Fort Collins Bike Coop

Fort Collins Bicycle Co-op

Website	www.FCBikeCoop.org
Email	info@fcbikecoop.org
Founded	2003
Location	Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
Language	English
Services Offered	DIY Repair Services Pay Repair Services Earn-A-Bike Services Bicycle Valet Services Bicycle Courses Bicycle Advocacy
Mission Statement	To keep our community riding, including those who can't afford to buy a bike. To educate our neighbors in all things bike-related including bike maintenance, bicycle education and safety. To keep good bikes out of the landfill and to recycle poorly built or unsafe bikes. To refurbish and donate bicycles for a wide variety of charity events and programs for those in need.

Fort Collins Bike Coop is ... your Northern Colorado community bike shop. We strive to keep good bikes out of the landfill, to keep our community riding, and to educate our neighbors in all things bike. Through a contract with Police Services, we take care of every lost or abandoned bike in Fort Collins. We also refurbish and donate bikes for a wide variety of events and programs to help with community outreach and fund raising.

Contact Info

Address

1501 North College Ave.
Fort Collins, CO 80521

Phone

(970) 484-3804

History

Formerly known as the Bike Against! collective, the Fort Collins Bicycle Co-op began in the spring of 2003 in a casual manner based out of a residential set up when all the key components necessary to start a community bike shop somehow came together at once.

During the first year we quickly realized an organization like this was really needed in Fort Collins as hundreds of people started to drop off donations of bikes, bike parts, tools, accessories, etc. or dropped by to learn about bicycles and bicycling, performing maintenance and repairs on their own bikes assisted by experienced "bike neighbors"; all by word of mouth.

In the three following years the co-op experienced a growth of almost 100% each year until it finally outgrew its original location.

In early 2007 an agreement was reached with the city of Fort Collins that would allow the Bike Co-op to operate out of a larger, donated, city owned space thanks to the city's transportation planning board, city council and the city's bicycle coordinator.

In February of that same year the bike co-op became a project affiliated with Bike Fort Collins and acquired Non-Profit status under their umbrella.

These partnerships with the city and Bike Fort Collins were very helpful and moved the Co-op to the next level. Once at that level the co-op continued to grow. A board of directors was established and many of the co-op programs were initiated with program coordinators to lead us forward. The co-op began actively pursuing grants and other funding streams.

Soon the co-op found that these partnerships that had once been so helpful brought with them some limitations. While partnering with the city the co-op was unable to sell anything because of an agreement with local bike retailers. Also, the bike library partnership was putting a significant drain on the co-op volunteer pool. The Co-op needed to evolve yet again. It applied and received its own 501c3 Non-profit status. Then a lease was signed and the co-op moved into 331 North College September 1st, 2009. The co-op operated out of that space until 2015 when they purchased their current property at 1501 North College. The co-op moved from 331 to 1501 in October of 2015

Since its inception, the Bike Co-op has kept thousands of bikes out of the landfill and helped hundreds of people in the community learn to maintain and repair their own bikes. In addition the Co-op has donated bicycles to socially and financially challenged individuals and families through several city, county, and private agencies.

Today, our volunteer run, community owned bicycle shop still holds close the same ideals and philosophy that gave birth to the project; "To create a space where people from all walks of life can learn a valuable skill in a fun, safe and embracing environment, a place where nothing is wasted and everything is for everyone."

Services Offered

Public Programs

Open Shop

Come work on your bike in our shop with the assistance of one of our mechanics.

Retail Store

The Co-op sells refurbished bikes, as is bikes, bike parts, helmets, shirts, lights, etc.

Education

If you want to learn more about your bicycle, or how to safely ride it, we have classes for that.

Earn-A-Bike

Our most popular program, Earn-a-bike is just like it sounds.

Recovered Bikes

Through a partnership with the city the co-op recovers all lost and abandoned bikes in Fort Collins.

Bikes for Ghana

Many of our excess of bikes are shipped overseas to help those in developing countries.

Volunteer Programs

Art Department

Prepares graphics materials, signs, logos, and related materials.

B.A.R.S. (Bike Retrieval Squad)

Responds to public reports of lost and abandoned bikes to coordinate retrieval; works with Police Services in tracking found bikes and returning them to their owners.

C.O.G. (Community Outreach Group)

Works to coordinate all requests for special events, event booths, donations of bikes, valet parking, and so much more.

Cycling Recyclers

With all of the bikes and parts that come through the Co-op, there are a lot of parts that are broken or junk. Somebody has to go through it all.

Fundraising and Grants

Co-ordinates public outreach seeking donations from the public, funding from foundations, and contracts with public agencies.

V.A.C (Volunteer Action Committee)

Recruitment, retention, and recognition of volunteers.

Manuals

• Fort Collins Bike Coop Volunteer Manual
• Fort Collins Bike Coop Training Manual