietnamese restaurant, but they are currently in their largest space yet with retail, DIY shop space, and warehousing all happening under one roof. They have a large stock of used bikes and parts, as well as new parts and accessories. For a small fee, cyclists can gain access to the shop space, which includes repair stands, tools, reference books, and knowledgeable volunteers and staff who can help guide you through a repair or maintenance project. 

As a shop founded by folks in their late 20s, 2nd Cycle has always had a youthful, vibrant atmosphere. I've watched neighborhood kids grow up with the shop, kids who started just hanging-out there after school and on weekends. They are now trained volunteers who are taking on leadership roles to organize alley cat races and cycling teams, donating their time and energy to the shop. 2nd Cycle regularly offers youth programming including Summer Camps and an Earn-a-Bike program where kids learn the basics of bicycle mechanics and earn the bike they build. They also work with the Pierce County Juvenile Court to offer a diversion program to youth, giving them a chance to learn bike maintenance skills. 

Also, it can't go unsaid that in a male-dominated industry, it's refreshing and awesome to find two women, both certified bike mechanics, wrenching on bikes when you wander in. Shelbi and Emily host a twice-monthly WTF Night, inviting womxn, trans, femme, non-binary folx to come together and use the shop. This is just one example of the inclusivity found on a daily basis at 2nd Cycle.

The DIY empowerment philosophy of 2nd Cycle shines through in their artwork as well. Nearly every poster or t-shirt design has been created in-house by staff members. There is often an art+bike connection in co-op shops and 2nd Cycle is no exception.

There have been many official (and many more unofficial) events hosted by 2nd Cycle over the last decade. The nearly-annual Bike Jump fund-raising event features local legend Gaylen Turner riding his trusty bmx bike through a giant neon sign of his own creation. Other one-off events like the Worksman Criterium have given a breath of vitality to vacant lots in the area.

The shop has also played host to numerous Kidical Mass Tacoma rides. Following a ride through the Hilltop Neighborhood and some playtime at McCarver Park, 100 riders returned to the shop to watch local family rock band Pig Snout! play a massively loud show. Yes, the shop even doubles as a part-time venue for local musicians and fund-raising parties. It's a pretty rad place.

Stay tuned for the next installment as we check out more community bike projects!