Topeka, Kansas will soon be home to a community bicycle workshop that will offer cyclists a place to work on their bikes, learn about bicycle repair and maintenance, and even earn a bike of their own:
Washburn law student Robert Fitzgerald has found many cities around the country that have bicycle projects to fit their needs. He, along with the help of many others, has now brought such a project to the city of Topeka.
The Topeka Community Cycle Project, 423 S. Kansas Ave., was designed as a place for people to learn how to maintain and prepare their own bicycle and provide them with a safe and alternative means of transportation.
It has already become home to numerous donated bicycles of all shapes, sizes and conditions. The group has agreed to a lease with Friends of the Free State Capitol Inc., which has allowed TCCP to use the building at a reduced rent. So far, the project has had two volunteer nights and will continue to have more. They are 5-7 p.m. every Thursday evening. Volunteers who want to help fix up bikes or donate bikes can do so at that time.
Read more from the Washburn Review: Law student creates bike co-op.
There was also an article on the TCCP in the Topeka Capital-Journal: Man helps form TCCP.
When the Topeka Community Cycle Project officially opens this spring, it will be, as far as I know, the only such community bike shop in the state of Kansas. A group called the Wichita Bicycle Collective is interested in starting a similar concept, but so far their web site is still just a placeholder, so they apparently haven’t gotten off the ground yet.
Community bike shops are an increasingly-popular idea, with organizations popping up all around the country. Here in our region, examples include:
- Bike Depot in Denver, CO
- Community Cycles in Boulder, CO
- Derailer Bicycle Collective in Denver, CO
- Fort Collins Bicycle Co-op in Fort Collins, CO
- Des Moines Bicycle Collective in Des Moines, IA
- The 816 Bicycle Collective in Kansas City, MO
- Saint Louis Bicycle Works in St. Louis, MO
- Community Bicycle Shop Omaha in Omaha, NE
The Topeka Community Cycle Project is accepting donations of bicycles, components, tires, tools, accessories — basically anything bicycle-related, they can find a use for.
TCCP has a web site at cycleproject.org and you can also follow them on Facebook and Twitter. Or you can contact them via email at topeka@cycleproject.org .
Note: Kansas Cyclist Podcast Episode 17 features an interview with Robert Fitzgerald of the Topeka Community Cycle Project.
Post tags: Topeka
