Recycle that bicycle

Posted: Friday, Oct 1st, 2010
@ The Brookings Register

BY: Vicki Schuster

As university officials talk of plans to make South Dakota State University a “walking” campus, and as more bike sharrows appear around town, a new group hopes to help Brookings get on track when it comes to going from four wheels to two.

The Brookings Community Bicycle Collective, which is located in the alley behind Cottonwood Coffee on Main Avenue, was organized in mid-November last year and has the goal of someday becoming a nonprofit organization. Director Clint Miller says the group’s mission is to promote the use of bicycles in Brookings as a sensible mode of transportation, recreation and “to work toward the betterment of the community,” says Miller.

One of the ways the group hopes to do this is by bicycle recycling. People can donate bikes in any condition to the cause as parts can always be salvaged from them. Anyone can buy a good, used bike for as little as $50.

The collective also offers to help bike owners with maintenance and repair for a cash donation. For example, anyone needing a new chain or a new set of breaks can pay $5 for the part and $5 for help in replacing them. All of the staff are volunteers. The money is used to purchase tools and supplies like lubricants and cleaners.

So far, the shop’s been a hit, receiving a fair amount of business, having taken in a lot of donations. But Miller says he needs more volunteers so they can handle multiple customers in the shop at a time.

He also hopes to get more volunteers so that they can work on more charitable endeavors like fixing large numbers of bicycles to donate to various causes.

“I hope to see some new faces in the shop to strengthen our numbers and augment our capabilities as well as to simply learn new and useful skills for themselves and enjoy putting them to good use,” he says.

He says he hopes to engage the youth in the community as well. “We hope to expand the scope of our operation to allow the local youth to work toward earning bikes by performing community service, helping out in our shop, and engaging in the guided process of building their own bike,” says Miller.

Someday, the group would also like to be able to provide ridable bikes to the needy.

As Brookings continues to grow and change, so do the recreational opportunities for cycling. City Engineer Jackie Lanning and Parks, Recreation and Forestry Director Allyn Frerichs worked with a few local committees to obtain a grant, helping Brookings secure funds to designate new bike sharrows around town.

Lanning says the collective is a great idea. “This group will be very beneficial in getting people to try biking, and to get bikes to people who couldn’t afford it, as well as encouraging students and the public to use the bike paths that we just installed this summer.”

The Collective is open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6 to 8 p.m. and Saturdays from noon to 4 p.m. [may be dated, see sidebar on main page and twitter feed for current details]

Miller and head mechanic Michael Ross are also available by appointment by calling 690-5362 or 719-432-9067.

Contact Vicki Schuster at vschuster@brookingsregister.com.

[may be dated, see sidebar on main page and twitter feed for current details]

Courtesy of Hunter P. Murphy

[may be dated, see sidebar on main page and twitter feed for current details]

Courtesy of Hunter P. Murphy

Courtesy of Hunter P. Murphy

Welcome to a two-wheeled collective.

@The Pegleg Update
15. APR, 2010 0 COMMENTS

Brookings Bicycle Collective from Stuart Ensz on Vimeo.

Attention Brookings area residents and students at SDSU: no longer is your bike-free life an option, for the Brookings Community Bicycle Collective is up and running.
A few weeks ago, Clint Miller and Michael Ross began the Collective in a storage space behind Cottonwood Coffee on the 500 block of Main Ave. Since then, the growing group has brought in enough bicycle donations, spare parts and expertise to aid in fixing any biker’s troubles.

BCBC logo (courtesy BCBC)

On Saturday, May 1, the bike collective will be hosting an “open house” in conjunction with Sioux River Bicycles and Fitness. The collective will be showing the public their operations, inventory and other aspects of the effort. Clint and Michael have also said that ice cream treats will be available, so be sure and stop by the shop on May 1.

The collective’s hours are currently Tuesday and Thursday, 6 to 8 p.m. and Saturday, 12 to 4 p.m.
[may be dated, see sidebar on main page and twitter feed for current details]

The entrace sign. (courtesy BCBC)

For more information, visit these links:

• The Brookings Community Bicycle Collective on Facebook.

• The groups Wiki, complete with contact and other information.