Flat tires and broken chains will no longer be an excuse to relegate one’s bicycle to a lifetime sentence in the garage now that a new community-run bicycle repair shop is up and running.

The Good Life Community Bike Shop opened June 9 near the southeast entrance of Eau Claire Market, a convenient location for bike commuters, and intends to empower Calgary riders by educating them on the ins and outs of bicycle maintenance.

“There is a myth that owning a bicycle is expensive or that bikes are difficult to repair,” says Shannon Woloshyn, a volunteer with the Good Life Team. “The reality is with the proper tools and education, owning and maintaining a bike is very rewarding, especially when you factor in the environmental and health benefits.”

With support from the Wheels of Self-Reliance program at the Calgary Drop-In Centre and members of the U of C Campus Bike initiative, The Good Life provides free drop-in repair tutorials and workshops on bicycle safety and commuting, and is planning repair clinics along Calgary’s bike pathways. People are encouraged to recycle their old bikes and parts, which will be used to build vintage road bikes, and be sold by for $60 to $200 to help cover operating costs. The shop is currently supported by community grants from Mountain Equipment Co-op and Alberta Eco Trust Foundation.

“Most major North American cities have a community bike shop or collective, but we are unique in that our services are free and we are fully community-run,” says Woloshyn.

Aiming to be inclusive, the shop is open to any and all, regardless of experience or ability, and offers free membership. Members will have access to both tools and repair advice. Woloshyn hopes people will become engaged and educated enough with the shop and the community that they themselves will become volunteers. Those who put in 10 hours of volunteering will be allowed to attend meetings and provide input into the shop’s operations and events. “If you can understand your bike better it’s going to encourage people to bike more because they’ve fixed it themselves,” she says.

The Good Life is currently accepting sponsorships, bike donations and volunteer assistance. For more information or to make a contribution people can contact the shop by e-mail at info@goodlifebikes.ca. (TH)