The first visit to Main Streets Our Community Bikes, this years winner for Best Bike Shop, can feel a bit intimidating. The space, one part retail, three parts repair shop (you can fix your bike yourself, or drop it off and have it fixed for you), is nothing if not chaoticpacked to the brim with people, spare parts, and smart staff members doing their best to help the masses and be in four places at once.
But conquering the chaos and learning how to fix your own bike, with your own hands, is all part of the experience, says veteran staff member Jesse Cooper. Ignore the chaos and focus on your own space, says Cooper. Be patient, and ask for help. Over the years, he believes the staff at OCB has become more approachable and more accepting, leading to a wider clientele.
Founded in 1993 as a project of Better Environmentally Sound Transportation, the OCB collective broke away in 1999 and became part of PEDAL, Pedal Energy Development Alternatives, an umbrella organization for a variety of bike related projects.
While OCB is their most well-known project, the group has a variety of other endeavors on the go, notably their youth-centric programs After School Bikes and Our Community Bike Club, a summer camp for kids.
More than just a bike shop, OCB is a social enterprise. Its about empowerment through education. We would like people to be more self-sufficient, grow their own food, fix their own car, fix their own bike, says Cooper. When were able to take a bike that would otherwise be destined for the landfill and re-circulate it back into transportation safely and effectively, then you know youve done a job well.
