Home
News Grid
Local News
- Briefs
- Obituaries
Green Hawk
Politics
School Zone
Youth Camps
- Kids Speaking Up
Nonprofits
Missing Pets
Multimedia
- Photo of the Day
- Pictures in the News
Arts
Movies
- Times
- Reviews
Outdoors
Sports
- Paul Yarbrough
News Releases
Columnists
- Leslie Dinaberg & Zak Klobucher
- Capt. David Bacon
- Paul Burri
- Bill Cirone
- Russell Collins
- Hal Conklin & Denny Wayman
- Mark Cornwall
- Karen Dwyer
- Jeff Harding
- Joan Mayer
- Hospice of Santa Barbara
- Karen Telleen-Lawton
- Ken Williams
- Carrie Wilson
Blogs
- Hawks Nest
- Craig Smith
- calbuzz
- The Daily Capitalist
- Miller-McCune News
- City 2.0
- Cliff Redding
Opinions
- Lou Cannon
- Michael Barone
- Debbie Brasket
- Susan Estrich
- Jim Hightower
- Tam Hunt
- Larry Kudlow
- Michelle Malkin
- Robert Scheer
- Harris Sherline
- Mark Shields
Classifieds
Advertise
Donate
Partners
- Presidio Sports
- Santa Barbara Surfer
- SBParent.com
- Partners in Education
- United Way of Santa Barbara County

Bici Centro On a Roll as Bike-Repair Workshops Gain Traction

The Montecito Street nonprofit group is gearing up to expand its programs, in which volunteers help others maintain their bicycles

The Bici Centro workshop on East Montecito Street is filled with tools and stations where people needing bicycle repairs can learn alongside a volunteer. (Lara Cooper / Noozhawk photo)

By Lara Cooper, Noozhawk Staff Writer | Published on 11.06.2009

It’s dusk on a Thursday evening, but the Bici Centro workshop on East Montecito Street is alive with activity as volunteers and cyclists work together to repair bicycles before the shop closes.

It’s probably the only location of its kind on the South Coast, as volunteers show cyclists how to repair their bikes, many used for commuting to and from jobs, and then pay only for any parts needing to be replaced — although the shop accepts donations. It’s a workshop lined with gears of all sizes, wheels, chains and just about any kind of part a cyclist might need to make a repair.

Since it opened in 2007, many tires already have been patched, brakes repaired and chains oiled for the greater good of Santa Barbara’s bicycle commuters.

The group still operates its open workshops for the community, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. every Thursday and from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. Saturdays.

But it’s also expanding to include new classes, such as a youth-only workshop from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Mondays. A Spanish-only workshop also is under way, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. every Wednesday, because nearly half of the cyclists who come to open shops during the week are Spanish-speaking.

At the helm of all the new programming is the organization’s director, Ed France, who is trying to come up with system to train volunteers on the different projects.

Volunteers are at the core of Bici Centro’s mission. As a joint project with the Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition, the nonprofit organization depends largely on the efforts of volunteers who help others maintain their bikes and keep a low-cost form of transportation available.

France said the group gets many volunteers through the eight-week course, which teaches participants how to repair and maintain their bikes. “Most everyone who starts as a volunteer is not an experienced mechanic,” he said.

The $80 course happens once a season, and the next one will begin in January. Participants also can pay $15 for each class if they want to attend only one of two classes.

The group has more than 80 volunteers. France said many of them are retirees or 20-somethings who are taking classes or holding their first jobs. A core volunteer will put in an average of six to 10 hours a week, he said.

Volunteer Wilson Hubbel helps Alec Larson and Luke Ming work on a bicycle at a Bici Centro workstation. (Lara Cooper / Noozhawk photo)

“It ebbs and flows every month,” France said of the number, adding that the group always welcomes new volunteers. Would-be volunteers are encouraged to attend a volunteer night from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. every Tuesday to get acquainted. “It’s volunteers only, so it’s a more relaxed atmosphere,” he said.

The expanded classes aren’t the only new projects the group has under way.

Bici Centro organized a bike valet in conjunction with concerts at the Santa Barbara Bowl this summer. It helped alleviate downtown traffic, and tips earned from the valet went back into operating costs for the organization.

“Every show we got more people than the last,” France said. “We actually earned a lot of money.”

The group is planning to work with the venue again, and a host of other outreach events are planned, including popping up in a few local schools next year.

The shop even sells the bikes that are donated, and usually at a stellar price. France said the group is always in need of tools and nice bikes that could be used as commuter cycles and for parts.

— Noozhawk staff writer Lara Cooper can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Comments

Noozhawk's comments are moderated, but by posting here you accept your responsibility to follow our rules.

No abusive, defamatory or libelous attacks. In plain English: No personal attacks.
No vulgar or discriminatory language.
If you do not follow these rules, don't be surprised if your comment is removed.
Please use the Report Abuse button on offensive comments.
Share what you know, ask about what you don't. Give us your eyewitness accounts, observations, background and history. Tell us what else you want to know about the story.
Stay on the topic, PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK, and forgive people their spelling errors.

Noozhawk's intent is not to limit the discussion of our stories but to elevate it. Thank you for your respectful participation. Click here for our complete Terms of Use.

Comments are moderated, and will not appear until they've been approved.

» b_reynaldo on 11.07.09 @ 08:23 AM

Seems to be mostly Anglos volunteering to help Latinos, many of whom are illegal aliens. Why do we never read about Latinos volunteering to help Anglos? I also thought only Latinos had the cultural competency to teach non-Latinos in our schools—I assumed the same would be true of bicycle repair.

Interesting how the reporter neglected to mention that Bici Centro is located inside the highly non-inclusive House of the Race.