Category: Shop News

First, the schedule.

Sundays, July 3, 10, and 31 – noon to 4 PM   Closed July 17 and 24

Tuesdays, July 5, 12, and 26 – 7 PM to 9 PM   Closed July 19

Thursdays, July 7, 14, and 28 – 7 PM to 9 PM  Closed July 21

Saturday, July 2 is BLITZ day from 10 AM to 4 PM.  Come and help us fix as many bicycles as we can get done in 6 hours.  We also have a pile of tear-downs, so you can help us with those.  Food and drink will be available.  This is always a good time, don’t miss it!

Saturday, July 9, come join us at the Union Park District Council’s Ice Cream Social and Bike Rodeo.  Kids and grown-ups alike can ride the course, as well as decorate bicycles for a parade!  We will have a mechanic there to do bicycle safety checks, and there will be other fun stuff, like a band concert, bounce house and other games for kids, and ice cream.  This event is FREE!  Come have some fun with us.

Thursday, July 14 is French Night at the shop.  We will serve snacks with a French twist and gather all the French parts and bikes we can find and have them available for sale or display.  I may even get Mr. Michael to display his prized Jeunet that he purchased the day after he graduated from high school, which was a long, long time ago.

We are gone the week of July 17-24, as I will be competing in the US National Roller Speed Skating Championships in Fort Wayne, Indiana.  I expect to be on the podium in multiple events.  I’ll be giving it everything I’ve got so I can stand on the top step of the podium!

Our wait list is over 90 people and doesn’t show signs of letting up.  I don’t want to close the list, but it may get to that point to allow us time to catch up.  If you can fix bicycles, come to the store any time that we are open and Mr. Michael will put you to work.  The more help we get, the more people we can serve.  Please consider volunteering with us.  We look forward to seeing you at one of our events, or during our regular hours at the shop.

First, MMRB is sponsoring a cruiser/3-speed time trial after the regular Farm Dog TT on Wednesday, June 29.  First rider will start around 5 minutes after the last rider in the regular Farm Dog event.  Registration closes at 6:45 PM and the cost is just $5.  If you don’t have a USCF racing license, then you will need to purchase a one-day license in addition to the entry fee.  Series-paid Farm Dog riders are free.  Bring your old single-speed cruiser, 3-speed, or Pugsley, as there will be prizes for best times for all these kinds of bicycles.  Also prizes for oldest bike, heaviest bike, and best costume.  Don’t forget to bring beer for after the race.  The race begins at the Eureka Town Hall which is on Cedar Avenue around 3 miles south of Lakeville.  The Minnesota Cycling Federation has information on their calendar, including directions, to the Farm Dog Time Trials, so just go there or call me to get more information.  This is a super-fun event, don’t miss it!

Blitz Repair Day on Saturday, July 2 from 10 AM to 4 PM.  We will try to fix as many bicycles as we can on that day.  Food and drink will be served to volunteers.  Some non-mechanic work is also available.  Help us to whittle down that long wait list.  Hope to see you there.

The June shop schedule is as follows:

Tuesdays – June 7 and 21 – 7 PM to 9 PM  (closed June 14 and 28)

Thursdays – June 2, 9, 23, and 30 – 7 PM to 9 PM (closed June 16)

Sundays – June 5, 12, 19, and 26 – noon to 4 PM

We have given away 125 bicycles so far in 2011!  In April we had our biggest month for sales, and it looks like May is going to beat that!  The shop has been insanely busy, and we can hardly keep any ready-to-ride bicycles in stock.  The wait list has grown to over 60 people!  We need mechanics to volunteer every time the shop is open so we can get through this backlog.  It is difficult to tell someone who has recently been homeless that we can’t get a bicycle for them until late August, but with more help we can shorten the wait time.  We are open to allowing reliable mechanics to repair our bicycles at home and then bring them back.  Contact Benita for more details if you are interested.

We have now had two classes for Downtown Congregations to End Homelessness, and have sold enough of their stuff to fully fund the program for over a year!  We have a good supply of bicycles ready for their clients, thanks to the dedication of Carl, one of our volunteer mechanics, who takes home a bicycle each week to repair, then brings it back to us in ready-to-ride condition.  This has allowed us to focus on our own wait list.  Also a special thanks to the Gas Man, who regularly helps out on Tuesday nights, and also to Raymond, Rafael, Weasel, Dan, and Liam for sharing their time and mechanical talents with us.  Don’t forget, our mechanics get beer (root beer for those under 21).

We have had a lot of parts donated to us in the last month, and there are some great bargains in those boxes, so come to the shop and enjoy the thrill of the hunt.  We still have some English 3-speeds in not-so-good condition (great parts bikes) and the road bike garage has a few decent bargains out there, not to mention the wheel garage is full.  We truly are the ultimate bike junk yard.  We hope to see you soon.

May hours are as follows:

Sundays – May 1, 8, 15, and 29 – Noon to 4 PM   (closed Sunday, May 22 for 3-Speed Tour)

Tuesdays – May 3, 10, 17, 24, and 31 – 7 PM to 9 PM

Thursdays – May 5, 12, 19, and 26 – 7 PM to 9 PM

We have given away 110 bicycles so far this year.  We also have held the first class for Downtown Congregations to End Homelessness, and have done two recycling events.  There is lots of new stuff in the shop for your shopping pleasure.  We completed the annual spring maintenance trip to Stockholm, Wisconsin, and also had our biggest month yet in sales – over $2,000!!!  We have been incredibly busy whenever the doors are open.

The wait list reopened on April 15 and is up to around 40 people, so we still need mechanics to come and fix bicycles.  It has gotten to the point where the shop is so busy when we are open that we don’t get much repair work done, so we need mechanics even more.  With spring cleanup season in full swing, we also have lots of parts to sort and put away, so we can use your help.  Just come by whenever we are open and we will put you to work.

If you have not yet checked out our Facebook page, please do so.  Sign up to be a friend of MMRB and you will get updates on last-minute shop specials.  We also post ads on Craig’s List that are very effective at getting customers through our door, so check there to see what we have on sale this week.

Come to the shop soon, even if just to visit, we would love to see you.

The April shop schedule is as follows:

Sundays – April 3, 10, and 17 – noon to 4 PM  (Closed April 24 for Easter Sunday)

Tuesdays – April 5, 12, 19, and 26 – 7 PM to 9 PM

Thursdays – April 7, 14, and 21 – 7 PM to 9 PM (Closed April 28 for Stockholm Bike Maintenance)

Special Events

Saturday, April 16 – Fridley Recycling Day @ Fridley Public Works site, 9 AM to 2 PM.  This is where we gather bicycles and tear down the ones in poor condition.  We can use help both at the site and back at our store around 3:30 PM to unload the trailers.  Full day or partial day is available.  Call me at 651-641-1037 to volunteer.

Saturday, April 30 – Andover Recycling Day @ Andover Public Works site, 9 AM to 2 PM.  Same as above only in Andover.  We always need help at this one, both for tear-downs and hauling back to MMRB.  We also need help around 3:30 PM at MMRB to unload the trailers.  You can work a full or partial day as your schedule permits.  Call me at 651-641-1037 to volunteer.

Saturday, April 30 – Coon Rapids Green Expo@ Coon Rapids City Hall.  I will have a booth at this event, so stop by if you are in the area.

We just finished our biggest ever month in sales, which is what pays the bills to keep the store open.  We also are far ahead of last year’s bicycle give-away total.  Right now the number is 82.  Our 3-Speed Day was a smashing success and lots of new people came to the shop.  We also did Blitz Week for Downtown Congregations to End Homelessness and we have 32 bicycles ready for this year’s program.  The first DCEH class for 2011 is April 27.

We also plan to close the shop on April 28 so we can go down to Stockholm, Wisconsin and do our annual service on the fleet of Blue Bikes, which we donate to the town.  Stockholm is a quaint town with lots of cool shops located on Lake Pepin, and is a favorite stop for participants in the English 3-Speed Tour.  The Blue Bikes are placed in bicycle racks around town and anyone is free to use one to go from store to store or down to the Lake.  Most of the bicycles are cruisers equipped with baskets and are fun to ride.  If  you have never been to Stockholm, go there for a day trip, it is a fun place.

The warmer riding weather is finally at hand.  Come by the shop to pick up parts to get your steed ready, or just chat us up and enjoy a cup of tea.  We welcome one and all to visit MMRB soon.

Sunday, March 27, MMRB will host the first-ever 3-Speed Day at the shop.  Come by between noon and 4 PM to look over a large collection of rather average English 3-speed bicycles and parts.  For those who plan to do the Lake Pepin 3-Speed Tour or the ABCE weekend in September, this is a can’t-miss event!  Buy parts for your steed, or just swap stories.  Tea and biscuits will be served.  All Gentlemen Cyclists and those who like hanging out with them are welcome.

Shop hours for March are as follows:

Tuesdays – March 1, 8, 15, 22, and 29 – 7 PM to 9 PM

Thursdays – March 3, 10, 17, 24, and 31 – 7 PM to 9 PM

Sundays – March 13, 20, and 27 – Noon to 4 PM    We will be closed March 6.

We have a special blitz scheduled with Downtown Congregations to End Homelessness the week of March 13 through 20.  DCEH volunteers will come to the shop during our open hours to repair bicycles for this year’s outreach.  We also will have a DCEH Blitz on Saturday, March 19 from 10 AM to 4 PM.

We did our taxes and MMRB made a very slight profit, which means that we reached our break-even goal.  We will be looking at ways to increase sales to the point where we can invest a little more in the shop and further outreach activities.  We also have decided to close our wait list for the next several weeks so we can get caught up.  Our goal is to get the wait time down to 3 weeks or less, and we won’t be able to do that without clearing the backlog.  We plan to open the list again around mid-April so people can get bicycles earlier in the season than otherwise would be possible.

We have given away 59 bicycles so far in 2011, which puts us way ahead of where we were at the same time last year.  We are running about 1 a day, which for winter is pretty good.  We want to break the 2010 record of 532, so we need to keep up the pace.  Our recent kid bike Blitz to benefit Project for Pride in Living allowed us to fix and give away 19 bicycles in just one afternoon!  We plan to continue to work with these partners to get more bicycles out to those who need them.

Our Community Recycling Day schedule for the Spring is as follows:

Saturday, April 16 – Fridley

Saturday, April 30 – Andover

Saturday, May 7 – Coon Rapids

Saturday, June 11 – Centerville

You don’t have to be a mechanic to help us out at these events.  Call 651-641-1037 or e-mail [email protected] to get more information.  We collect bicycles and tear apart the ones we don’t need, then haul them back to the shop and unload them.  They usually feed us at these events, and we have a good time so consider joining us, or come to the shop for the unloading and then we will buy you a beer.

We have lots of cool stuff for sale in the shop, so come by and hunt for parts, accessories, or maybe another project bike.  All proceeds go toward keeping the doors open and the lights on.  Hope to see you soon at the shop.

The February shop hours are as follows:

Tuesdays – February 1, 15, and 22 – 7 PM to 9 PM  (closed February 8)

Thursdays – February 3, 17, and 24 – 7 PM to 9 PM (closed February 10)

Sundays – February 20 and 27 – noon to 4 PM (closed February 6 and 13)

Special Events

Sunday, February 13 – Blaine Velo Swap at National Sports Center.  Event runs 9:30 AM to 2 PM, admission is $5 with proceeds to benefit the Velodrome.  We will have a booth there and plan to bring up a lot of good stuff, so come out to see us.  This swap always has lots of great bargains and is worth the trip.

Saturday, February 26 – Blitz day to benefit Project for Pride in Living (PPL).  Event runs 2 PM until 5 PM.  The goal is to fix 15 bicycles for kids.  Recipients are selected by PPL.  This is a new partnership and we are excited to have the chance to give away some more kid size bicycles.  We still have hundreds of them available.  Other groups are welcome to contact us if they are interested in receiving bicycles for kids.

Volunteers are always welcome at the shop.  You don’t need an appointment, just come by any time that we are open and we can put you to work.  We mainly need mechanics, but we always have a few other things to do that we never quite find the time to get to, so chances are there is something you can do that will be a huge help to us.  We keep beer and soft drinks on hand for our volunteers, and often provide snacks.  It is a fun place to volunteer – lots of laughs and knowing your efforts help a good cause.  Hope to see you soon at the shop.

January shop schedule is as follows:

Sundays – January 2, 9, 16, 23, and 30 – Noon until 4 PM

Tuesdays – January 4, 11, 18, and 25 – 7 PM until 9 PM

Thursdays – January 6, 13, 20, and 27 – 7 PM until 9 PM

Bike Love weekend will be January 22 and 23.  This is when our regular volunteers bring in their own bicycles for some much-needed TLC.  Contact me directly for specific hours.

The bicycle count as of 12/30 is 530!  The shop will be open on 12/30 from 7 PM to 9 PM, and hopefully we will get some pickups.  I also have to verify bicycle counts from Tom, so we could actually be at 531 or 532.  Anyway, our biggest year ever was 2008 when we gave away 531, so we want to break the record and we are oh so close.  Watch this space for an update and final tally for 2010.

We will be doing the Twin Cities Bike Swap again this year.  It is on Sunday, February 13 from 9 AM until 2 PM at the National Sports Center in Blaine.  We will have lots of great stuff for sale at rock bottom prices – even cheaper than our normally low in-store prices.  There will be bargains galore, so plan to come see us at the Swap.

It looks like we will be entering into a couple of new partnerships for 2011.  One is with our friend LeRoy from Coon Rapids.  They are forming a foundation to fix and give away bicycles to kids, and we will supply them with the bicycles.  We also are planning to partner with operators of sober houses to provide bicycle fleets for residents to use.  There is also a group in Minneapolis who may be doing a kid bike program and will send volunteers to our store to fix the bicycles that they will give away.  Most likely this will be a blitz.  We also plan to continue the partnership with Downtown Congregations to End Homelessness.  There are lots of exciting opportunities opening to us for expansion.

We rely on our volunteers and our customers to help us continue our outreach.  Mike could never fix so many bicycles all by himself, and without customers to buy our stuff, we couldn’t pay the rent and keep the doors open.  Thanks to all of you who have helped us out or bought our stuff.  We hope to see all of you early and often in 2011.