• the217
• Life
• Ride On

Related Media

Barry Isralewitz finds just the right shade of blue to repaint this vintage Schwinn ladies' Suburban.

• See Slideshow (4 images)

Roughly 60 percent of the pollution created by automobile emissions occurs during the first few minutes the car is running. According to the World Watch Institute , a four mile round-trip bike ride (instead of by car) keeps about 15 pounds of pollutants out of the air.

Growing environmental concern is just one of the issues that The Urbana Bike Project hopes to address, according to volunteer Josh Ritchey.

"Why do you need to drive a car to go to the grocery store if you live around the corner?"

The Bike Project will be entering its second year of existence this fall, operating in the basement of the Independent Media Center in Urbana. The Project offers a space, tools, and community to repair bikes, hold classes, and advocate bikes in CU.

There's a good chance that while attending the University -- or commuting around the CU area - you will at one point or another use or own a bicycle. There is also a very good chance that at some point, some part of the bike will need to be repaired or replaced. According to Richey, if you're having a problem with your bicycle, bring it here.

The Bike Project is able to assist in nearly every aspect of bike repair including: changing a tire, oiling a chain and adjusting brakes. They can help you to replace any part of your bike. At any of the four weekly staffed shop sessions, community members are invited to bring in their bruised bicycles for repair. The staff - comprised entirely of volunteers - consists of bike enthusiasts who would be very happy to do the work themselves, but that's not really the point.

"We want to get people knowledgeable about bikes, to get to the point where they can do basic bike mechanics. Our purpose here is to

provide a workspace and the tools plus the knowledge base to allow people to actually fix the bikes themselves," says Ritchey.

In addition, The Bike Project offers a free, weekly class on Sundays that addresses a specific aspect of bicycle maintenance. For a small annual fee ($25 for students), members can enjoy 24/7 access to the shop and tool collection, as well as low (READ: really low) prices on refurbished bikes and parts. There is also a really cool youth Earn-a-Bike program at the center where kids ages 12 to 15 can come in, learn repair skills on a bike that will be given away, and then build a second bike for themselves.

New, bicycle-less students arriving on campus this fall may want to consider stopping by the shop or Web site (www.thebikeproject.org) to purchase a ready-to-ride bike for as little as $45 (The Bike Project is a not-for-profit organization, and all proceeds go towards equipping and maintaining the shop). The idea that if your method of transportation breaks down, you can grab some tools and do something about it yourself is somewhat foreign to the new generation of travelers. Perhaps even better, though, would be to grab that rusty old yellow Schwinn from your garage with one warped wheel and a snapped chain, bring it in, and get to work.

The Urbana Bike Project accepts donations in form of money and used bicycles of virtually any condition; very-used bikes will be scrapped for parts, and lightly-used will be refurbished and sold. Ritchey says the choice is very simple. "When you can do [the maintenance] yourself - save yourself that much more time, that much more money - then why not?"