Fortunately, this time of year is when bicyclists get out!
Unfortunately, this time of year is when bicycle thieves get out too.

And from anecdotal evidence, it seems like this year the bad guys are out in force. Here are a couple quick tips for keeping your bicycle safe:
1. If at all possible, keep your bicycle inside at night.
2. Take a few minutes to assess the best place to lock your bicycle. Directly outside of a movie theater, for example, isn’t the best place. It is a pretty safe assumption you’ll be inside for two hours. Instead, walk a block away and park it in front of a restaurant patio where passive eyes deter potential thieves.
3. Have a good lock. Depending on where you lock up and how long your bicycle will be locked up, the general rule is spend 10-15% of your bicycle’s value on security.
4. Check how other bicycles around yours are locked up. If they’re all heavily secured and you have only a flimsy cable lock, your bicycle will likely be the target of that rack. Try and be the best locked bicycle in the rack!
5. Check out Sheldon Brown’s locking strategy page. If you have any other questions, want a visual tutorial, or just want to talk locks and other strategies, feel free to email Erik at erkslbrg@gmail.com. He’s a lock nerd and a bike nerd. So locking bikes? Right up his alley.

One final note:
If something does happen to a bicycle of yours, remember you are the victim. Don’t put up with people who say “Well you shouldn’t have done…” or “You should have done…” Someone made a conscious decision to steal something of yours. While it is a sad fact, P2P does help a lot of people get rolling again after a stolen bicycle. Come by the shop, put up a flyer for your bike, and let’s get you rolling again.

And don’t forget to hydrate up this weekend!

If you need a lot of space and quiet to work on your bike, Mondays will be a good time to do it. Not ALL Mondays, but on random Mondays, our newest Board Member, Eric, will be staffing the shop.

Check our Facebook page to see if we’re going to be open or not–usually from 12-3 pm.

3rd Annual Summer Parkways is tomorrow night, Wednesday the 19th.

Expect to see people walking, jogging, cycling, rollerblading, Razoring, hula-hooping and more–all of it happening in the middle of streets. It’s empowering and makes us happy to see all the physical activity and people having fun.

Spokane Police Department and Summer Parkways volunteers will be helping to keep participants safe and pointed in the right direction.

Get out there, and be part of this unique event!

P2P couldn’t operate as a community bike shop without your donations. Bikes, bike parts–we love them. We accept adult and kid bikes. Kid bikes are given, free of charge, to families that need wheels for their kiddos.

We don’t love “donations” that get dumped when no one is at the shop to evaluate them. We can’t accept all bikes. We have a small shop, and we need to be selective. Low-quality bikes from the department store with un-serviceable parts are generally not accepted. Many are hauled away. This costs our volunteers time and money.

Read the FAQ before bringing P2P a bicycle donation.

Please bring bikes to the shop when we’re open. We’re now open Thursday-Sunday and some Monday afternoons. Check the calendar for more details.

Before the Memorial day organizing.

After the volunteers got busy.

Looks great inside. When it’s beautiful outside it’s also nice to head outdoors.

The P2P shop will be closed this Thursday, Saturday and Sunday for business.

BUT, we’ll be open for sorting and organizing. When the shop is organized it’s easier for everyone to use, and that’s our goal. Come by and volunteer a couple hours–no mechanical skills needed! Getting parts and tool benches sorted are high on our list of things to do.
Thursday 2-7
Saturday 12-7
Sunday 12-4

If you have a vehicle, drive it. Drivers needed to make recycling runs to Pacific Steel and Recycling or down to UGM to donate extra tires and parts.

If you have a label maker, bring it. You can label parts containers and buckets.

If you like to make cookies, bake ’em and bring them. Our volunteers will appreciate it.

Thanks–this is your community bike shop, and we couldn’t do this without your help!

Did you make it to the Bike To Work Breakfast this morning? If not, no worries. You can ride to work on Wednesday and pick up coffee and treats and several sponsored Energizer stations. See map for all stations–19 different locations this year.

P2P hopes to see you on the corner of 25th and Cedar/High Dr.

The Scoop and Roast House Coffee are partnering with us to fuel your morning commute. Go, BTW riders!

P2P has two events Saturday, May 11th!

1. YARD SALE! We’ll be having a yard sale at the shop from 12-6pm. Stop by, snap up some excellent parts, and help us raise money for our programs. Here’s a link to the event.

2. We’ll also be at the Word to Your Mother event in Riverfront Park from 12:30-3:30pm. Stop by our booth, say hello, and grab a spoke card! Here’s that link.