The wheels keep turning at the Carbondale Bike Project (CBP), the community-driven initiative promoting cycling and fostering a sense of community since its inception.
Founded by former Carbondalian and Way of Compassion Dharma Center executive director, Aaron Taylor, CBP evolved from garage-based, neighborhood bike repair get-togethers to a fully-equipped bike shop located in Carbondale’s Third Street Center and staffed by a volunteer base of dedicated bike enthusiasts.
Taylor’s passion for cycling and bike mechanics began in his teens. While attending Colorado State University, he worked at the campus bike shop, where he focused on keeping students’ bikes in tip-top shape and promoted cycling as a sustainable mode of transportation on campus.
After college, he worked with the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies (ACES), maintaining a commuter bicycle fleet for summer naturalists to travel back and forth from the Hallam Lake campus to their living quarters.
Moving to Carbondale in 2009, he transformed his vision into the first iteration of CBP, initially operating out of his garage “with the neighborhood kids so they could learn how to maintain their bikes and keep them out of landfills,” he stated.
As Taylor grew and adapted his bike initiative, he worked as a bike mechanic at Aloha Mountain Cyclery. “Nic Degross and Darren Broome, co-owners of Aloha Mountain Cyclery, were happy to invite us into their shop. It was very unusual to have a professional bike shop do that. It was quite supportive and amazing,” reflected Taylor.
Jim Githens met Taylor when they were working at Aloha. Taylor had The Bonedale Bike Project (CBP’s former moniker), which, for a time, operated in Aloha’s basement. When Taylor transitioned to the Way of Compassion, the bike shop moved to the Third Street Center.
In 2022, Taylor relocated to Crestone and Githens took over the day-to-day management of CBP to keep the shop open. Now retired, Githens shared, “I’m 70 years old, and I didn’t want to have a full-time job again.”
However, when Taylor left, it was understood that “there would be a little bit of a flux as to the future. I didn’t want to see the Bike Project disappear completely, so I took it on to keep it moving along,” explained Githens.
Githen’s wife, Valerie Gilliam, has taken on administrative duties and spearheaded grant-writing efforts. Despite facing a recent setback in securing grant funding, the CBP team remains committed to finding a leader who can guide CBP into its next phase.
“We need somebody like Aaron Taylor, who has good ideas and bike sense,” Gilliam offered, with the vision and ability to turn CBP into a self-sustaining entity with various revenue streams.
“If we did find a person to manage the shop, part of their responsibility would be outreach and trying to gather up different ways of bringing in funds, either through events, grants, donations, fundraising, things like that,” Githens added.
With Taylor’s departure, CBP was no longer under the Way of Compassion umbrella — as had been the case.
“Colin Laird and Mark Taylor [of the Third Street Center] did not want to see the Bike Project go away either, so Colin offered to have the Third Street Center become the fiscal sponsor of the Bike Project,” Gilliam shared.
With four bike workstations with stands and a shop with countless bike tools, Githens said they’re equipped for servicing most bikes, excluding the most current models and e-bikes. Those who utilize the space are asked for a $10 an hour donation. CBP sells bike parts and refurbished and donated bikes. “Generally, donations for stand time and everything else are based on ability to pay,” Githens said.
Education is another cornerstone of CBP’s outreach, as demonstrated with a field trip last spring of a group of Carbondale Community School first- and second-grade students, organized by teachers Nick Lado and Angie Riley.
Githens and Gilliam hosted the students at the CBP shop who were shown basic bike maintenance, including greasing gears and changing a tire. “The kid’s favorite part was Jim having them pump up the tires. It was a hands-on experience for the kids, which is beneficial at that age,” Lado shared.
The visit sparked students’ enthusiasm for future bike rides. “There were conversations between them, like, ‘Oh, we’re going to go on bike rides together!’” he continued.
“I’m a big fan of the CBP. I think it drives home some of the things we teach at the Community School, including the sense of community and responsibility,” Lado shared.
“Aaron’s original focus was to keep bikes out of the landfill — to take usable bikes, repair them and get them back out to the community,” Githens concluded. From that seed, CBP has grown because people have gotten involved, and because of that, it’s been a successful venture. Now, CBP is searching for a leader to carry their mission forward.
On top of searching for a new executive director, CBP is always looking for volunteers who have bike mechanic skills. For more information, go to www.carbondalebikeproject.org, email carbondalebikeproject@gmail.com or call 970-505-8434.
