Dean in front of the Reno Bike Project

As I work to piece together a Virtual Tour of Reno, the 7th Anchor City (waypoint) on our route from San Francisco to Washington DC, at the Reno Bike Project (RBP),  I had the opportunity to tweak and upgrade the machine that is making this work possible, the Advanta, designed by long-time recumbent pioneer , Clive Buckler.

I used their tools to screw in the six bolts I also got from them free of charge (with washers) that had disappeared from the bottom of my seat. They also sold me a new kickstand that I mounted into the rear triangle of my bike while I was there. This along with the perfect sized pannier I need to schlep around groceries and the like.

The man, who helped me the most  was Dean Magnuson,  a true professional in every sense of the word. While he was helping me locate tools and supplies he was also busy greeting the steady stream of visitors who came in off the street. I came to learn after he had later given me a tour of their well thought out facility that he is one of five paid professional mechanics that they have on board there. While some of the paid wrenches repair and rebuild bikes, others guide people who rent a bike stand in the back half ($3/hour) of the shop.

And the place was full on hopping with happy, satisfied people as the large volunteer staff that was also there made sure no one was ignored. Besides helping customers with their bikes, volunteers at the Reno Bike Project, make sure bikes that get broken into parts, are filed into boxes and bins for even smallest component, nut or screw, such as what I was looking for and quite easily found. Well organized, there was a place for everything. When I told Dean I needed a pannier, he went right to the stack they had accumulated.  Ditto for kickstands and the bolts and washers I needed.

What seems to separate RBP from all the bike CoOps I have seen in operation in cities all over America, was the feeling of welcome the mechanics and Dean the greeter, made for everyone who came in the door. All the while you were there, you had the sense that they wanted to share of their bicycle wisdom. It did not seem to matter to them how little or how much you knew about how  a bike works, One could feel that what made them happy was happy bike riders.

Along the above lines, it only seemed fitting that the Reno Bike Project is the unofficial top bike shop for Burning Man which takes place August 30 – September 7, a hundred miles away. Toward that end, there were literally several hundred reconditioned bikes ready for ‘Burners’ to buy. And Dean assured me they would all be gone by the time the event begins…….

Reno’s 233,ooo people are so lucky to have an operation like the Reno Bike Project. It explained for me why everywhere I went,  I saw a fair number of people on bikes in all kinds of work wear; people who used their bikes for their highest and best use, transportation, replacing car trips!!