08 January 2008

Community Cycles in Boulder County Business Report

Community Cycles' program lets inmates fix, keep bikes
By Beth Edwards

January 4, 2008 --

BOULDER - For inmates in the work release program at the Boulder County Sheriff's Department, finding a reliable means of transportation to go to and from work has been a challenge.

Last year that problem was made easier by Community Cycles - a Boulder-based nonprofit. Through its Earn-A-Bike program inmates can repair bikes and then use them to go from jail to their new place of employment.

Bill Kolbe, coordinator for the work release assistance program at the sheriff's department, said the program has had a significant impact on inmates.

"What's really rewarding is when an inmate who has been struggling his whole life and hasn't really had anything will say, 'I have a really nice mountain bike now,'" Kolbe said. "I know it's keeping more people on their jobs because they have a means of transportation."

Community Cycles was started in April 2006 by Rich Points, the nonprofit's director. He and Gary Gingras, the assistant director, operate a small bicycle shop out of an industrial work space at 2805 Wilderness Place in Boulder.

Their mission is to educate and advocate safe use of refurbished bicycles as affordable transportation.

"When I moved to Boulder I became car-free and started biking everywhere," Points said. "I found the bike was a great solution to the things I was concerned about - corporate power, pollution, oil wars. I came to Boulder to go to Naropa in the environmental leadership program."

When Points and his girlfriend, Wanda Pelegrina, began thinking about starting a nonprofit bike collective they met with Colleen Speno of Boulder-based Spokes for Folks Bicycle Co-op, and Anthony Hannagan, who started the nonprofit bicycle business Townie Bicycles in 2004. They helped the couple file for 501c(3) status and find a small studio space to begin Community Cycles.

"I don't think they expected it to take off the way it did," Kolbe said. "That small workshop has become a real gathering place for bike enthusiasts."

Community Cycles receives bikes from individuals, the Boulder Police Department and the University of Colorado at Boulder, which gives the nonprofit abandoned bikes.

The nonprofit operates on donations. Its operating budget in 2007 was $75,000. A person can become a member by donating as little as $10.

Though its programs continue to grow the facility hasn't. The shop can only hold six people, and lack of space is one of the key problems Community Cycles is facing. It is currently conducting a membership drive to raise $30,000 by March 1, 2008 to move into a bigger facility.

One of the many programs it supports is in conjunction with Boulder-based Family Learning Center, a nonprofit that helps kids after school. Points and Gingras go into low-income areas like the San Juan Del Centro neighborhood in Boulder to teach children fundamental bike mechanics and basic riding skills.

"One of the main things we teach is how to fix a flat," Points said. "From what we've seen that seems to be the leading cause for not riding a bike. We often go into those neighborhoods just to pump up tires."

Children can obtain a free bike through the Community Cycle's Earn-A-Bike program by working in the shop for 15 hours.

Community Cycles is also working with the Boulder Valley School District by giving tunups and installing bells and cargo racks on bikes at Casey Middle School in Boulder. They are also working with Pioneer Elementary school in Lafayette and Flatirons Elementary in Boulder on a bike-swap program so children who have outgrown their bikes can swap their bikes for bigger ones.

In 2008 the city of Boulder contracted Community Cycles to be the event producer for Walk & Bike Month, which includes Bike To Work Day. This marks the first time in 30 years the city has contracted the event out to someone else.

Community Cycles is also trying to break the barriers for bike commuting in other countries. In December 2006 the nonprofit shipped 450 bikes to Ghana, Africa. This was done in combination with a group in Iowa called the Village Bicycle Project. There are 110 group bike collectives like Community Cycles in the U.S., which help to facilitate bike use around the world.

"We've worked with a lot of nonprofits," Points said. "That's a unique thing about us. The core group has a lot of nonprofit experience. It's easy to get behind our cause because we're not political or religious or too controversial. We have a broad appeal."