Free Cycles Missoula

About

Community bike shop

Story

Free Cycles Missoula (est. 1996) and the Missoula Institute for Sustainable Transportation (MIST, est. 2001) work to create healthy transportation in the Missoula Valley. Currently serving 25,000 people annually, Free Cycles operates a free and open community bicycle shop that offers empowerment and engagement skills to all that walk through the door. Free bike building, use of refurbished parts, and advice for all kinds of bicycle projects have become a staple for the Missoula community as a result of the organization. MIST, the umbrella non-profit organization for Free Cycles, has been a leader in bringing about sustainable transportation education, relationships and infrastructure for the city as a whole.

The mission of MIST is to create a network of sustainable transportation systems that are safe, equitable and environmentally sound, with a sharp focus on Missoula, Montana. Free Cycles, as a program of MIST, provides bikes, parts, and help to the community. A main goal of the organization is to increase access and usage of walking, bicycling and public transit while optimizing motor vehicle flow and safety. Throughout this process, public involvement and engagement are essential.



Vision

Our vision consists of many aspects related to healthy community and sustainable mobility. Examples include:



Communities with active walking and cycling cultures

Excellent transit systems that run on clean energy

Bicycle station and car share options

Safe and fluid vehicle movement

Networks of greenway corridors that connect people and open space

A local and global awareness of transportation issues and impacts



Background

Free Cycles was founded in 1996 to:



Reduce congestion and air pollution

Provide the community access to affordable bicycles

Recycle bicycles otherwise thrown away


Long term, the goal was to elevate community awareness about bicycling as a legitimate mode of transportation. By creating a better cycling atmosphere in the city, the result would be more facilities and thus more cyclists. Overall, the project aimed to perpetuate a positive feedback loop to create and release demand for bicycling.



In 2001, the Missoula Institute for Sustainable Transportation (MIST) was formed as an umbrella organization for Free Cycles in order to broaden the scope of programs and projects to include walking, public transit, private motor vehicles and city design. MIST now consists of four core programs: ‘Share the City’ focuses on building knowledge, ‘Doorstep Democracy’ focuses on building relationships, ‘Missoula Model’ focuses on building infrastructure and Free Cycles focuses on engaged bicycle building and repair. From 2001 to 2015 there has been steady growth for all four programs.



Results

Free Cycles has occupied several locations and now resides at 732 S. 1st St. W in the Riverfront neighborhood (since 2004). Over the last twenty years, we have recorded:



200,000 shop visits, with most people engaging in bicycle work

18,000 free bicycles earned and built by people in the Build-A-Bike program

5,000 people attending a one hour BikeWell class

600 tons of material diverted from scrap into workable forms of transportation

160 outreach events with local schools

Important societal issues such as climate change, resource conflict, obesity, and overall community health are addressed simply by more people riding bicycles instead of driving.

Mission

Our work seeks to create a healthy community through a wide range of strategies. Ultimately, the goal of Free Cycles is to help Missoula, Montana transition to a more sustainable transportation system while simultaneously setting a strong example for other places. Through our programs we hope to help individuals we work with to be
active stewards of the community with an emphasis on social and environmental justice. We work towards this mission through education, empowerment, and engagement.

Our education programs strive to give people the knowledge to maintain their bicycle independently, use it safely, and eventually share their skills with others.

By increasing the accessibility of human powered transportation, we seek to to directly empower individuals from all walks of life with the ability to move themselves.

Our projects focus on community engagement to facilitate a sense of collective responsibility, a strong sense of place, and human connectivity.

Products

DONATION BASED SERVICES:
-Bike advice/education
-Use of stands and tools
-Lube, air, grease
-Recycled parts
-Free BikeWell class
-Build A Bike Program
-Free bikes for Kids 10 and under
-A creative setting to work on projects

SET PRICED ITEMS:
-Bikes for very reasonable prices
-Sale parts
-Rental bikes