We’ll have the Bike Lab workshop open tomorrow, December 3, from 5-7p.m. Bring a bike and/or a friend. We’ll work on your bike, donated bikes, or spruce up the shop.
See you there!
The Bike Lab
A community workshop for Harrisonburg and Rockingham County, Virginia
Maybe you came last month for our First Tuesdays Open Workshop and wondered why no one was there. Well, it’s because we forgot, and we are very sorry.
But we’re back baby!
Come hangout today from 5-7 p.m. Work on bikes or just enjoy some good company. Bring some food or drinks if you want.
See. You. There.
We’re open again tomorrow evening, August 6, from 5-7 p.m. for our First Tuesdays open workshops. Drop in for a bit or stay the whole time. Bring your bike or a friend or your friend’s bike or all three.
This is a low-key time to hangout, have fun, and work on bikes. Hope to see you there!
We’re on again this evening for our First Tuesdays Open Workshops nights from 5-7 p.m. Come hangout, shoot the ship, and work on bikes (if you want to). Everyone is welcome!
Join us every first Tuesday from 5-7 p.m. for open workshop at The Bike Lab. Have some fun socializing while working on donated bikes, your own bike, or sprucing up the shop.
All ages, interests, and experience welcome.
Hope to see you there!
We’ve always assumed the shop space for the Learn-a-Bike program would be used for more than just Learn-a-Bike. But we’ve only ever referred to it in relation to the program. But in reality, a lot more than just Learn-a-Bike happens here. So to be more accurate and to provide a better foundation for future branding and marketing of this space, we hereby christen it The Bike Lab!
The Bike Lab is currently home to Learn-a-Bike, Wyse Cycles @ The Bike Lab, Bikes for Refugees, and the EMU course LARTS 256: Commuter Cycling. And we hope to add more programs to that list in the coming months. If you have an idea for a program that would work well in our space, please contact us! We’d be happy to help you make your idea a reality.
The learnabike.org website is no more. You can now find information about Learn-a-Bike at thebikelab.org/learn-a-bike. Our email address has also changed to [email protected].
Please join us for an open house at the Learn-a-Bike workshop this Wednesday, June 21, 2017 at 5:30 p.m.
The open house will include a brief presentation by Learn-a-Bike staff about recent program updates, our partnership with Bikes for Refugees, and what we hope to accomplish in the coming year.
Drinks and snacks provided!
Learn-a-Bike has been gaining momentum in our community, and we seek to increase its impact.
What is Learn-a-Bike?
(L)earn-a-Bike is a program in the Harrisonburg/Rockingham area built on a long standing partnership between Harrisonburg Gift & Thrift Shops, Inc. and Virginia’s Department of Juvenile Justice. Its current objective is to provide local at-risk youth practical hands-on learning mediated by positive, enthusiastic role models. This is accomplished in a bicycle shop setting with a 2 to 1 participant-instructor ratio. Over fifty court appointed youth have been referred to the (L)earn-a-Bike program since its inception.
The course provides opportunities for: skill-building, collaborative problem solving, and practical and sustainable transportation: a bicycle. During the 16 hours of structured classroom time, each student tears down a donated bicycle, services its components, and reassembles it. Upon completion of the class, students are given the choice to either keep the bike, or donate it to a partner organization, Bicycles for Refugees, as a viable transportation option for a local refugee.
In addition to the current roles mentioned above, we are also in the process of creating a Community Bike Shop. We believe this shop and the current programs have tremendous growth opportunity that can ripple out into our community with positive effects. We envision a safe and supportive environment for marginalized members of our community to learn pro-social skills while honing mechanical and other pertinent abilities. Development of such crucial tools creates the opportunity for individuals to apply themselves in productive ways throughout our community and beyond. We can make a difference in our community by empowering others to make a difference in their lives.
Here is how you can help:
- Donate $25 (provides snacks for a class)
- Donate $50 (provides parts to refurbish a bike)
- Donate $250 (1 student completes a class)
- Donate $500 (2 students complete a class)
- Any donation amount is appreciated
- Bicycle donations are welcome
Checks payable to “Harrisonburg Gift & Thrift” with Bike Program in the memo, please.
For more information, please contact Shannon Secrist at
(540) 433-8844 or email [email protected].
View this information as a PDF flyer.
We’re happy to announce that Learn-a-Bike is now partnering with Bikes for Refugees, an initiative of the Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Coalition, to help local refugees get access to bicycles and bicycle riding instruction. Bikes for Refugees is now storing all their bikes and parts at Learn-a-Bike, and will be using our workshop space and tools to get their donated bikes into tip-top shape before they’re given a new home.
You can donate bikes to Learn-a-Bike or Bikes for Refugees at the Gift & Thrift donation drop off. Just let a Gift & Thrift employee know where you’d like to designate your donation. Tax-deductible receipts are available.
Bicycle Repair Gatherings
Edit Jan 2018 – Repair gatherings are on hold for now.
Bicycle repair gatherings for Bikes for Refugees are now happening the first and third Wednesdays of every month from 5:00 – 8:30 p.m. at the Learn-a-bike workshop. Stop by and help out. There’s no need to RSVP.
(Photo by Sandra Parks)
This Saturday begins our 11th Learn-a-Bike cohort. With each iteration we get a little better at running this place, formalizing a process here or improving a resource there. This website is just one example of that.
More to come. Stay tuned.
© 2020 The Bike Lab