A letter from SF Yellow Bike
Nine years ago a dream was brought to the light of day. This dream was one of sharing the passion, friendship, and lessons that could come from the simple act of riding a bicycle. This work was done through the slightly more complex act of teaching others how to maintain and repair their bicycles. The rules were straightforward: treat others with dignity and respect, turn no one away for lack of funds, and ultimately, create access to the resources that people of all socioeconomic levels could utilize to support their cycling journey.
This dream was not born of ego, or ambition to create financial gain, or even to parlay this experience into another opportunity. This dream was born of the desire to serve those that wished to ride, maintain, and repair their own bikes. That was it, a dream born of service to the community in meeting transportation needs.
Through the personal networks of the founders and the kindness of the Bay Area’s cycling community this dream began to unfold. From securing legal help to establish 501(c)3 status, to the first epic fundraiser and parts drive, to securing the first shop space, the roadblocks that could have prevented this dream from coming true fell to the side. It was a flawed yet beautiful community service organization.
The opportunity to serve from a street-level store front in the middle of a chronically disenfranchised community was what the dream was about. Not long after the move, the organization earned the 2015 “Golden Wheel Award” from the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, bolstering a still young legacy of service.
As time wore on, some of the initial founders moved on to what was next in their lives, and the next generation of volunteers and directors would come in to pick up the reins and continue to carry the torch of service. There was enough consistency and energy in the committed volunteer base to keep things flowing and the doors open. In this model though, details often slipped through the consciousness of the Directors and busy lives meant limited capacity to help. The organization even hired employees to create greater access to the community and make strides toward greater sustainability. This model proved to be not sustainable, the shop was crowded and chaotic and needed a fresh start.
Some friends of the project, the staff of one of the very best bike shops in SF, Wiggle Bikes, agreed to help overhaul the shop space. New work benches were made, inventory was streamlined, new tools were purchased, workflow was getting sorted out and final touches were being applied when global disruption struck. A global pandemic arrived on our shores and SF became one of the first places in the nation to issue shelter in place orders.
A perfect storm had brewed up attempting to close this resource. The last active founder was now sequestered in Sonoma County, where he had moved in 2019. One Board member was accepted into grad school and the other was planning to move to NYC. The help from one of the best bike shops in the city became scarce because, well, a bicycle renaissance occurred and they became VERY busy as people realized anew that the bicycle has been and remains the most efficient, AND one of the safest transportation options for a human being,
And that brings us to today. San Francisco Yellow Bike Project stands on the precipice of moving forward into a new future of service or it stands to shutter and close its doors in response to the pressures of this city and this pandemic.
There is still a bit of a nest egg with enough cash to cover expenses for about 5 months, and the shop has never looked, felt or functioned better. There is just no one to run things, to pay the rent, answer the emails and create the opportunities to serve as the organization moves forward. All options are and will remain on the table until the day the remaining board members decide to disband the organization and distribute our resources to other community bike shops in the Bay Area.
If you are a person that has interest in helping resurrect this community resource please contact the organization.
Regardless of how this portion of the SFYBP story unfolds, the legacy of service can never be erased. Along the way thousands of bicycles were repaired/refurbished/ and rejuvenated. Tens of thousands of hours were donated by founders and community members alike while thousands of community members utilized the resources that this organization brought to SF, from repairs to parties. SFYBP, you have been a beautiful beacon in the world, and all hopes are focused on finding new energy to restore that light. If this light does eventually fade and the organization is to close, it is with the knowledge that the work by the founders, volunteers and community members met the needs of their constituents on their terms and provided people with a sense of dignity and relief on a regular basis as they were treated with respect and services offered without a tether to their means.
Service to this Tenderloin community is SFYBP’s highest achievement. One to take pride in, one to cherish, one to celebrate.
Can you use your energy to help keep this light shining? Contact the organization.
530 Ellis Street
San Francisco, CA 94109
The San Francisco Yellow Bike Project is a grassroots, pop-up, do-it-yourself, community-building machine that brings dead bikes back to life and puts more city dwellers on two wheels. It’s a healthy revolution for San Francisco.