We’re thrilled to announce that BikeAthens will open its doors at the new 1190 Prince Avenue location on Thursday, February 1st, from 11a to 5p with the return of Fix Your Own Bike (FYOB) Night following from 6:00p to 8:30p.

Check out the video update for a quick tour and an invitation from Scott, Bike Athens’ executive director, to join us for the first FYOB Night of 2024.

The opening is an occasion to celebrate community and sustainable transportation. When BikeAthens was forced to close daily operations in August 2023, the Athens and cycling community showed up with support. Y’all donated time, materials, and money by becoming monthly supporters, confirming what we already knew: Athens loves sustainable transportation and is motivated to build equity in how we get around town.

The regular shop hours will resume on February 1st: Mondays through Fridays from 11a to 5p. The space will be available for shopping and bike donations during this time.

Fix Your Own Bike (FYOB) Night is returning on Thursday from 6:30p to 8p. Part wrenching session, part social support, this weekly event is a time to tune up your bike and learn about mechanics with friendly volunteers and community members. No repair knowledge is required, and we have all the tools you’ll need up on the rainbow wall. There are always snacks and tunes. We suggest a $10 donation per hour.

Here’s what’s going on in the shop to prepare:

• Bathroom: The plumber and electrician came by, and the bathroom is operational. This week, the county inspector gave us the thumbs up. Victory!
• Rainbow wall: The wall is organized, painted, and hung on the wall. Catch a peek in this week’s video. Wrench the rainbow 🌈🔧
• Front desk: Micky, BikeAthens supporter, built a point-of-sale desk that will outlast us all. Not only is it solid, it features excellent bike art.
• Even more flooring: The flooring donated by Keppner Boxing seems to be endless. Micheal and the other volunteers continue to create a comfortable working space.

Keep an eye on our calendar for upcoming events and programs and subscribe to our newsletter for updates and bike joy delivered directly to your inbox. BikeAthens hopes to see you and your bike in the new space soon.

Things are happening fast in the new shop:

• Liz started getting the rainbow tool wall together, making volunteering and FYOBN even more accessible because now the tools are color-coded. Wrench the rainbow! Watch this week’s video to see the colorful progress.
• The floors from Keppner Boxing are now installed throughout the space. As Jason says, “Ball bearings don’t roll as far on mats.”
• Volunteers continue to sort, organize, and label the seemingly endless brackets, bearings, and headsets. Ya can’t ride a frame hanging on the wall, so everything we do to make finding parts easier means more bikes in the hands of riders sooner.
• The sound system is installed and the speakers are up. 😎
• Judy and Micheal hung the bathroom drywall and wrapped up the painting. Over the weekend, a BikeAthens supporter offered to finish the ceiling and it looks great. The plumber is installing the sink and toilet any day now.

FYOBN, volunteer opportunities, and regular store hours are just around the corner. Managing increased rent costs is hard while construction prevents regular shop hours. You can help BikeAthens by becoming a monthly supporter over on the BikeAthens Give page. Every dollar helps.

After over 100 days of stress, BikeAthens is happy to report that regular shop hours, FYOB, and volunteer opportunities are just around the corner.

At the end of October we pulled a building permit to install an accessible bathroom. The more challenging phase of the plumbing passed inspection just before the new year. A handful weeks of work are left to do, including buttoning it all up with drywall, and installation of the final plumbing and electrical components. We’ll be ready to re-open when Bike Athens has an ADA-compliant bathroom that is comfortable and welcoming for all bodies.

We’re excited for you to see the new space. There isn’t a stem, chain-ring, or cassette that hasn’t been touched and sorted by our team of dedicated volunteers. Nearly everything that came out of the old shop has been sorted and organized. Check out the video on this page for a sneak peek, and visit the Give page to become a monthly supporter of the BikeAthens’ mission. 🚲 🚲 🚲

The BikeAthens crew is working hard to prepare the new shop on Prince Ave. This week, we’re tackling the floors because ain’t nobody want to wrench on concrete all day.

When BikeAthens moved to Broad St. in 2016, Keppner Boxing & Fitness supplied the flooring. Jason, BikeAthens’ board president, was a long-time member of the gym even back then. When he noticed the organization was getting new material, he asked if BikeAthens could put the old stuff to good use. Owners Keith Keppner and Lissa Keppner generously agreed—if you visited the Broad St. space, you’ve probably walked on Keppner Boxing’s floors.

Once it was clear BikeAthens would have to move again in August 2023, Kepner Boxing offered their floors to us once more. On Tuesday, Scott, Jason, Patrick, and Drew collected huge rolls of the stuff and started on the installation. A big thank you to Keith, Lissa, and the Keppner Boxing community. We (and our feet) are grateful!

We can’t keep BikeAthens going without community support. Please visit our Give page and consider becoming a monthly supporter.

What do you do when you finally get the okay from the county to build out the new shop? Call in the electrician and start mixing up the paint!

Everyone has been asking when we will finally be open to the public. The short answer is hopefully soon.

This week, we finally got the paperwork we need to proceed with all the construction, electrical, and plumbing. We got 25 gallons of free paint to get us started rocking and rolling.

How can you help?

Our shop has been officially closed since the middle of August, and we’ve taken a pretty big hit to our normal Fall revenues from bike sales and service. If you are able, please visit bikeathens.org/give and help out by becoming a recurring donor. Giving $5 OR $10 a month really makes a difference for us in this new location.

Watch this space for volunteer opportunities to help out in the coming days and weeks ahead.

If you need help with your bike in the meantime, email shop@bikeathens.org to set up an appointment.

We will see you soon.

Phew.

We met our deadline to get out of 1075 West Broad by today. We owe great thanks to our friends who helped us move our stuff to storage and the new shop.

We’ve had to pull a building permit so we can build a bathroom, we’ve hired an electrician and a plumber, and we have a lot of shop organization projects ahead of us. All of this takes money and time, so thank you to everyone who donated, and if you haven’t yet, please consider a one-time or monthly donation. We hope to be back up and running by November.

Our new space is going to be awesome. We are very excited to be neighbors with Daily Groceries and Athentic Brewing, businesses that strive to be open and inclusive. It is with that in mind that we renew our commitment to our anti-gatekeeping policy:

We assert that anyone who wants to ride a bicycle or learn to maintain and repair bicycles should be free to develop and enjoy these skills without criticism or condescension, regardless of their color, shape, strength, gender expression, sexual orientation, or anything else.

This community is amazing! Here’s the plan.

You all helped us turn this situation around very quickly through your outpouring of support.  With big thanks to Heather Fincher from Collegetown Properties, we were able to sign a lease before Labor Day weekend on what will be our new space under/behind Daily Groceries at 1190 Prince Ave. We are thrilled to be neighbors with Athentic Brewing, Flying Biscuit and Barberitos!

Our plan is to be completely out of our old location by the end of September while we work to build out the new shop. Stay tuned for more on the build-out.

Our suspension of regular activities continues as we transition and evolve. We hope to get back to serving the community in October.

Thank you to everyone who donated, and if you haven’t yet, please consider a one-time or monthly donation.