Last night I mentioned that I would talk about the mysterious warehouse that I visited yesterday. I almost mentioned that the mysterious warehouse houses Bend's Community Bike Shed. Many may not be aware of the presence of Bend's Community Bike Shed (BCB) in Central Oregon, because you don't live in Bend or because you just haven't run across it. Let me tell you about it. The Bike Shed is a non-profit that is committed to bringing the community together through cycling.
Garrett McAllister was hired at BCB this summer as their Services Coordinator through the Americorps program. I don't know much about how any of that works, but what I do know is that what those guys are doing over there is incredible. The room that they call their shop was small and the lighting was questionable, but at four unmatching bikestands worked four bike techs who weren't expecting to be paid for their services. They were just wrenching on donated bikes to get them running for an influx of homeless folks. These homeless folks will come in with vouchers from the gov'ment and hand them over for their new-to-them bikes. Nobody gets paid. It's just people helping people. I want to be like that.
If you or someone you know is able to help in anyway, from mechanic work to bike donations, to supplies (tubes, lubricants grease, degreasers, etc.), please contact Garrett at BCB. Click on the link above for details. If you have any problems getting a hold of them, let me know and I can get you in touch with the right people.
Today, I took a short ride with my wife, Kalea. The temperature was in the twenties and refreshing. Sometimes it's nice to just get out and spin without any place to be. There are a hundred routes you can take home. Try a different one today, maybe you'll run into the guys at Bend's Community Bikeshed. Maybe you'll make some new friends.
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