Bicycle Exchange
The Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition helps needy families and individuals by repairing and donating used bicycles to our partner community service organizations. A warehouse and workshop is fully outfitted with storage, repair stands and tools for year round operation.
The Bicycle Exchange meets on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of each month (except Dec) to receive, repair, and distribute its inventory of donated bicycles. New volunteers often learn bicycle repair skills by assisting a team of more experienced volunteers.
The Bicycle Exchange donates bicycles and helmets throughout the year to local charities that serve both children and adults. We also provide bicycles to homeless individuals to provide transportation from shelters to places of employment and schooling.
Tax-deductible donations of bicycles are gladly accepted. Our program specializes in children’s bicycles (tricycles + wheel sizes from 12.5” to 26” including Mt. Bikes). We accept adult size bikes in exceptionally good condition. Our mechanics always have lots to do and none are paid so we appreciate your effort to clean up your bike before donating it so we can focus on repairs.
Sponsors
The Bicycle Exchange acknowledges generous corporate donations from Xerox through the Palo Alto Research Center. We are also grateful to acknowledge support from REI, the David and Lucille Packard Foundation, Symantec and from individual donors.
Partners
The Bicycle Exchange would not be possible without the social services organizations that work with us to distribute our bicycles to those who need them. If your organization is interested in becoming a partner please contact us. We are proud to work with the partners listed below:
- Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bay Area
- The Children’s Fund
- Citizen Schools
- Disabled American Veterans
- Hidden Villa
- Samaritan House
- Sunday Friends
- Sunnyvale Community Services
- Turning Wheels for Kids
The Bike Exchange Program thankfully acknowledges volunteer support from the following organizations:
- Hands On Bay Area
- One Brick
- Responsible Organized Mountain Pedalers
- The MIT Club of Northern California
The Bike Exchange is glad to receive help from the following bicycle businesses:
Volunteer
We encourage participation by volunteers of all ages and skill levels. An effort is made to team together volunteers in work that they find enjoyable. For the safety of our participants, it is the policy of the Bicycle Exchange that a parent or legal guardian must accompany volunteers under age 18. Each participant is asked to sign a liability release form the first time they volunteer. We cannot accept volunteers performing court ordered community service.
When
Our volunteer events are held from 10 AM to 3 PM on the second and fourth Saturdays of each month from January to November.
Where
Our workshop is located at 2566 Leghorn Street in Mountain View. Leghorn runs west of and parallel to HYWY 101 between San Antonio and Rengstorff. We are located in the back of BTN Automotive. Go all the way around to the rear of the building and look for the bikes!
2566 Leghorn Street,
Mountain View, CA, 94043
Maps: Google, Mapquest, Yahoo!
What to Bring
We have bike repair stands and a limited quantity of tools. It is helpful to bring a sack of goodies consisting of tools, steel wool, degreaser, lube, gloves, rags, etc. For lunch volunteers usually pitch in about $3 to order pizza, though volunteers have been known to bring drinks and other things.
Donation Guidelines
We now accept bicycles of all sizes from tricycles up to full sized bicycles for adults. Flat tires and broken or missing parts are no problem. We have an extensive parts inventory. Our volunteers can fix almost anything, however we don’t restore paint and we can’t reverse corrosion.
Before donating your bike, ask yourself:
- Could an experienced mechanic make this bike functional and safe in one hour or less?
- Is the bike substantially free of rust and corrosion?
- Is the bike clean enough that you could offer it as a gift without embarrassment?
If the answers are all “yes” then we’ll gladly receive the bike. Please clean up your bike before donating it so we can focus on repairs. We also accept monetary donations.
How to Donate a Bike
Bicycles and bicycle parts can be donated at our workshop located at 2566 Leghorn St, Mountain View, CA 94043 during our volunteer events, which are held on the 2nd Saturday of each month (except in December) between the hours of 10 AM and 3PM.
Sale
Although our program specializes in children’s bikes, we do accept adult sized bikes, some of which are available for sale to support the program. Bikes can be viewed and purchased during any of our regularly scheduled workdays at the Leghorn St. address. Prices are very reasonable, adjustments and some repairs can be made on the spot, and accessories are often available for purchase. Bicycles for sale are on a first come first serve basis.
Contact
For additional information, first see our FAQ sheet. You can contact Dave Fork (650) 269-6051, bikeexchange [at] svbcbikes [dot] org.
