Convenient Pit Stops for your Commute

Imagine you’re biking to work or just out for fun, enjoying the sun on your arms and the wind through your hair. Maybe you’re even patting yourself on the back a bit for the good you’re doing your body and the environment. But suddenly, your bike just doesn’t feel right or even worse, you get a flat, making your breezy bike ride a whole lot of work. Now imagine a repair stand with all the tools you need to inflate a tire or adjust the bike beckoning from across the street. Sounds heavenly, right? It’s also the new reality in Providence.

The City of Providence had a plan in the works to purchase and install some bike repair stands around the city. But when Dash Bicycles and Julian, of Julians fame, got wind of the plans, they worked their magic to make the project a local one. They pulled Steel Yard into the mix and asked them if they could make the stands at a price comparable to other providers the city was considering. Steel Yard won the contract to build the bike repair stands and the project stayed local.

On May 16, Bike to Work Day, Mayor Angel Taveras dedicated three bike repair stands located in Burnside Park, Roger Williams Park and Riverside Park. At the dedication, Mayor Taveras said, “Creating the necessary infrastructure for bicyclists will help Providence support another viable, affordable and healthy transportation choice for our residents.”

Each stand can inflate a tire and also has tethered in a protective box all the tools you’d need to do anything from making minor adjustments to the seat to tweaking the brakes. The stand itself can hold a bike upside down to make repairs much easier than they’d be if you had to balance it on the street or work on it upright. Bicycle commuting suddenly sounds a lot more practical, right?

The city plans to install more bicycle repair stands in the coming years. “Not only is biking a healthier alternative than driving, but I think the economic downturn in Rhode Island made people look at ways they could save money,” said Jackson Morley of Steel Yard. And bicycling to work or around town certainly saves gas money. “Providence is doing a lot to promote biking, like creating bike lanes, and the city is working to make the streets even more bicycle friendly,” continued Morley. “Now we just have to educate people on sharing the road.”

So keep an eye out, drivers — these new repair stands might encourage even more cyclists to hit the streets. Or better yet? Leave your car in the driveway and join them!