Prior to the Pandemic - Workshops in bike maintenance and repair were offered periodically during the year, both for school groups and adults. Students from local schools and youth clubs have spent many hours in the shop, learning everything from flat fixing to the full overhaul!
But you didn’t need to come with a group in order to gain the skills. Each week there were Open Shop sessions, where you bring in your own bike to work on, with or without assistance. Repairs and tuneups are also offered at reasonable rates, and volunteer hours may be applied to offset the cost. While we have not yet resumed classes due to COVID, we still welcome volunteers - no more than 2 at a time inside. Social distancing is still in effect.
This is the BF Community Bike Project, a non-profit bike shop, founded by Bonnie Anderson in 2013.
We opened in September 2013 at 24 Canal St., and in July of 2016 we moved to our current location, on the corner of Henry & Atkinson Streets - right in the heart of the community!
We are working to get more people on bikes every year, while also keeping usable bikes out of the waste stream.
We welcome donations, and donated bikes, which are cleaned up, restored and then sold at reasonable cost. Hundreds of refurbished affordable bikes have been put back on the streets - some of them are “earned”.
Once you step inside, you’re in for a treat! Over 300 bicycles live here - most were donated, some have owners and all are either waiting to be repaired or ready to ride. Shelves full of bike parts, lots of wheels and a wall of tools surround the work area, where we tinker away, giving new life to the old bicycles.