An eye-opening new report from Shimano reveals the drop off rates when people feel it is too hard, or too expensive to get their bike serviced.
Also, the rate of past to current bike ownership is cause for concern.
That said, the UK comes off well...
Fremont’s trailside bike shop/coffee shop Cycle & Coffee has ‘unexpectedly’ closed
The shop in the snow, February 2025. From the Cycle & Coffee facebook page.Housed in a small building in the middle of an industrial parking lot just off the Burke-Gilman Trail, Cycle & Coffee (AKA “PIM” for “Power In Motion”) has been fixing and selling bikes since 2018. They shifted to start also selling coffee to people through their bike- or drive-up window in 2019, and the shop slowly transformed from a bike shop that sells coffee to a half bike shop/half coffee shop and eventually to mostly a coffee shop that also fixes up vintage bikes. The beloved and quirky fixture in the neighborhood announced Thursday that they would “unexpectedly” shut down as of January 15.
In a short statement on Instagram, the company said they were “unable to survive the skyrocketing costs of doing business in Seattle, particularly in food service.”
Our Friends and Loyal Customers at Cycle & Coffee (Lovingly known as PIM):
Unfortunately and unexpectedly, today was out last day open as a business. Like many other businesses, we have been unable to survive the skyrocketing costs of doing business in Seattle, particularly in food service.
We are hoping that this is not the official end of Cycle & Coffee, and that a new owner will continue this community. For now though, this is it for us.
We want to thank all of our loyal friends and customers who have been there for us for all of these years and made this job worth coming to. We will see all of you around town!
And to our baristas and bike mechanics: thank you for the memories, friendship, and laughter.
The bike shop portion of the business shifted away from full service repairs. “We are shifting our focus as a shop to align with our passion for restoring and customizing vintage bikes, and doing custom builds for folks getting into using bikes as transportation for commuting, bike touring and bikepacking,” the shop wrote in a note to customers in July 2025.
It’s awful news to lose yet another bike shop in Seattle, though this one is particularly frustrating because it seemed like PIM was working hard to adapt and innovate around what a modern bike shop could look like, mixing coffee service and bike repair while also working with the peculiarities of their location. While the standard bike shop model is facing serious challenges in today’s brick-and-mortar small business environment, we need businesses to keep experimenting the way PIM did. I hope the shop can find new ownership to keep it going.
In case you needed another reminder, support your local bike shop! Bike shops are vital bicycle infrastructure, and what they do cannot be replaced by a website. Don’t buy that bike thing online, order it through a shop. The mechanics there may even have a suggestion for a better option. We cannot afford to keep losing full-service bike shops.
#SEAbikes #Seattle
Ophelia "Ophie” Chavez
10 July 1943 - 8 June 2025
Ophie was known and loved by the bike community as part owner of Winning Wheels Bicycle Shop in Pacific Grove 1986-2024. Some were unaware of her many other talents, e.g., “her patience and kindness with the children earned her the Anne Sullivan Award – a county-wide peer nominated award for educators who exemplify compassion and guidance with children with disabilities.” Learn more about Ophie: https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/pacific-grove-ca/ophelia-chavez-12411170
Memorial mass Wednesday, June 25, 10 a.m. at St. Angela Merici Church, Pacific Grove https://stangelamericipacificgrove.org/find-us, followed by burial at El Carmelo Cemetery on Asilomar Ave https://www.cityofpacificgrove.gov/our_city/departments/cemetery/index.php. Immediately after a celebration of Ophie’s life will follow at American Legion Hall Post 41 at 1110 Veterans Drive, Monterey.
#bikeshops : if you make disobliging remarks to your patrons when they bring a dirty bike, it means that you operate a shop for hobbyists only, and you should advertise it as such.
I drive my lovely bike more than 2 hours a day to commute to work through a dirty city. I'm not cleaning it from top to bottom for you every time I need to get a squeak fixed.
Is 2025 the year you become a community bike mechanic?
From Seattle REconomy on Bluesky.Got some bike fixing knowledge you want to put to good use in 2025? Or do you have an interest in learning and improving your bike repair skills? Volunteer with a community bike program near you!
One of the greatest strengths of bicycling for transportation is its resilience. When a car dashboard throws up a warning light, there’s not much the average person can do other than take it to a shop and brace themselves for an estimate that will likely cost as much as a new bicycle. But with bikes, you have more options. You can take it to a shop to have professionals do the job to perfection, or you can save some money by trying to do it yourself. Not everyone wants to learn bike repair, which is fine. That’s a big reason why bike shops are such important bike infrastructure. But for those who do want to learn (or can’t afford professional shop time), Seattle has great community resources available that run on community donations and generous volunteer power.
Bike Shack Shoreline and NE Seattle
Initially an independent community bike repair org housed in an actual shack, the Bike Shack is now part of Seattle REconomy’s tool libraries in NE Seattle and Shoreline. Anyone can become a Tool Library member and bring their bike to the Bike Shack during open hours and use the shop tools and ask for assistance from volunteers (though you can drop-in, it’s best to fill out a Request for Assistance form on their website to let them know what kind of work you need).
The Bike Shack recently put out a call for volunteer bike mechanics for both locations. Previous experience is not required.
The Bikery
The Bikery is a volunteer-powered community bike shop on Hiawatha Place near Rainier and Dearborn. They have open shop hours on weekends as well as volunteer build nights and other events. They often have openings for board members and other work within the organization if that’s more your speed.
Bike Works
Though Bike Works is primarily dedicated to youth programming, bicycle reuse and their bike shop, they also have weekly adult volunteer repair parties where people of all skill levels can work on fixing up bikes to support their programs. It’s a great way to get hand-on experience and learn from experienced mechanics, though it is not geared toward fixing your own bike. Once you’re in, you may find yourself doing all kinds of other volunteer work to support this great community organization, and you’ll have a great time doing it. Unlike the other organizations on this list, the Bike Works shop is staffed by paid mechanics. But they are generous about costs, especially for folks who don’t have the funds to pay full shop prices.
The Center for Bicycle Repair
The Center for Bicycle Repair is a small bike shop on Jackson Street near 10th Ave S that focuses both on helping people keep their wheels rolling and on teaching the basics of bicycle repair through classes.
Other opportunities
This list is not exhaustive. There are other organizations beyond Seattle, like Sharing Wheels in Everett, and some bike shops like Wright Brothers also have community programs or classes of some kind. Ask your local mechanic if they know of anything nearby.
Have a favorite bike repair volunteer gig that you want to share? Let us know in the comments below.
#SEAbikes #Seattle
From Seattle REconomy on Bluesky. Got some bike fixing knowledge you want to put to good use in 2025? Or do you have an interest in learning and improving your bike repair skills? Volunteer with a community bike program near you! One of the greatest strengths of bicycling for transportation is its resilience. When a…
It’s #SeaOtterClassic week in #Monterey County—a 4-day Celebration of #Cycling, April 18-21, 2024. A hearty welcome to our favorite kind of visitors: people who #bike!
Get #MontereyCounty bicycling tips at https://bikemonterey.org, e.g., list of local #BikeShops https://bikemonterey.org/tips-for-tourists/need-something-maam, bike maps https://bikemonterey.org/2023-bicycle-map-for-monterey-county.html, local bike-on-sidewalk ordinances https://bikemonterey.org/biking-on-sidewalks-plus-examples-of-ordinances-from-monterey-county-california.html, and much more.
Other Spring Bike Buzz https://bikemonterey.org/bike-buzz-spring-2024-news-from-bicycling-monterey.html.
California poppies and many other flowers are in full bloom here. Enjoy!
#BikeTooter #MontereyCounty #BicyclingMonterey #BikeMonterey #SeaOtterClassic #BikeFestival #celebration #cycling #festival #Spring2024 #California
@ascentale @or Tagging @HayiWena, who served faithfully and long on the board of a community bike shop, in case she feels moved to weigh in on your question about starting a bike collective.
#BikeNite #BikeTooter #BikeShops #CommunityBikeShops #collectives #BikeCollectives
G&O Family Cyclery is closing after ten years
https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/2024/01/12/go-family-cyclery-is-closing-after-ten-years/
#SEAbikes #Seattle
Pedego Seattle is closing August 31
https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/2023/08/15/pedego-seattle-is-closing-august-31/
CyclingElectric
Tom Fucoloro
Bicycling Monterey 💚🌎🌍🌏
themroc
BarbChamberlain
Ioan