More photos below.
(Photos: Jonathan Maus)
I’m excited to announce a new feature on BikePortland.org: The Community Cycling Center Bike of the Month.
This came about because I wanted to find a way to help the CCC spread the word about their work, their programs, and their retail bike shop on NE Alberta Street.
The CCC is a treasure-trove of nifty, rare, vintage and modern used bikes. And the best part? They’re all for sale and the proceeds go directly toward helping the CCC bring bikes to kids and folks in need.
I thought it would be fun to feature one of their used bikes once a month in hopes that it might encourage more people to visit their shop, buy their bikes, and support their work.
So, without further ado, here is February’s CCC Bike of the Month:
This 1981 Olmo Nuovo Super Sprint is a genuine classic; a real Italian stallion (size is 60cm). The guys at the shop think it’s from about 1981 and the parts are almost all original (has new rims and wheels), including the very cool pantographed cranks and shift levers.
And, like many of the CCC’s bikes, there’s a story to be told. According to CCC staffer Rich Walker, the bike was stolen from the garage of the original owner in Portland. Then, ten years later, while at a garage sale in a different state, the original owner spotted the bike and bought it back for $1150.
Here are a few more detail shots…
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This gorgeous bike is on sale at the CCC’s retail store for $795. Cruise on over to 1700 NE Alberta Street to check it out. And remember, when you buy a bike from the CCC, your purchase goes directly to helping get bikes and skills to kids and those in need.
Thanks for reading.
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I love the CCC so hardcore. Thanks for doing this, it\’s a great idea, and a great way to show the wonderful things they do there.
Cool new feature! Just a couple of days ago I bought a very nice 63cm Terranaut road bike from the CCC. Certainly not as cheap as craigslist but I don\’t mind spending some extra dollars for a good purpose. And the bike is my personal CCC bike of the month January.
Thanks, Jonathan.
For anyone curious about who we are, or if you haven\’t been over to the Community Cycling Center for a while, we are a nonprofit that helps provide bicycles and bicycle safety education.
We have free programs for low-income youth (Bike Club) and adults (Adult Earn-a-Bike) and we have programs for the general public including Summer Bike Camp, Women\’s Urban Cycling, Family Riding, and Intermediate Mechanics among others (all of these programs also now have scholarship and earn-a-bike options).
We focus on reusing bicycles that have lived a full life, but still have more to give.
Come by and say hi sometime.
Alison
Community Cycling Center
Alison said- \”We focus on reusing bicycles that have lived a full life, but still have more to give.\”
i hear that you have discontinued your wednesday dumpster program, in which anyone could come by and get a stack of \”un-usable \” frames for super cheap. this was a varitable hayday for me, my friends, or anyone with access to a welder. in our eyes that was one of the highlighting contributions to the (freak-)bike community. this is probably not the place to fire off about this, but alot of \”us\” will be (respectfully)boycotting the CCC until this program has been revived. please reconsider, thanks.
This is a cool feature. There\’s a statistic that floats around through the bike industry every so often which holds that the greatest majority of bikes only ever get ridden some trivial number of miles say, 99% of all bikes sold in the US are only ever ridden 250 miles until being ignored or sold off. There\’s lots of interesting bikes hiding out there.
Hey Dog-Eye,
We knew we would disappoint some people and we\’re sorry.
We are working on other ways to make some materials available that don\’t involve dumpster diving.
Look for an announcement in March.
Alison
If local freakbike artist/builders are part of the community, why arent scrap frames and parts donated to them?
Boycotting the CCC? Seriously? Boycotting is for companies that use sweatshops, not for non-profit organizations that help the cycling community.
Express your interest in restarting the program, then see how you can help: donate some bikes, parts, money, and/or your time.
Jonathan, How about having a few big corporations give away some bikes on your site every month. It could spread a little bike cheer and reduce car use.
There is a formula for the number of bikes one should own. X=N+1, where X is the number you should own, N the number you own. I would love that bike, but am out of room to put it. I could afford another building, but no land, can not afford that. All that plus the sustainability issue makes it clear, I must just go look. Great work Jon. – Tankagnolo Bob
Cool feature! Before reigniting my passion for bikes a few years ago I donated an early eighties Fuji Sports 12 that was taking too much space in my garage (unlike the four bikes in there now ;). I saw it on CL last year for $185. At first I was sad to have gotten rid of it, but really should be more sad the buyer didn\’t donate it back.
Excellent idea J.M. – kind-o-like pet of the week at Humane Societies, which does a great service them also. And Allison, what is the donation process, and are there things that you won\’t take?…concerning bikes and accessories of course.
Hi Moo,
Thanks for asking.
You can bring donations to our shop at 1700 NE Alberta Tu-Sun 10am-6pm.
We also have bike collections around town throughout the year. You can check our website for information. In April we will hold collections at local REIs, so if there\’s one near you sign up for our e-update or check our website for specific dates. http://www.communitycyclingcenter.org/index.php/support-us/donate-a-bike/
And please call if you have any questions: 503-287-8786. We would be happy to answer questions about donations before you arrive. We appreciate the ongoing support of donations – it is the lifeblood of our organization – but we know how much people love their bikes and sometimes we can’t use them and we hope to avoid disappointing a generous act.
Bikes:
We are looking for durable bikes that our professional mechanics can refurbish and modify. Safety is #1 for us, so we are looking for gently used bikes, not broken and battered bikes.
Quality bike brands such as Bianchi, Diamond Back, Fuji, Giant, Nishiki, Raleigh, Specialized, and Trek make great, reliable rides for our Create a Commuter program and Bike Safety Clubs. For Holiday Bike Drive we accept most single speed coaster brake kids bikes.
Adult road bikes are in huge demand in our shop and we can\’t keep them on the shelves.
We tear down bicycles that we can\’t use in our programs and shop.
In general, cheap department store brands such as Magna, Huffy, Murray are automatic teardowns because they are generally too expensive to fix. Bikes that have been growing weeds in the back 40 or have been pulled out of the river are torn down.
We also ask for a $5 donation for each bike that you drop off. We started this last year and it is optional and it helps.
Parts and Accessories:
Essentially the same thing. We can use quality parts that can be reused. We have a limited clothing selection, so call before you bring in clothing.
Thanks,
Alison
Community Cycling Center
You can drop off ANY BIKE for free at the Watershed, 5040 SE Milwaukie. I promise it will be re-CYCLED into a freakbike!
You can drop off ANY BIKE for free at the Watershed, 5040 SE Milwaukie. I promise it will be re-CYCLED into a freakbike!
i was surprised to read how much that bike went through. luckily my uncle had the same bike in his back yard for 20+ years and decided to give it to me! in doing some research ive discovered, i was given a real treasure.