Spring Bike Sale!

BikeAthens' Bike Recycling Program is having a Spring Bike Sale this Sunday March 21st at the Bike Recycling Program Shop in the Chase Street Warehouses off Tracy St.

We'll have 20 freshly refurbished bicycles for sale including something for just about every type of rider. All bikes have passed a 78 point inspection and are in excellent operating condition. We've got road bikes, mountain bikes, touring bikes, hybrids, cruisers, and kids bikes for sale. Treks, Cannondales, Schwinns, Shoguns, Specializeds, and Giants. Bikes are reasonable priced with prices ranging from $50 to $500.

Stop by and check out our supply this Sunday from 2 pm to 4 pm.

100% of the proceeds benefit the BikeAthens Bike Recycling Program. BRP refurbishes bikes and donates them to the underpriviledged citizens of the greater Athens GA area to provide safe and reliable transportation.
http://bikeathens.com/activities/bike_recycling/program_details.html

Directions to the sale are here:
http://www.bikeathens.com/activities/bike_recycling/chase_st_warehouse.html

Back to School Bike Sale!

BikeAthens' Bike Recycling Program is having a Back To School Bike Sale this Sunday February 7th at the Bike Recycling Program Shop in the Chase Street Warehouses off Tracy St.

We'll have 20 freshly refurbished bicycles for sale including something for just about every type of rider. All bikes have passed a 78 point inspection and are in excellent operating condition. We've got road bikes, mountain bikes, touring bikes, hybrids, cruisers, and kids bikes for sale. Treks, Cannondales, Schwinns, Shoguns, Specializeds, and Giants.

Prices range from $50 to $500. Stop by and check out our supply this Sunday from 1 pm to 3 pm.

Directions to the sale here.

Photos of available bicycles below:

On the air! Bike Recycling on the radio

Board member Mike Ely is about to be interviewed on News/Talk 1340. He'll be discussing our Holiday Bikes for Kids project.
Tune in online!

For those who couldn't tune in, Mike discussed our Holiday Bikes for Kids.
Press release below:

Holiday Bikes for Kids

Got an old child-sized bicycle taking up space in the garage? Unclutter your life and support a great cause: BikeAthens' popular Bike Recycling Program is gearing up for the seventh annual Holiday Bikes for Kids project!

Bicycle donations are requested, and volunteers are needed to clean and repair children's bikes for giveaway during the holidays.

The Holiday Bikes for Kids project seeks to provide a happy holiday season to underprivileged youth by providing them with a quality, fully refurbished bicycle. Through the program, volunteers clean, polish and tune up donated youth bicycles. The refurbished bikes are then donated to local agencies and schools for distribution. Last year, over fifty bicycles were presented to children in the Athens community!

To ensure that as many bicycles as possible reach local children in need, BikeAthens encourages the community to donate used children's bicycles, volunteer time, supplies, and money. More donated bicycles and volunteer hours mean more holiday wishes fulfilled! Supporters may also send in shop supplies, such as rags, all-purpose degreasers, very fine steel wool, paper towels, and bicycle lubricant. Cash donations allow for the purchase of needed parts and will offset the cost of the new helmets that are distributed with every bike.

Volunteers will repair bicycles during regular shop hours (Sundays 2-4 PM and Mondays and Wednesdays 6-8 PM) until the week of Christmas. Individuals seeking to donate bicycles, supplies, or other gifts can stop by at these times or contact bicyclerecycling@bikeathens.com.

BikeAthens’ Bike Recycling Program repair shop is located in studio 6 of the Chase Street Warehouse (149 Oneta Street). Additional information and directions available at bikeathens.com/activities/bike_recycling/

Thursday, November 26 (Thanksgiving Day), from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM, BikeAthens will formally kick-off the Holiday Bikes for Kids project at the Bike Recycling Program workshop.

Contact: Jason Perry & Mike Ely, bicyclerecycling@bikeathens.com

BRP in the news

The Red & Black, UGA's student-run newspaper, profiles our Bike Recycling Program today.

BRP is gearing up for its annual Holiday Bikes for Kids campaign. Want to get involved? Come by the shop during open hours to volunteer:

Sunday, 2:00-4:30 pm
Monday & Wednesday, 6:00-8:30 pm

BikeAthens Receives Grant

Thanks to the Athens Area Community Foundation, BikeAthens has received $1,560!

The funds will buy helmets, lights and locks for the refurbished bicycles we redistribute in the community through our Bike Recycling Program's "Ride Home" Initiative.

Many thanks to the AACF!

Rummage Sale a huge success!

Many thanks to all the BRP volunteers and supporters who made today's Rummage Sale a great success.

Pics of the day below:

Welcome to Athens

Welcome to Athens, new UGA students! And welcome back, all who summered elsewhere.

Check out bikeathens.com or this blog for everything you need to know about transit, walking, and cycling in Athens. If you like to volunteer, we have plenty of opportunities! You can always check out the great local weekly, Flagpole, for transportation news and event announcements as well.

In its orientation-to-Athens issue, Flagpole generously mentions BikeAthens quite a few times...

* BikeAthens Co-Chair Amy Johnson is quoted in a story on the Long Range Transportation Plan.

Don't forget to come by Trappeze at 7 pm tonight! We'll be discussing the LRTP and finalizing BikeAthens' formal comment on the plan. If you can't make it, be sure to submit comment on the plan. If you haven't read it, don't worry! While we strongly advise you to read the plan, you can submit any comment you like on the future of transportation in Athens. It will all be considered. You can email comments to macorts@co.clarke.ga.us until August 18th. Or, stay tuned for our soon-to-be-live online comment form, where you can tailor your comments on the LRTP and submit them from a single web page.

* Also, City Dope talks sidewalks, Athens Rising covers downtown and parking decks, and a feature for new arrivals points folks to our free Bike Map.

* Finally, the events calendar reminds the volunteer-minded to consider our ongoing Bike Recycling Program.

BikeAthens encourages you to walk, ride a bike, or take transit whenever possible. It's easier than you think to get around without a car! It will save you money, keep you healthier, and reduce traffic all around.

When you do drive, watch for pedestrians and cyclists, and give them the right-of-way. It's not just neighborly, it's the law!

And when you bike or walk, just remember:

• Be aware of your surroundings
• Be visible
• Ride legally & predictably
• Wear a helmet
• Share the road with all users

Enjoy yourself, and take advantage of all that Athens offers. We hope you'll get involved with BikeAthens!

Rummage Sale - 8/22

Need a bike? Come out to our 2nd annual rummage sale!
8/22, 10 - 2 pm at the Chase St Warehouse

We're selling fully refurbished cruiser, road, mountain, and kids bikes. Parts and accessories also available.
Proceeds support the BikeAthens Bike Recycling Program. Photos of available bikes below:

Backyard Bash this Saturday

Bike repair, live music, climbing wall, & a Bike Recycling Drive to benefit our Bike Recycling Program.

At Hub Bikes in 5 Points, Saturday from 10-7.

More at hubbikes.com

Bike Recycling Shop featured in photoshow and interview on UGA's Grady College of Journalism website

http://www.gradyjournal.com/?p=1046

Nice feature on the BikeAthens BRP history, mission, and accomplishments created by Jeffrey Uzzel from UGA. Thanks Jeff!

Pics from the MLK Jr. Day of Service

Many thanks to the crew of volunteers who came out to help us clean and organize the Bike Recycling shop!

Pics below:

50 kids bikes delivered to local agencies

Just in time for the holidays, our Bike Recycling Program has refurbished and delivered
fifty children’s bicycles to a number of Athens area social service agencies. Dozens of generous donors have dropped off children’s bicycles, many of which have been in basements for years. Volunteers met three times a week at the Bike Recycling workshop in the Chase Street warehouses to clean, repair, and test ride each bicycle.

Every bike has been delivered with a brand new helmet as well.

Bicycles and helmets were delivered to the following agencies:

• 23 bikes to Fowler Elementary
• 14 to CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates)
• 2 to Project Safe
• 2 to Open Hearts
• 2 bikes for St Vincent DePaul
• 2 for Athens Land Trust
• 3 kids bikes and 3 adult bicycles for the Athens Area Homeless Shelter
• Plus, a handful of extra children’s bikes for other agencies

“We never would have succeeded without the overwhelming generosity of the community,” said
Bike Recycling Program co‐manager Jason Perry.

“We received so many donations‐‐from kids, from adults, from organizations‐‐that we struggled to keep them from piling up. And of course our volunteers really made things happen: many of the bikes only needed a little cleaning and a tune‐up, but often we were doing major overhauls on bikes that started out looking like scrap metal. The results were amazing.”

In 2009, the Bike Recycling Program hopes to locate a larger, more comfortable work space as well as a dedicated contingent of new volunteers to assist with ongoing efforts to refurbish adult bicycles. Donations poured in this fall, and the Chase Street workshop is brimming with bikes in need of repair.

Volunteers can stop by the workshop on Wednesday evenings from 6:00 – 8:30 PM and on Sunday afternoons from 2:00‐4:30 PM. Program managers also hope to expand the shop hours to Monday evenings in the new year. For more about the program and directions to the shop, visit
www.bikeathens.com/activities/bike_recycling.

Many thanks to all the volunteers and donors who made this possible!

Holiday Parade video

If you want to see footage of our "float" in the Holiday Parade of Lights, check out the video here.
We begin at 18:24 and end at 19:11.

Donate bikes to us via the Jittery Joe's Roaster

If you would like to help the Bike Recycling Program with a donated bicycle, you can now drop off donations at the Jittery Joe's Roaster on E. Broad St.

View Larger Map

Also, we are selling two restored, classic bikes at the Roaster to help support the program:

1. 1970's Schwinn Continental, yellow, very large men's frame, tricked out with bar-end shifters, $200
2. 1986 Ross "Mt. Hood" in stock condition except tires and saddle, $350

Many thanks to the Charlie Mustard at the Roaster for these opportunities!

And ... Jittery Joe's is soon releasing a BikeAthens-benefitting coffee blend, called Alternative Fuels. Stay tuned for details!

low down & dirty

from ABH:

A homeless man told Athens-Clarke police someone took his bicycle and its trailer, containing his clothes and other miscellaneous items, from a restaurant on Oconee Street at the Athens Perimeter.

The man said the thief took his possessions, valued at $1,769, from the Waffle House at 1310 Oconee St. between 9 and 10 p.m. Monday.

Scoundrels!
I hope he gets his ride back. If not, he needs to contact AAHS to see if he can get one from our Bike Recycling Program.

Holiday Bikes for Kids Kickoff

An official announcement from our Bike Recycling Program:

On Thursday, November 27 (Thanksgiving Day), from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM, BikeAthens will kick-off its annual Holiday Bikes for Kids project at the Bicycle Recycling Program workshop. The Holiday Bikes for Kids project refurbishes used bicycles for donation to underserved youth in the Athens area.

The sixth annual Holiday Bikes for Kids project seeks to provide a happy holiday season to underprivileged youth by providing them with a quality, fully refurbished bicycle. Bicycles are cleaned, polished and returned to working condition by volunteers and then donated to local agencies and schools for distribution. In the past, BikeAthens has provided bicycles to Fowler Road Elementary , Athens Area Homeless Shelter, Catholic Charities and other social support agencies. Each bicycle is delivered with a new helmet. This year volunteers hope to deliver 50 bicycles.

“I still remember the joy of receiving a new bicycle for Christmas” said Peter Norris, a board member for BikeAthens, “and I hope to pass that joy along.” The project, which started in a small storage shed with a handful of volunteers, has now grown to include dozens of volunteers working twice a week at a workshop in the Chase Street Warehouses. In 2007 the program donated 30 bicycles.

“Many years ago I wanted to volunteer on Thanksgiving day but found that traditional volunteer activities were already booked up. The bicycle project provides another way for folks to volunteer on that day” says Norris. Volunteers do not need any specialized skills as most of the work entails cleaning and polishing. BikeAthens provides all the tools and supplies.

The project will continue to repair bicycles during its regular shop hours; Sundays 2-4 PM and Wednesdays 6-8 PM until the week of Christmas. Individuals seeking to donate bicycles can drop them off at these times. BikeAthens’ bicycle repair shop is located in studio 6 of the Chase Street Warehouse (149 Oneta Street). Additional information and directions available here.

Contact: Peter Norris, 706-543-1574, treasurer@bikeathens.com

Rummage Sale a Success!

Yesterday's Bike & Rummage Sale was a huge success!

Thanks to all who volunteered and to all who supported our work through your purchases. We hope you enjoy your bikes & accessories!

Slide show below:

Rummage Sale Reminder

Come by the BRP shop this Sunday, from 10-4:30 to check out our Recycled Bike & Rummage Sale.
We have a wide selection of bike parts, accessories, scooters, skate board accessories, and more.
Plus, we've got a great selection of fully refurbished commuter bicycles. See the bikes for sale here:

BRP_Bikes for sale

Rummage & Bike sale!

To raise funds for our Bike Recycling Program, we are hosting a Rummage & Bike Sale on Sunday, June 29th, from 10-4:30 at the BRP shop.

All bikes will be sold "as is" for $150 each (or best offer). A slideshow of the available bikes is below:



We hope to see you on the 29th!

Time lapse video of BRP

BRP volunteer Ben Jones shot & produced this time lapse video of last night's work session: