ABQ to launch first community bike shop

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - The city of Albuquerque is about a month away from unveiling its first-ever community bike shop aimed at educating people about bicycle safety and getting bikes to those who really need them.

From books to bikes, an old library is turning into a community bike shop.

Albuquerque Parks and Recreation is getting ready to show off the Esperanza Community Bike Shop near Central and 57th Street Northwest, but do not let the name fool you. It won't just be another place to buy a bike.

“This is a part of town that really needs these kinds of community centers,” says James Bailey.

Bailey will help run the place, supporting the local community—particularly low-income families.

“It will give them an alternate mode of transportation, a dependable mode of transportation and a fairly inexpensive form of transportation,” he says.

The city plans to get bikes as donations, refurbish them and get them to people who can really use them.

So those who cannot afford to buy a bicycle can earn one, they just have to take a three to six week program to learn the basics of bike mechanics.

“When they graduate from the program, they will walk away with a bicycle,” Bailey says.

If people are not sure about cycling yet, there will also be a bicycle library where people can check out a bike and try it for a month or so.

“That is neat because they can try out cycling free of cost and if they like it, they can figure out a way to earn a bike.”

Bailey says the bike shop will also offer work-study opportunities for teens, shop nights for adults and bike safety classes for all ages, making this shop more about community than business.

The bike shop's grand opening is scheduled for March 8 at 2 p.m.