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Courtesy The Bike House
Risen from the ashes of Chain Reaction, D.C’s erstwhile bike co-op, the Bike House is a small encampment behind Qualia Coffee on Georgia Ave., and consists of little more than an awning, a table full of tools, and the boundless enthusiasm of its roughly 25 volunteers. So small is their outfit that I probably would never have found it if I hadn’t stumbled upon their booth at this weekend’s Green Your Home Expo.
In most cases, entering a bike co-op is daunting by design. Many mechanics have earned a reputation as being impatient elitists, looking down their pierced noses at anyone who thinks a cassette refers not to gears, but what one might listen to in one’s Cutlass Ciera while rocking a Flock of Seagulls haircut.
Not so with the Bike House. My arrival on Saturday was met with a warm greeting and the almost immediate hoisting of my bike onto the repair stand. My mechanic, whose name was Brian, was half bicycle maestro (spandex shorts, Cannondale racing jersey), half amiable hippie (bare feet, long hair, easy smile). Though the Bike House currently has neither parts nor bikes, its volunteers are happy to channel their limited resources into fixing whatever they can. If I return next Saturday, Brian said, I would be greeted with a collection of seat posts to choose from to replace my stolen one.
In the meantime, I figured it certainly couldn’t hurt to tighten my loose brakes, adjust my wobbly wheels, and put a stop once and for all to the sinister mechanism that causes my chain to liberate itself whenever I approach a hill. Brian showed me, and anyone else who cared to watch, the reason and solution to each of my bike’s maladies, from why it shifted funny (crooked rear derailleur) to how to prevent the chain from slipping (adjusting the limit screws). Though this service is technically free of charge, the Bike House happily accepts donations, and recommends $5-$10 per hour of service. Though they initially asked for small donations, the Bike House has been such a success that they are no longer accepting money, underscoring their goal of keeping profit out of the picture and focusing instead on just one thing: biking.
The Bike House is open on Saturdays from 12-3 p.m. "until it gets cold," and is located behind Qualia Coffee at 3917 Georgia Ave., NW. Show up if you have something that needs fixing, or just enjoy bikes and friendly, bike-loving people.
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Remember Sommer, you should never ride a bike drunk.
i need to get an opinion on whether a bike tire i have with a hole in it is worth patching or if i should get it replaced. the tube is starting to stick out as if through a herniated muscle...
get a new tire, rapido
Do they repair ghost bikes?
Oh no you di'nt
Repair nuthin! Do you guys exorcise ghost bikes?
The power of Christ compels you to GTFO of Dupont Circle!
A ghost bike threw me down the exorcist stairs.
This needs to be on a DCist tshirt.
Absolutely. Right behind Molly!
On a whale cake!
I offer a similar repair service for women who suffer from hysteria. My patented technique involves lots of Barry White and a specially designed ghost bike with no seat which actually coaxes the detached uterus back into its proper location.
We should have the guy from the Gothamist article (http://gothamist.com/2009/09/08/video_bike_thief_gets_beatdown.php) have his fun with any remaining (or future) ghost bikes around Connecticut and R Streets. After he's done, we'll beat him back up towards NYC.
People who post videos of themselves beating other human beings are lame, Bro. Even when said human being is a piece of sh*t, Bro.
IMGoph-
Even though you can patch an eye, you cannot patch a bicycle tire. Replace it.
thanks, asl, that's what i figured. who has the cheapest tires in town? the bike rack is closest to work, and capitol hill bikes is probably closest to my house....
And be sure to fill those innertubes up with sealant. I lost track of all the bike tires I lost to jagged $h!t lying in gutters, sidewalks, and the roads. DC has to have the stabbiest roads of any major metropolis. They eat bike and car tires for breakfast and $h!t nails, tacks, and hunks of jagged sheet metal.
Please don't use sealant, it burn your skin and eyes, and relationship with mechanics!
Just keep your tire pressure up, once a week ideally.
performance or rollins cycles on 14th just south of rhoide island
a folded dollar bill placed between the tube and the tire can be a nice temp boot, allowing you to ride to the shop. The fiber structure of paper money makes it good for that.
wow, thanks for all the recommendations, folks. much appreciated!
One step closer to a Weekly Feed for Qualia?
Okay, it's a BIKE! HOUSE! But is it mighty mighty?
That's no bike house. THIS is a bike house.
the bike house has no relationshipwith chain reaction, rollins bikes on 14th was created by ex chain reaction people. Neither was a co-op.
that's a very good and needed point of clarification as the article never says they're related to chain reaction. i'd, after reading your post, like to add that there's no relationship between rollins bikes and kmart either.