Broke Spoke

May 18, 2008

Deb Samuel was the not-so-proud owner of four bikes —- three with flats and one with a missing pedal. They were moldering in her garage before she joined an all-volunteer group called Broke Spoke.
Now the bikes are fixed and she’s cycling 20 miles round-trip from her home in Holiday Hills to Cedar Ridge in Traverse City where she works as a nurse at Northwest Surgical Center.
Samuel knows how to fix a flat if she needs to, and always has a spare bike tube on hand. “It’s very empowering,” she says
Samuel says she was one of legions who didn’t ride a bike to work simply because she couldn’t seem to find the time or the money to fix her perfectly serviceable bike. Now she borders on actual confidence with her faithful Allen wrenches.
Broke Spoke is located in the loading dock of Higher Grounds Coffee Bar at the Grand Traverse Commons in Traverse City. It’s a fully-equipped workshop where members can fix their bikes, often with the help of other volunteers. Qualifying members can use the workshop and tools at any time (as long as they abide by the rules and leave the work area neat). Specialized repair workshops are in the works for people lacking fix-it skills.
Broke Spoke is open every Sunday afternoon from 12 to 4 p.m. That’s when a volunteer will be on hand to help with questions, although not necessarily repair expertise.

DAWN OF AN IDEA
The group is the brainchild of Alita Townsend, Dennis Bean Larson (a fixed gear enthusiast), and Lou Blouin. On one August day last summer, they were sitting in Higher Grounds, talking about the idea of a community place to fix bikes, especially for people who live in condos and apartments who have no room for tools.
“We thought, let’s just get some tools and have an affordable place where people can take care of their own bike. A lot of members have $50 bikes or hand-me-downs or are converting 10-speeds to fixed gear,” said Townsend, who also works at Higher Grounds.
Chris and Jody Treter, owners of Higher Grounds, thought it was a great idea, being huge supporters of cycling. In fact, Higher Grounds hires bicycle messengers to make in-town coffee deliveries. So the Treters donated their loading dock space and repair tools.
Since then, the group grew well beyond apartment dwellers, and 40 people have joined as members. Cost is $20 per person or $30 for a family.
Samuel rides for fun now, but she also rides to work –- except in drenching rain -- to save money. “I’m a single mom with kids, and it was killing me, the gas prices.”

For more information or to join the co-op, email brokespokecoop@gmail.com or stop by the workshop on Sundays from noon to 4 p.m.