This June marks ten years that Pete Emery has been Patchwork's Bike Shop coordinator. Back in 2015, our bike shop had been silent for three years, so Pete was starting fresh. He took stock of the space, recruited some volunteers, and started working on bikes. Things have been going strong ever since!
Over the years, we’ve sent well over 1500 refurbished bikes onto the roads with new owners. We’ve also done thousands of repairs to people’s existing bikes. All of this has been accomplished with countless hours contributed by a small team of volunteers.
Currently our bike shop has a crew of five: Pete, Paul, Paul, Jeff, and Jim. They’re at Patchwork working in the bike shop on Tuesdays and Thursdays from around 9 am to 11:45 am. For the first hour they accept bikes in need of simple repairs: a new tube, an adjustment to the brakes, an adjustment to the chain. In addition to these repairs, the volunteers spend their time checking over donated bikes and repairing and adjusting them so they’re ready for Patchwork to give out to new owners.
“It’s also a community service,” Pete says, explaining that every bike that comes into the shop, whether it’s to be refurbished or repaired, leaves completely roadworthy, making all of us safer because we’re sharing the road with functional bikes. He added that the Bike Shop recently received a donation of front and back reflectors from Scheller’s Fitness and Bikes, so all bikes leave the shop with a complete set. Thanks to another donation, all refurbished bikes that we distribute to new owners come with a bike lock and front and rear lights.
In the last ten years, we have witnessed the immense need for inexpensive and reliable transportation in Evansville. For people getting a new start for whatever reason, a bike can mean access to jobs, medical treatment, other appointments, or staying on track with the legal system. Meanwhile, a broken-down bike can get in the way of all this progress, so quick and reliable repairs are desperately needed. So much hope depends on a simple bicycle!
Of course there are some great stories we’ve heard through the years. There’s the guy who got a bike from us and rode it all the way to Florida—yes, the state of Florida. He took several months to get there and worked here and there the entire way.
There’s also the guy who got a bike a few years ago. Jeff remembers being a little dubious when the man brought his recently acquired bike back for some repairs, but they completed them. Off and on for months, Jeff noticed the man and the bike on First Avenue near Ivy Tech. Jeff wondered if the two were connected and recently found out that the man had recently graduated with an Ivy Tech degree.
There are the days when we have just the right bikes to give to the right people, like one recent day when a tall man was happy to get the small BMX-style bike that he was hoping for. That same day, a woman described her ideal bike, which just so happened to meet the description of the last refurbished bike available to take: a single-speed cruiser that Pete was afraid no one would want.
“Some days are very rewarding,” Pete says.
Patchwork Bike Shop Notes:
- Patchwork accepts donations of adult bikes that are in good condition. (No children’s bikes & no “parts” bikes, please!) If you have one to donate, the best time to bring it to us is a Tuesday or Thursday from 9 am-noon when the Bike Shop volunteers are here. If those times don’t work for you, please contact us and we will work out another time.
- Patchwork distributes refurbished bikes periodically when we have a good selection in stock. To receive a bike, folks need to pick up a referral form in Patchwork’s main office and have it completed by someone like a case worker, doctor, or other professional who is familiar with their need. Quantities of bikes are very limited, and a completed referral form does not guarantee that we will have a bike to give out.
- Many thanks to Scheller’s Fitness & Cycling for promoting our Bike Shop to their customers and donating bikes and materials to our Bike Shop. Additional thanks to the Evansville Bicycle Club for its continued financial support of Patchwork's Bike Shop.
