At first glance, Our Community Bikes looks like many other bike repair shops – wheels, frames, tires and random parts hang from the walls, and rows of commuter bikes for sale line the sidewalk outside the shop’s storefront at Main Street and 17th Avenue. Yet wander into the back and you’ll find something unusual. Racks of carefully labelled tools hang in neat rows from colourfully painted work stations, and five bike stands prop up five upside-down bikes, as a rather random assortment of people from the neighbourhood get to work. These people aren’t mechanics, they’re the owners of these bicycles, and they’ve come here to do their own repairs under the guidance of Our Community Bikes’ team of seasoned and friendly pros.
