St. George Bicycle Collective celebrates one year of operation
By Kristine Crandall
The St. George Bicycle Collective celebrated its one-year birthday Oct. 27. One year ago, the collective moved to its current location at 70 W. St. George Blvd. The City of St. George, which owns the property, donated the lease to the collective, giving it a place to do its magic. The collective’s shop has become a beloved place for people to come together, give back to the community, and have a lot of fun in the process.
For those who have yet to meet the collective, here is its increasingly relevant mission statement: to promote cycling as an effective and sustainable form of transportation, recreation, and as a cornerstone of a cleaner, healthier, and safer society. The collective provides refurbished bicycles and educational programs to the community, focusing on children and lower-income households.
There is a lot to unpack in this mission. Starting first with the more obvious elements, the collective provides a welcoming, self help bike shop with bikes and gear for sale and a strong focus on repairs. Judith Rognli, the collective’s director, has overseen hundreds of volunteers who have contributed thousands of hours to the collective. In the last year, the collective sold and donated 500 bikes with many recipients of those bikes also receiving training on how to fix them. It has two bike mechanics, Joel Flores and Zach Bolton, plus is hiring another to teach bike mechanic skills and help with sales and outreach in the shop.
Behind all of this, though, is even more than meets the eye. As the saying goes, give a person a fish and he has a meal that day; give a person a fishing pole and the world of opportunity opens wide. This applies beautifully to the collective, especially as it ramps up programs to teach kids about bike mechanics and safety. The collective recently hired Amy Osness in a brand-new position of youth program coordinator.
The sky is the limit for youth programs ranging from teaching kids in low-income families about bike repair and safety, holding bike fix events at schools, and offering summer camps. The end result includes getting kids excited about bicycling, providing those in need with bikes for transportation, creating a community space for kids to come, and teaching them marketable skills.
“We’re creating a culture in which biking feels like an achievement, in which it’s cool and fun, something that makes us happy, and something that makes us feel that we belong,” said Rognli. A key part of this vision includes stimulating a culture that supports and values riding bikes for transportation.
With a big smile, Rognli mentions a young man who “earned” a bike at the collective, performing work at the store repairing bikes to get his own bike. He has “turned into a true champion,” she reports.
“Last I heard, four of his friends now ride bikes for transportation because of his example,” Rognli said. This is the kind of circling back around and infectious buzz that is at the heart of the collective.
As the St. George Bicycle Collective continues to expand its outreach, it has the effect of increasing our community’s quality of life. Rognli sees this larger picture. Her hope is that it “will get increasingly simple and natural to ride instead of drive.” Amid the backdrop of the area’s incredible beauty and weather, the collective is demonstrating how the bicycle is a powerful symbol and agent of creating positive change.
To learn more about the collective including donating bikes, volunteering, and joining in fun bike-centric activities, visit its shop at 70 W. St. George Blvd. or go to bicyclecollective.org.
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