Press Kit

About

The Bridge City Bicycle Co-op (BCBC) is a volunteer-run, non-profit cooperative that offers a drop-in workspace, tool and supplies, and participatory bicycle maintenance education; where youth and adults of all ages can come and learn how to fix their own bicycles or build a bicycle using donated frames and parts. The BCBC is open and accessible to all. The BCBC is located at the Core Neighbourhood Youth Co-op and operates in harmony with CNYC goals, values, and programs.

History

A crew of cyclists and bicycle repair enthusiasts founded the Bridge City Bicycle Co-operative Ltd (BCBC) in 2012. In the beginning, there was a partnership with City Park Cycle but the BCBC leadership quickly took advantage of being offered a corner space at the Saskatoon Farmers Market. On Saturdays, volunteers would set up a bike stand and offer tools, and sell memberships.

Word soon got around the community, and a relationship was built with the Core Neighborhood Youth Co-op (CNYC). The CNYC had been operating a bike program for a number of years, where neighborhood youth would be hired on a part time basis to repair kids bikes to be given away. The CNYC received hundreds of donated bikes, and began having difficulty managing their stockpile. It was a natural fit for us to partner, the BCBC with a member base looking for a shop space, and the CNYC with a stockpile of bikes they needed managed.

In June of 2015, the BCBC began offering open hours at its new location at the CNYC. We triaged the bicycle stock, built work and tool stations, and then stripped as many bikes as possible to build up a stock of parts. Over the course of that first year, the BCBC membership managed to build up a stock of repairable bicycles and parts for member use.