The Bike House Offers Friendly, Cheap Bicycle Repairs
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.