Bike Hub
With Kyle Morris
Caught and Woven by: Grace Barrett, Emily Swan, Berkley Mcclellan-Tedrow, and Cody Smith
In the heart of downtown Bellingham is a little community bike shop, the Bike Hub serves as a space for people to get their bikes tuned up and working whether they need to replace broken parts, want to fix it themselves, or have the Bike hub fix it for them. Initially started in 1997 as the pedal project by Kyle Morris to take old bikes and turn them into single speed bikes and share them with the community. Turned into Kyle creating the Community Bike hub in 2002 based on other community bike shops at the time.
Pedal Project: A visit with The Bike Hub
Riding around Bellingham you would never know there is a local community bike shop that is owned and operated by one amazing cyclist and his 2 accomplices. The Bike Hub is a non-profit established in 2002, located on the southwest side of Commercial Street between West Magnolia Street and West Holly Street in Downtown Bellingham. The Bike Hub was created to help keep waste out of landfills by building refurbished and custom bikes with donated frames and parts. It’s a hub of resources besides just a bike shop.
Collection of rolling chassis (bikes with just a frame and wheels)
Walking into The Bike Hub, we were immediately hit with the aura of the bike hub, as there are bikes galore scattered everywhere, along with every bike part and tool needed to fix them. The environment in the Bike Hub was unlike any other bike shop we had been to before, it felt welcoming and collaborative rather than transactional. Instead of simply fixing bikes, the Hub focuses on empowering community members to understand and care for their own bikes.
One of the most important things we noticed in our interview and site visit is that the bike hub seems to be focused on the community. The space is very open and it creates conversation, inviting people in to walk around and look at different bikes and bike parts. There are bins upon bins of used bike parts organized for people to rummage around to find what they need. As well as a bike bench and stand for anyone to toss their bike up to work on it.
Communal work bench where community members can work on their own bikes using Bike Hub’s tools
Owner of Bike Hub, Kyle, tuning up a bike wheel for a friend
Bins of used bike parts for the community rummage through to find the right part for their bike and buy it for a good price
Community Hangout space for people to wait while their bikes or being worked on or if they just want to chill
During our interview with Kyle, he mentioned how he thinks that everyone should ride a bicycle or take public transportation everywhere. We can see this in the way the Bike Hub is run as the small staff—3 total employees—and the central location makes it easy for people to stop by to get something fixed on their bikes, whether they are taking the bus or riding their bike in.
The Bike Hub’s Mission:
Keeping waste out of landfills by building refurbished and custom bikes with donated frames and parts, rooted in community empowerment. The people who work at the Bike Hub strive to help the people who come get their bike working better than it was before by walking them through the process to fix it and inspiring confidence, thus making them proud and confident in riding their bike.
SDGs:
SDG 10: Reduced Inequality
Investments in infrastructure and innovation are crucial drivers of economic growth and development, helping to foster sustainable industries and enhance research and innovation
SDG 12: Responsible Consumption & Production
Encouraging efficient use of resources and energy, infrastructure, and processes can help decouple economic growth from environmental degradation
SDG 11: Sustainable Cities & Communities
Urban areas are growing rapidly. Making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable is crucial to preventing negative environmental impacts and providing quality life for all residents