IU Surplus made a donation of roughly 40 bikes and bike parts to the Bloomington Community Bike Project after receiving bikes from IU Parking Operations the first week of September, according to an IU press release.
The Bloomington Community Bike Project is a local cooperative that helps the city of Bloomington by recycling back into the community, according to the project’s website.
The Bike Project’s location at the corner of Madison Street and the B-line Trail is much more accessible than the IU Surplus Building, store manager of IU Surplus Todd Reid said in a press release. This is part of the reason why IU Surplus donated the bikes to the project.
The Bike Project sells refurbished bikes and helps people find bike parts. It shows people how to fix their bikes and runs community events and programs focusing on bikes, community and sustainability, volunteer Pealer Brynlarski said.
The most popular of these projects is Earn-a-Bike, where people volunteer for three hours working in the shop and then take home one of the many bikes in the shop, Brynlarski said.
“We help run it as volunteers, but it’s really a public place. It’s a place where we can all come together,” Brynlarski said.
Other projects include maintenance classes organized frequently to teach people how to repair their bikes, as well as a weekly ladies night forum where women and girls can learn about and work on bikes with a staff of all-female volunteers, according to the Bike Project website.
“The Bike Project is about being practical and self-sufficient,” Brynlarski said.
About half of the donated bikes will be sold in the shop, and half will be refurbished and used for the Earn-a-Bike program. Bikes sold in the shop can go from $50 to $200 each.
“A bike opens up a new realm of possibilities,” Brynlarski said.
