SOFT OPENING today, July 7th from 12-4 pm.

The move is almost complete and we will open at 35 Elm Street soon.

Unfortunately, the central air conditioning needs to be replaced and the weather report predicts a high of 100 degrees on Tuesday, when we planned to open. Please stay tuned and we will get back open, in our new location, as soon as possible. Maybe even Tuesday.

After more than 3 years at our center city location at 373 Union Street, we are (with mixed emotions!) relocating to 35 Elm Street. The mixed emotions include: gratitude to NeighborWorks Southern New Hampshire for hosting us so long, excitement to have larger space with true storefront visibility, fear of the unknown and the need to pay rent and sadness to leave CENTER city.

It’s not far, but this is a big change. We hope that you all will come find us and help us build out this plan/idea/dream.

We need your help to move and to be successful in our new location. We need your help.

Thank you

Donate Funds

Make Online Donations Here

Cash donations are very helpful and may be made during Open Shop hours.

Via Check

Please bring or send checks to the shop at 35 Elm Street, Manchester, NH 03101

Can’t make it or have questions? Call/text Abby at (603) 493-1720 or email: abby or tyler, for more information.

Donate Bikes/Parts

Having bicycles to use for our many projects is always important.

We take pains to ensure all donated bicycles achieve their highest use – through allocation to other projects, recycling, or refurbishment.

If you have a bike or gently used parts that could use a new home, we’d love to have them.

To set up a bike donation, check the calendar for an Open Shop time or contact abby or tyler.

Thanks!

QC Bike Collective is organized as a community bike shop to provide Manchester area residents the ability to ride safe, affordable bicycles and have the opportunity to fix them.

Our goal is to provide our patrons with hands on skill building to do bicycle repairs and maintenance themselves, in an educative and supportive environment. Our vision is a Manchester full of bike riders who can depend on their bicycle for transportation and recreation, because of the educational and affordable services we provide.

Currently these services include:

Open Shop – (this is our primary activity and the initial reason for creating the collective) where the public is welcomed into our space to repair their bicycles using our tools, parts, and technical expertise. This work is supported by the City of Manchester, Planning and Community Development Community Improvement Plan funds, Queen City Rotary, Kiwanis Club of Manchester, bike sales and cash donations. We also offer free and/or reduced price lights, locks and helmets at Open Shop.

Build-a-Bike – where participants in a small, closed setting, work hands-on to build a bike from the ground-up for them to take home. Currently this program is in partnership with Sununu Youth Services Center as part of selected youth’s re-entry program.

Earn-a-Bike – In partnership with the Manchester Health Department & Granite United Way we provide two Manchester schools with ~150 bike, helmet, lights & lock packages. The bike packages are given as awards for academic and leadership excellence.

Bike sales – Bikes are donated to us by Manchester Police Department, Manchester Solid Waste Division, Central NH Bicycling Coalition, local bike shops and many individuals. Bike drives are an important source of donated bicycles. Our first choice is to refurbish the bike, but if it’s beyond repair, we use it for parts. We take care to ensure that every donated bike is re-purposed or recycled responsibly.

Volunteer training and community building – QC Bike provides a space for people to work together, many of whom might not otherwise interact. This important aspect of our work is currently supported by NH Charitable Foundation and Bean Foundation, other small grants and cash donations.

Open Air Bike Repair – a new partnership with Manchester Parks and Recreation will allow us offer bike repair support services to younger children as part of their day at Fun-in-the-Sun summer recreational programming.

In addition to providing 140-150 bike packages for the Earn-a-Bike programs at Beech and Gossler Elementary Schools (more on that later), QC Bike is committed to helping at several bike safety events this quarter. Your help, as a volunteer, is always welcome and much of it does not require any mechanical knowledge or skill! Please be in touch!

• April 28 from 10 am – 2 pm at Manchester Police Department (MPD) on Valley Street, as part of National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. MPD has acquired 100 bike helmets to distribute. QC Bike will be there to organize the helmet distribution and offer other bike safety checkup and quick fixes. Drug Take Back Day
• May 5 from 10 am – 2 pm, at Green Acres Elementary School, Kiwanis Club of Manchester is holding a bike safety day. QC Bike is providing loaner bikes and offering minor bike safety repair services. The goal is always to provide some bike maintenance training to the bike rider. Kiwanis Club Bike Safety Day
• May 17 Bike Manchester is holding a bike safety event. Details to be released soon. Bike MHT on FaceBook
• June 23 from 9 am – 11:30 am at Beech Street Playground, there will be a Family Bike Skills/Safety Fair. This event is hosted by a group of organizations led by CMC Parish Nurse Program. QC Bike is providing loaner bikes and offering minor bike safety repair services. The goal is always to provide some bike maintenance training to the bike rider. June 23 FaceBook event

We have made a big step forward: QC Bike Collective is now officially a non-profit entity, registered as Queen City Bicycle Collective, dba QC Bike Collective.

What does this mean?

• We have a Board of Directors. The board will be expanded in the near future.
• NeighborWorks Southern New Hampshire is still our fiscal sponsor (THANK YOU, NWSNH!). Grants and charitable donations are still made to NWSNH and we are able to use those funds to meet project goals, as we have been.
• Tyler Glodt, Shop Manager and Abby Easterly, Organizer remain VERY active with QC Bike and welcome every bit of sharing the privilege and responsibility of carrying the organization forward.
• QC Bike’s fiscal year is April 1 – March 31, so this is the start of a new, big year.
• The plans for this year include increasing QC Bike’s capacity to be successful and sustainable by building our base of volunteers and apprentice mechanics. This important work was funded by a grant from NH Charitable Foundation NHCF.
• We have a lot of work to do, much of it is fun and we need your help!