Cleveland has a large bike building shop in the flats which I once visited. Off the top of my head I can't recall the organization's name. They take donations of old bikes and bike parts. Their main mission is education. They offer bike mechanic classes to inner city kids. The deal is the kids come to the shop to work for a set amount of time disassembling old bikes and cleaning and restoring parts. Then they are taught to fix and assemble bikes. Finally they get to put together parts to make a bike they get to keep. The extra parts and cobbled together bikes are sold cheap around the community. The money this brings in pays for the space and keeps the lights turned on. It's a great program. I believe they also sponsor events. I'll look them up and post a link for the curious.

Thanks Pippi and cudo's to YOU for raising your family 100% Car-free!
The whole planet would be healthier if more families did that!
It's pleasing to hear of more communities having a place like Poky Free Bikes becuase not everyone can afford a decent made Bicycle and as a former bike mechanic(like you and your husband) WE know that a darn GOOD reliable bike can be built totally out of boxes of "junk bike parts" The bike you build in these shops will hold up better than ANYTHING you could buy in places like Wal-Mart even though the entire Bike is made up of very old parts.
The Mt Bike I am currently building for my 65 yr old partner will be "the last Bike he ever owns" becuase it WILL hold up over time,unlike those shiny NEW Pacifics and Schwinns at Wal-Mart that LOOK great on the racks and then totally fall apart within two seasons just in "Normal Use". And then there's a ceartain ammount of pride and thrill to building your own Bike from scratch! I built my first 10 speed racing bike from "a Cro-mo frame and scrap parts" over 35 years ago. Bike building is like Bike riding,once youv'e done it you never forget how!

In November of 08 the Mayor of Pocatello attempted to shut down Poky Free Bikes saying:
"that space could be put to BETTER use and besides,there are three Bicycle Shops plus Wal-Mart and Fred Meyers to buy Bicycles from in this Town,we dont NEED a free place to build and repair bikes here"
Fuk'n Dickwad Huh? Wal-Mart and Fred's Bwhahahah! those arent Bicycles they are "throwaway junk bikes"! and like everyone in this little Mt Town has 300+ cash to plunk down at the local Bike Shops for a basic bike ...Yeah!
Four Members of Poky Free Bikes went to petition the City Hall and with a LOT of outcry from the Town,we got to keep our space!