New Newport Bike Barn will Bring Cycling to the Masses

NEWPORT, RI—Biking advocates regularly say that the more members of a community that ride bikes, the more connected and collaborative a community will become.

A quantifiable example the phenomenon might be right here in Newport, at 29 Spring Street, where the owner of a local pub and a vacant building has joined forces with Bike Newport to solve a short-term leasing issue.

Bike Newport, a nonprofit that advocates for bicyclists and encourages more people to ride bikes for pleasure and basic transportation, has been looking for a new office space with their lease at 437 Broadway coming to an end at the end of April.

Enter Butch Murray, owner of Fastnet Pub on Broadway and the building on Spring Street, which used to be an automotive detail shop.

Murray, who wasn't sure what to do with the building and didn't want it to sit vacant for months, was presented with a proposition from Bike Newport: imagine a space where people could build or fix a bike from bikes and parts collected from community donations, recycling days and abandonment. It would also give Bike Newport a place to base operations.

"We’re coming on the best time of year to be outside and enjoy Newport, so Bike Newport’s proposition made sense," Murray said. "I’ve been a supporter of Bike Newport since they started and if 29 Spring Street can be part of the progress of getting more people on bikes, so be it.”

Now, Bike Newport has the next eight months of time before facing questions about where administrative locations can be housed. And thanks to cooperation between a city business owner and a civic organization, Newport's first Bike Barn has been born.

"We are excited to have our office beside our Bike Barn activities," said Bari Freeman, executive director of Bike Newport. "The new facility puts us within easy reach of the folks who will benefit from the repair and distribution of donated bicycles."

There's still work to get done and opportunities for more collaboration.

A local firm, Northeast Collaborative Architects, is donating design services to Bike Newport after company Principal Glenn R. Gardiner said he "saw the promise of this location from the first suggestion. Newport is ready for a healthy dose of bike culture."

Volunteers are needed to help clean, repair and paint the former detail shop from April 11 to 29 from 3 to 8 p.m. Refreshments will be provided and students and employees who need to complete community service hours need look no farther to nail down those credits.

Once completed, the Bike Barn will offer a unique opportunity to build or fix a bike alongside pros ready to help with the wrenching. There will be basic maintenance classes so cyclists can learn how to change a tire, replace a chain or "get out of the typical pickles" that can wrangle a ride along the Ocean Loop or to the corner store, said Henri Venable, Bike Newport's education manager.

"Ultimately, everyone who wants a bike will have one, regardless of financial constraints. That’s our goal," Venable said.

The Bike Barn isn't a repair shop, nor is it poised to compete with any of Newport's vital bicycle shops. Instead, it's a place for folks who otherwise might consider bicycling out of reach. A place where someone with a broken bike would like to get their hands dirty and fix it themselves.

For more information, head over to Bike Newport's online Bike Garage for locations, programs and more.

You can also send an email to Henri Venable at henri@bikenewportri.org.

Photo: From left, Henri Venable, Glenn Gardiner, Jeff Moniz, Butch Murray, Bari Freeman and Mary Ellen Lynch. (Photo Courtesy: Bike Newport)