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Welcome to R Community Bikes!
RCB Newsletter Spokes & Folks makes debut
As the organization continues to grow, it is more difficult for interested parties to keep up with all that is going on. Our new newsletter, edited by Eric Marlowe, will help everyone involved with RCB keep up with accomplishments, upcoming events, grants, plus local and national bicycle news. Check it out...
Rochester, NY: an emerging world-class cycling spot
In the May, 2010 issue, Bicycling Magazine's list of "America's Best Bike Cities" ranks Rochester 50th. Only two other cities in the Northeast (NYC and Boston) made the list. Check it out!
City Newspaper reports on the efforts of the Rochester Cycling Alliance to improve bicycling opportunities in the Rochester region. Given the number of scenic trails already established in the area, members of the Alliance are working with City and suburban officials to make Rochester a more bike-friendly community. Several trails intersect here already, including the Erie Canal Trail and the Genesee Riverway Trail. Rochester Cycling Alliance members are advocating for the completion of these trails and better interconnections with other trails in the area. Read article...
Continued growth!
January - June, 2010
Bikes given away - 1016
Volunteer hours - 6600Through all of 2008 we gave away 654 bikes. In 2009 that number more than doubled, a feat that would not have been possible without the dedication of our "army" of more than 200 volunteers, helping clients find the right bike for their needs, "wrenching" in the shop, organizing parts, building storage units as well as working at so many other important, behind-the-scenes jobs. It is clear from the chart that in 2010, we continue to experience phenomenal growth!
Who We Are
R Community Bikes is a grassroots, 501(c)3 organization that collects and repairs used bicycles for distribution, free of charge, to Rochester, NY's most needy children and adults. Our mission is meeting the basic transportation needs of those in the community who depend on bikes for recreation as well as for transport to work, school, rehabilitation programs, and training sessions. For this segment of the population, both quality of life and the ability to participate in our community are greatly enhanced when our mission is achieved. R Community Bikes also provides a venue for the Rochester bicycling community to conduct educational programs relative to bicycle safety and maintenance. Click here to read our 2009 Annual Report.
We are open to the public on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 9:30 am to 1:00 pm at our warehouse at 226 Hudson Ave. (at the intersection with Woodbury Street). In addition, on Wednesdays in the summer we conduct bike repairs at St. Joseph's House of Hospitality at 402 South Avenue.
We welcome donations of bikes, bike parts, tools and money to cover expenses such as spare parts. We are always in need of volunteers to serve as mechanics and a variety of other positions. We provide the necessary training.
How We Began
Fix a Flat and Then Some. What started out as one man's offer to fix a flat tire in the parking lot of a homeless shelter has developed into an incorporated, not for profit, 501(c)3 volunteer army that provides more than six hundred bicycles to Rochester NY's neediest citizens every year. Who would have thought!!
Bill D'Anza was serving lunch at St Joseph's House of Hospitality in the city when he was asked if he could do some minor bike repair for a guest. Bill willingly responded and soon drew a crowd in St. Joe's parking lot. Bill promised to return the next week, and out of that offer and the assistance of many new volunteers over the years, has come what is now R Community Bikes. Read full story...
Photo by Mike Crupi, courtesy of The Courier-Journal
