By Kaye Coholan
The University of Calgary’s bicycle club has once again found a place to call home.
Bike Root, a cooperative student group that runs a do-it-yourself bike shop, has settled into a garage not far from the university’s main gates after having lost its on-campus home in July 2010.
The organization’s volunteer and member coordinator Brendan Groat said the shop’s former location at the MacKimmie loading docks was temporarily made available by the university during the construction of the Taylor Family Digital Library.
“We knew that eventually we’d lose that space,” he said. “But it happened really fast.”
With only a month’s notice the group was unable to secure a new location and the tools, parts and equipment went into storage for more than a year.
The momentum Bike Root had been building since it was founded in 2008 skidded to a halt.
“Last year our members dwindled. It hindered our functionality to not have a space,” Groat said. “Such a big part of what we do is shop space.”
Co-founder Justin Brown agreed that closing the shop was a great detriment to the group. “Losing the space kind of ripped the heart out of Bike Root,” he said. “It’s hard to maintain a community without a central place to do it.”
Brown, who has moved on to a position with the university’s sustainability office, said he feared the work that went into creating Bike Root during his undergraduate studies would be all for nothing once it no longer had a home.
“There’s a group of us who put our heart and soul into it, contributed thousands of volunteer hours,” he said. “To see it wash away was a definite worry.”
But the group now has a second wind, after a U of C professor offered space in a home on Uxbridge Drive near the university that is used to house research fellows. A former tenant suggested that the house’s empty garage could be made available to Bike Root, according to Groat.
“He really liked what Bike Root is about,” Groat said, adding that the new shop space is “awesome.”
The group’s key focus is promoting bicycle use. “We do that by having a shop so that people can come and have access to any tools, and also having mechanics here who can show you what to do,” Groat said.
Bike Root also participates in local events, such as having a tune-tent at the Calgary Folk Music Festival and a bike valet at the Hillhurst Sunnyside Farmer’s Market. And when the group had more space it ran a bike library, which allowed members to borrow bicycles free of charge.
For Groat, Bike Root is an example of the university’s sustainability effort. “When we’re out at festivals and events in the city, automatically people see the university out and about in the community,” he said. “Every time we tell people we’ve got a new space they’re super excited.”
Though Bike Root has found a new location, the group’s organizers are negotiating with university administration to find a permanent home on campus, which would be more ideal, said external coordinator Julie Bogle.
“They [university administrators] have a process for space allocation. We have to follow their lead and continue dialogue,” she said. “Last year we also looked into opportunities with the MacEwan Student Centre, but unfortunately there was no space at that time.”
Because Bike Root is a cooperative, finances are restrictive when it comes to securing a location.
“One thing we did in preparation for these space negotiations is we put together a new business plan that really lays out how we’ve done our business in the past,” Bogle said. “If we do have to pay for a space that would definitely be an obstacle for us.”
The original location at the MacKimmie loading docks was provided free of charge on a temporary basis and the current location is being provided in exchange for some basic property maintenance.
Currently, a $10 membership fee provides free use of the Bike Root shop and access to club events. Though Bike Root administrators have considered increasing user fees, they would prefer to explore other options.
“We currently have it set at $10 and that’s what we’d like to keep it at,” Bogle said. “It’s fair and accessible to everyone.”
The not-for-profit, U of C Students’ Union sanctioned club relies on the work of volunteers to keep its wheels turning and welcomes those willing to contribute their time.
“Anyone who wants to help in any way is awesome,” Groat said. Bike Root seeks volunteers with a range of skill sets, not just those applying to bicycle repair, because there is a significant administrative side to the group as it is also a registered Alberta society.
A potential volunteer is anyone who “likes bikes and wants to help out,” Groat said.
Geoff Patterson, a third-year biological sciences student who has volunteered for Bike Root for over two years, said he hopes to see the Bike Root community grow again with its new location.
“It was really hard to actually get events organized because we didn’t have a central hub,” Patterson said. “A lot of what we did geared around having tools and having a shop.”
For those considering becoming a volunteer, he says “Do it.”
“You won’t regret it,” Patterson said. “Working on bikes is a good time, a good stress relief from studies, and just a healthy community to be in.”
Groat, a first-year education student who spent part of his summer riding across Europe, is passionate about cycling. “I love Bike Root because it promotes something that’s so beneficial in so many ways,” he said.
“There are so many people that on campus, biking is their main way to get around.”