Hello, Friends of Community Cycles –
As we bid farewell to 2023, we find ourselves reflecting on the journey we’ve undertaken and what we’ve achieved. It is a testament to our collective dedication, resilience, and the unwavering support of our community. Take a look at some of our 2023 achievements:
2023 was a big year for e-bikes with the help of several grants. With the Colorado Energy Office, we gave 60 e-bikes to low-income commuters and also received two cargo e-bikes that our Members can borrow. In addition, we assisted the City of Boulder with issuing e-bike vouchers for the first time. We offered e-bike maintenance classes, and we encouraged in-commuting into Boulder by e-bike with a grant from the CDOT.
We coordinated Winter Bike to Work Day festivities all around Boulder. This included our breakfast Super Station, and June’s Walk and Bike Month events had the best attended since 2019.
Bike sales were stagnant in 2023 throughout the entire bike industry, with the exception of e-bikes. We are taking a critical look at our operations to make sure we are working effectively and efficiently. Unlike a for-profit bike shop, Community Cycles’ first mission is to serve the public and get more people on bikes. This sometimes means staff may spend an hour helping someone find the right $2 part so they can get back on their bike. That is why Community Cycles is here. It’s one of the ways we are priceless to the community. Bike sales may continue to stay flat. We’ll find a way to make that work and not allow it to impact our service.
Community Cycles continues to be a force for change, making bicycling safer and more accessible.
We Advocate for Safer Commuting Infrastructure:
The Community Cycles Advocacy Committee continued to work on local issues that are important for your safety. These improve commuting infrastructure for all pedestrians and cyclists.
- Advocating for safer road designs: We have long opposed a redesigned intersection proposed at Broadway and Grandview. Our tireless advocacy resulted in CU and the City having Toole Design, an engineering firm with expertise in bike/ped safety, to review this intersection and suggest the safest design. CU promised to incorporate many of the recommendations and Community Cycles will following up on those promises.
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We co-hosted three City Council / Mayoral candidate forums during an important election season. Our goal was to learn where Boulder City Mayor and City Council candidates stand on the issues that matter to bicyclists. Candidates were asked about issues in safety, theft, enforcement, and access.
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We hosted a three-part Speaker Series to engage audiences on cycling topics. Highlights included:
Andy Pruitt on innovations in bike fitting | Lennard Zinn on designing and building bike frames for all sizes | Will Toor, Elise Jones, Kiran Herbert made up a panel discussion on the future of sustainable transportation in Colorado.
You can read about these and more advocacy ‘wins’ on our Advocacy blog.
We Offer Access to Bicycles:
The need for our programs remains as important as ever. Providing bicycles to those who need them can make a profound difference – immediate transportation needs, promoting healthier lifestyles, reducing environmental impact, and building a more equitable future for everyone. Here are some of the ways we put more bikes into Boulder and Boulder County communities:
- We partnered with Boulder County to give 32 regular bikes to residents of low-income housing.
- With a grant from the Colorado Energy Office, we gave 60 e-bikes to low-income commuters at Boulder Community Health, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder Valley School District and employees who work in Downtown Boulder.
- We were instrumental in advocating for the City to offer e-bike vouchers. We assisted to design and implement the program which gave 355 vouchers. We also worked with local bike shops to ensure their needs were met.
- We served over 6k customers in our non-profit Bike Shop, including selling almost 1400 upcycled bikes. By providing quality used bikes for the Boulder community, our Bike Shop helps fund our mission of giving more people access to bicycles.
- For those interested in trying out an e-cargo bike, we purchased two for loaning out to our members in 2024. Thanks to another grant from the Colorado Energy Office for this opportunity to engage Boulder in the joys of using a bicycle for transportation and errands.
Learn more about what our Bike Shop has to offer.
We Offer Bicycle Education:
We have been able to expand our offerings in bicycle education:
- 1200 hours of workshops were attended, from Maintenance 101 to the comprehensive 6-session Complete Mechanics Series.
- Our DIY Shop was in use for almost 2,000 hours this year, where cyclists worked on their own bikes with the assistance of professional bike mechanics.
- Community Cycles participated with Downtown Boulder for a “Bike Fun Zone” in October. We helped people explore ideas and ways to make Boulder a safer, more equitable place for all of us to ride and walk. There were all-ages bike games, a skills course, a bike safety check station, hands-on learning activities, and a Parklet.
Check out what’s coming up on our Calendar.
We Work to Fight Climate Change:
As a nonprofit, we strive to create a closed loop business model. That includes business practices at our shop along with creating a community that comes to us to recycle and upcycle “all things bike.”
- We upcycled or recycled 4000 bikes through the CC bike shop, keeping them out of the landfill and bringing them back to active use in our community.
- In 2023 we more than doubled the usual number of bike drives in various locations throughout Boulder County. We collected over 300 bikes from community members, most of which will be refurbished and will go back into the community. These bike donation drives were made possible by grant from Boulder County: “Growing the Circular Economy: Increasing Bicycle Recycling”.
- With a grant from the Colorado Department of Transportation, our Ride By EBike campaign launched as the first widespread outreach and marketing program in the Denver region devoted to promoting the multiple benefits of commuting by EBike, particularly longer-distances. It was the first call-to action campaign to impact behavioral change on primary commuting vehicle considerations, presenting the EBike as the most feasible – and desirable – alternative. This program continues throughout 2024.
Keep up on sustainability efforts by signing up for our e-newsletter.
Heading into 2024: What to Expect and How You Can Help
We are pleased with the continued success of our programs in Advocacy, Access, Education and Sustainability. We are grateful for your support of Community Cycles with monetary and bicycle donations and attendance at events like Walk and Bike Month.
Our goals for 2024 remain ambitious as we strive to create solutions that enhance the quality of life for all residents: physically, emotionally, and economically.
We anticipate an impactful year in Boulder around two improvements in particular:
- Providing affordable options to own or borrow an e-bike, along with promoting its use for commuting & errands.
- Making cycling safer on 30th St, Iris, and with trail connectors like Boulder -> Erie.
We appreciate your continued support and ask that you please consider becoming a Member. Your Membership shows that you support our work in advocacy, education, access and sustainability, along with helping to fund our programs around those ambitions.
Thanks for choosing to support our organization and becoming a part of commuting and climate solutions.
Sue Prant, Executive Director