• Mask policy
    • At Elmira Community Cycle, we require the wearing of a mask over the mouth and nose to help combat the spread of COVID-19 and any other virus/illness that could be contagious. A mask will be provided at the door but we recommend you bring your own. The health and safety of our most vulnerable community members is important to us, and masking makes our space more accessible.
  • Do we sell bikes?
    • At Elmira Community Cycle, we do not sell bikes. Our shop’s mission is to provide the community with free education in repairing their own bicycles and participation in our Adopt-a-Bike program. However, we do have a small number of bicycles that can be adopted for a sliding scale donation that are repaired and safety checked by our volunteers.
  • Do we repair bikes?
    • We are volunteers and do not repair bikes that are already someone’s personal property. Once in the shop and paired with a volunteer mechanic, a participant will learn to repair their own bike with the aid of said mechanic. One should not expect to be able to drop off a bike and pick it up later or expect to be able to pay for a repair service. Elmira Community Cycle’s mission is to educate our participants on how to repair their bikes themselves.
  • Do we do trades?
    • We do not trade bikes or bike parts. We do accept the donations of bikes and parts. We do reserve the right to refuse any donation for any reason.
  • Can I keep my own bike at the shop if it’s not ready to ride? Bike storage?
    • Elmira Community Cycle does not offer any bike storage whatsoever.  If you are adopting a bike that was already here we require it to stay here until cleared for safety.
  • No gas powered bikes/ebike part repairs
    • Elmira Community Cycle operates with bicycle mechanics that work exclusively with non- motorized bicycles. We do not possess the tools or expertise to offer aid or education in the area of gas-powered motors or electric motors attached to bicycles.
  • How do we differ from a retail bike shop?
    • Elmira Community Cycle is a volunteer and donation run community bike shop. This differs from a retail bike shop in various ways. Our community bike shop does not offer services like bike repairs, bicycle purchases, or parts purchases in exchange for a set retail price. We offer a mutual aid program where community members  volunteer their time and skills to the general community in learning how to maintain and repair their own bicycles.
  • Who funds us?
    • Elmira Community Cycle is funded primarily through donations from the community we serve. Cash and electronic donations are collected during shop hours from participants and the public at large. ECC is also funded through grants from organizations such as the Community Foundation and periodic fundraisers like our annual plant sale held in May.
  • Bike rentals?
    • Elmira Community Cycle does not offer bike rentals.
  • Do you have parts?
    • Yes. Elmira Community Cycle has collected a wide array of parts from numerous donated bikes and part donations. All parts are available to the public for any donation.  We also have some new parts available for a sliding scale donation
  • How do I adopt a bike?
    • Elmira Community Cycle’s Adopt-a-Bike program is our most popular offering to the community. We accept donated bikes that have the capacity to be repaired to a safe, fully functional bicycle and identify all that would need to be repaired in order to bring them to a safe riding standard. Our volunteers then hang them on our walls in the shop for selection. Anyone from the community can choose one bike per year from the walls to adopt. Our volunteer mechanics will then assist in fitting the bike to the participant, identifying and guiding the participant through the repairs, and teaching the participant how to ride the bike if needed. Once a participant selects the bike they wish to adopt and it is approved by a volunteer, they may begin working on the bike. Once a bike is worked on, the adoptee has to regularly return (within two weeks) to work on the bike until it is finished. If more than two weeks has elapsed between sessions it becomes available for another participant to adopt. Any participant should expect no less than three two-hour sessions to complete the bike repairs.  A bike is complete when a volunteer safety checks and approves the bike and it is test ridden.