What does Community Cycles do?
The three parts of our organization are education, advocacy, and running a DIY/ Retail shop. We teach cyclists and potential cyclists how to work on their bikes and we host workshops on topics from winter commuting to long distance touring to disc brake adjustment. We advocate for safer biking conditions in and around Boulder and beyond. And we maintain a shop that hosts a member workspace as well as selling all sorts of used bikes, parts, and related accessories. We are a non-profit 501 c3 that offers great volunteer opportunities such as an annual Kids Holiday Bike Giveaway and gives away hundreds of bikes to those in need each year.
What is the Earn a Bike (EAB) program?
Our EAB program is a way to provide a bike to someone who cannot afford to purchase one. To qualify for this program you must make less than $22,500 a year and you cannot currently own a bike.
It costs $20 to register for the program, and you must attend two workshops (Fix-a-flat and Maintenance 101) as well as completing an online or in person shop orientation. You must also complete 2 three hour shifts of service work for us here at the shop, after which time you will be given a $225 credit towards a bike in the shop, as well as a new helmet and a new bike lock PLUS you will receive a year long membership (see below) to continue practice working on your bike.
This program can easily be completed in less than a month, has given away over 1,000 bikes to date. For all the program specifics and to register, check out the link here.
What does membership mean?
We sell memberships for $50 for an individual and $70 for a household (up to 3 adults at the same mailing address). These memberships are good for one year from the day of purchase, and gives you access to the stands and the tools in the shop as well as advice from the mechanic on duty and access to our computer and library resources. Members also get a 10% discount on all new retail goods and refurbished bikes sold in the shop, and access to our wholesalers for parts we do not have on hand. As well as discounted workshops
In addition to these bike centered benefits, membership means that your name is added to the list of those in our area who want to advocate for safer bike infrastructure and regulations. When our advocacy committee members attend local civic meetings they speak on behalf of our membership, currently about 2,500 active members!
Why aren’t there prices on many of the parts here?
Since bike components come in many different levels (XTR, Tiagra, X0, Record, Cyclone, etc.) that all have different value, there is not a set price for a given component. We also price used parts based on their condition, abundance, usefulness to us, and any number of other factors. If you are interested in seeing a ballpark minimum price for any given component, we have a guideline posted on the garage door adjacent to the parts wall. The person ringing you at the register will price the parts you have found.
Why don’t you buy or offer trade-in credit for parts or bikes?
Since we deal almost exclusively in used materials, we don’t want to ever end up with stolen bikes or components. By never offering money or credit for the items donated here, we can prevent anyone from stealing things and bringing them here for credit or cash. We will, of course, give you a tax receipt for your donation if you would like. And if you find a bike or part to buy here, you can know it was donated and not stolen!
What volunteer opportunities do you offer?
We have opportunities for volunteers to help out wrenching in the shop, even if you don’t have experience working on bikes. We start new volunteers out on very basic tasks and can teach you everything you need to know to become a better mechanic. We also can use help greeting folks who come into our shop and helping our customers navigate our space and find the items and help they need.
We also need help with organizing and carrying out the advocacy and fundraising events we run. If you have a particular skill set from plumbing to graphic design or anything else you think we might be able to make use of, please let us know and we can connect you with the right person in our organization to make use of those skills.
You can sign up to become a volunteer here, and there is a list of volunteer benefits further down on the same page.
How do I donate a bike(s)? Do you pick up?
We accept bikes in any condition as well as any other bike related hard and soft goods. Simply bring your donations into the shop any time we are open. We will pick up bikes for a $10/bike fee if you are unable to bring them in yourself. You can sign up for that service here. If you have a van load of bikes (10 or more), call us at the shop to make arrangements.
What happens to the bikes and parts I donate?
When bikes come into the shop, we assess them for quality and condition. If the bike is of a high enough quality we will refurbish it to use for our programs or sell it. If the bike frame is compromised or if the bike does not meet our quality standards, we will strip off the components that we can make use of and recycle the rest. In this way we can make some use of all the donations and keep them out of the landfill. Occasionally we will also take donated bikes and sell them “as is” to someone who wants to take on the project of refurbishing them, especially older classic bikes.
The funds we raise through the sale of our bikes and parts go towards keeping the shop open and running, paying our employees, giving away free bikes to those in need, operating our program for people with disabilities, funding our other programs, and supporting our advocacy efforts.
What workshops are offered?
We offer a wide range of workshops such as winter bike commuting, long distance bike touring, wheel building, and fix-a-flat. If you have never worked on your bike before, the Maintenance 101 class is a great place to start. For a comprehensive learning experience, the 6 week Complete Mechanic Series (a Park Tools School) a great way to learn about all systems on a bike and how to maintain them. For a complete list of upcoming classes, check out the link here. For more information including signup, see the link here.
