Bike shop on a mission for equity in transportation

Prince Ave Pilot Project brings hope to local non-profit efforts

Inside a little rinky-dink shop off of West Broad Street, is a cinder block building littered with bikes and bike parts of all shapes and sizes. To the uninitiated passerby this organized chaos can seem nonsensical, but to the local bike enthusiast, Bike Athens is a haven for those that value the freedom awarded by riding bikes.

From outside, Bike Athens looks like any other bike shop. On the inside, however, you’ll find a place beaming with culture, and a standard of customer service that is unmatched by any bike shop in the Athens area.

On a typical weekday you can walk in Bike Athens and find a man in a small cycling cap and a black vest tinkering away at just about any problem that’s brought to him. This is Scott Long, Bike Athens’ Executive Director since fall of 2019, and resident bike mechanic.

Long wasn’t born in Athens, but he’s the very definition of a local. After earning a Master of Public Administration from the University of Georgia, Long stayed in Athens because he “fell in love with it” and joined as an official staff member of Bike Athens after 2,000+ hours as a volunteer. He is currently their sole employee.

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Unlike other bike shops, Bike Athens specializes in “walk-in repairs, at a sliding scale of costs,” said Long. “Often these repairs are done for free.”

Bike Athens can afford to offer free repairs for the same reason that it is different from other bike shops: Bike Athens is not-for-profit.

“I wouldn't say that we compete with the commercial shops,” said Long. “We serve a different type of customer than they do.”

They have a good relationship with their “competitors” because the other shops support what Bike Athens is doing. Much of their resources are the result of donations and often times these donations come directly from bike shops, like The Hub in Five Points. “It’s easy for me to do simple bike repairs for free especially when I know it doesn't cost us anything,” said Long.

As a non-profit, Bike Athens is upheld by a federal grant that pays the cost of rent, Long’s salary, and for free bike helmets to anyone who asks. Bike Athens is not just a business, they truly care about bike safety and exist with a bigger purpose to educate the community and advocate for a better infrastructure.

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Perhaps the strongest example of Bike Athens advocacy is Long’s relationship with the Athens in Motion Commission, a commission formed by the ACC Government and Mayor in 2018 to implement the AiM master plan, which ultimately led to the most recent Prince Avenue Pilot Project.

The Prince Avenue Pilot Project, which consists of a “road diet” to allow for a much desired “multimodal infrastructure”, essentially means a four-lane vehicle road becomes a two-lane vehicle road with bike lanes, a turning lane, and on-street parking.

In fact, it was a push for better pedestrian infrastructure on the Prince Avenue corridor that led to the initial conception of Bike Athens back in 1992. It wasn’t until the 2000’s, however, that Bike Athens found it’s home in an actual bike shop, but it’s foundation has always been advocacy.

Long, who serves as an ex-officio member of the AiM Commission (which means he doesn’t have voting power, but simply holds an advisory role), was even a part of the citizen group that resulted in the AiM Master Plan.

The Prince Avenue Pilot Project 60-day trial period just ended on November 23, and Long—along with the portion of the Prince Ave community who supported the project—anxiously awaits the results. “This is a big deal and a very long time coming.” said Long “I hope that it gets approval from the Mayor and Commission on December 13th.”

Long’s twin passions for biking and public administration make him the ideal middleman between the Athens-Clarke County Government and the greater biking community, and it is for this reason that he is at Bike Athens.

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When Long finally became a full-time employee at Bike Athens, he started Fix Your Own Bike (FYOB) Nights at the shop on Thursday nights 6-8:30 p.m. At these events anyone can come to the shop, hang out, borrow tools, or have a volunteer assist them in fixing a problem on their bike. This is no publicity stunt; the intent is to educate. Long says he often helps people “to learn how to fix what’s broken” so they can do it themselves if it happens again.

At a FYOB Night on Thursday, Jason Perry, President of the Board of Directors for Bike Athens, dons a Bike Athens shirt written in Iron Maiden font type and cracks open a beer from the community mini fridge. “Do you like rock music?” he asks as he hands out flyers for an upcoming charity concert.

These FYOB Nights are a great way to bring people together and inform the community of upcoming events, as well as educate. Towards the end of a semester the FYOB night doesn’t bring in a heavy crowd, but according to Long, during the semester, over 50% of attendees are students. “I'm interested in looking at how we can promote bicycle mechanic skills at the college level” said Long. “It’s hard to get people to sit down and teach bicycle safety, but FYOB Nights are an attempt at that”.

Don McKim, who strolls in on his own bike, is a retired gentlemen who volunteers as a way to stay involved in the community. After a long career in the manufacturing industry, he stills like to work with his hands. “We go to the Repair Cafes at CHARM (Center for Hard to Recycle Materials) to fix anything from lamps to toasters,” said McKim, “but I’ve always been involved in bikes to some extent.” McKim is one of the shops most frequent volunteers.

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Bike Athens’ cites its goal as “equity in transportation” and it is for this reason that they make such a concerted effort to help those in need. These efforts involve a donation system that provides bikes to those that may not be able to go and buy their own.

“I do what I do because I understand the impact that this work has on the lives of the people we serve.” said Long. “For those that are able to use a bike as transportation, it can be the fastest way to lift someone out of poverty and an incredible resource to improve their life.”

On a Thursday just after lunch, a man rolls up on an old refurbished mountain bike; he has a backpack with him and a thick layer of clothes for the cold winter ahead. His bike’s brakes are malfunctioning and he is here to see if the problem is fixable. While waiting to be served, he talks cordially with Long about his situation. He and his wife are homeless. His bike, a gift from Bike Athens, has been a blessing for him.

While Long struggles to attach training wheels to a small pink bike, the man with the mountain bike bends down to hold it upright so Long can find the proper fitting bolt. After fixing one bike, Long helps the man with his. This exchange is not uncommon for Bike Athens, but you wouldn’t expect to find this type of humanity elsewhere.

“I really appreciate you, man!” the patron said as he rolled off with newly tuned brakes.

Bike Athens relies on the generosity of others to do what it does. Donations are key and it is the network that Long and the volunteers of Bike Athens have built that make such humanitarian efforts possible.

“With a few dollars worth of spare parts and my expertise, I can make a bike safe to ride and reliable for someone who depends on it for their family's economic security,” said Long.

In the near future Long hopes to use the grant to purchase a van to have a mobile repair shop that can bring our programming to different parts of the community.

“People have all sorts of problems and challenges in their lives,” said Long. “Generally I can address the bike problems pretty quickly, perhaps giving them the time and space to work on the other stuff.”