Anybody know or ever used the recyclery? I just heard about it today and it seems like a pretty cool concept, and there are a few maintenance routines I would like to learn on my bike and I would eventually like to fix up my dad's old mountain bike, so I wouldn't mind spending some volunteer time to get some help from a bike mechanic for free.

http://www.recyclery.info/

1/15/2010 11:24:18 AM

Yes. My friend Chris Richmond has helped run it for a long time, although I haven't checked in with him about where the shop is getting located to next (last time I checked they were in Carrboro behind the furniture store on Franklin St., sort of nearer to Chapel Hill than the Cat's Cradle. They had moved out of their barn at the Greenspace). I'm involved in the same thing, but in more of a storefront setup, down in Durham at the Durham Bike Co-op (http://www.durhambikecoop.org). PM me if you need more details.

Non-profit bike co-ops will try, but can't always deliver or meet due to volunteer, money, and time constraints, the service that you might find in a pro bike shop. I've run into this problem explaining our model to people (shadow a mechanic, participate in the Earn a Bike program, or buy a membership and work on a bike), because people expect us to do all the work for them, for free. Bike co-ops around here in NC tend to work more on an educational model of teaching people how to fix their bikes.

1/15/2010 1:48:14 PM