Our Mission: Serving the community while
inspiring people to learn the art of bicycle repair.
Quick Answers
Location: 3961 East Bayshore Road, Palo Alto, CA MAP
Main volunteer workdays are 10am to 3pm on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of January-October. See the event calendar for more events and volunteer days.
Donate bicycles and parts after 11am during our Saturday workdays.
The Silicon Valley Bicycle Exchange is a Section 501c(3) non-profit organization.
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What's New
Silicon Valley Bicycle Exchange 2019 Year End Letter
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- Written by Jack Miller Jack Miller
- Published: 01 January 2020 01 January 2020
Greetings to the whole family of the Silicon Valley Bicycle Exchange!
It’s been a very productive year at the Bicycle Exchange, thanks to all of the volunteer service groups who joined us this year in addition to the many individual volunteers who come to learn and fix bikes.
2019 by the Numbers
This year, over 1000 volunteers lent their helping hands and collectively put in over 10,000 hours, including those from fifteen great service groups. We’re excited that so many people have come to learn mechanical skills while helping our Bay Area community.
In all, we donated 820 bicycles out to fourteen non-profit charitable organization partners across San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Santa Cruz counties who then give them to their clients most in need. Our recipient partners are always grateful for the bikes they receive.
Read more: Silicon Valley Bicycle Exchange 2019 Year End Letter
Volunteer of the Month: Carolina L
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- Written by Jonny Jonny
- Published: 02 December 2019 02 December 2019
I love my job, especially when I get to interview someone as engaging as Carolina L. She is the latest addition to our Wednesday crew.
Carolina has done some traveling. Her father is an engineer and has moved with his family for work a few times. Born in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, she moved to Seattle when she was two, then three years later to Florida. At age six the family moved back to Brazil to the tiny hamlet of Belo Horizonte (population 2.5 million, 6th largest city in Brazil.) Three years later it was on to São Paulo, and then finally to Mountain View where she is a high school student and hopes to stick around a while.
Carolina loves to surf. Her favorite place for catching waves is Steamer Lane in Santa Cruz. She also loves riding her bike. She rides to school, to piano lessons, and on the Shoreline trails. At the bike shop, I spent time mentoring her and could see that she is definitely into the mechanical stuff. She intends to be a regular member of the crew. Asked what her plans are for the future, she says she wants to get a broad education and then see what happens. That sounds like a great game plan to this old jack-of-all-trades.
Holiday Giving, Employer Match and #GivingTuesday
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- Written by Andrew Yee Andrew Yee
- Published: 01 December 2019 01 December 2019
Although our volunteer events are more limited in December, our organization’s needs are not!
It’s the perfect time to help our mission through a monetary donation. Many employers offer matching funds with limits that expire at the end of the calendar year. Take advantage of the chance to double your impact. We’ve got an easy form to check if your employer has such a program.
This Tuesday, December 3, is #GivingTuesday, which offers another timely opportunity to make a difference. You could start a #GivingTuesday fundraiser on Facebook to benefit the Silicon Valley Bicycle Exchange or make a donation on the day and encourage others to do the same.
Read more: Holiday Giving, Employer Match and #GivingTuesday
The Silicon Valley Bicycle Exchange is on Instagram!
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- Written by Andrew Yee Andrew Yee
- Published: 14 November 2019 14 November 2019
The Silicon Valley Bicycle Exchange is finally on Instagram! Give us a follow on IG at @bicycle.exchange to stay in touch with all our human-powered good.
Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words. Through photos and videos on social media, we'll attempt to showcase the hard work of all our volunteers, the generosity of our donors and the refurbished bikes along their journey to those in need.
Read more: The Silicon Valley Bicycle Exchange is on Instagram!
Person of the Month: Andrew Yee
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- Written by Jonny Jonny
- Published: 01 November 2019 01 November 2019
SVBE welcomes its General Manager, Andrew Yee
Father, husband, engineer, businessman, certified bike nut?
Take your pick, he is all of the above and as of now, he is the new General Manager for the Silicon Valley Bicycle Exchange. I had the opportunity to sit down with him today and dig into what makes him tick and how he is going to assist us in making our program even more successful.
Persons of the Month: Nikolay and Kostya
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- Written by Jonny Jonny
- Published: 30 September 2019 30 September 2019
On September 7th the Bike Exchange had its semi Annual Bike sale. I have never seen so many people intent on buying a bike from us. We had a line 6-8 deep waiting to hand us money practically from the time we opened. I guess the word has gotten out that there are some fantastic deals to be had. All true!
As I tried to do my best Ralph Sport Sport (of Sport Sport Motors) imitation, a big bear of a man introduced himself to me. Nikolay and his son Kostya are originally from Moscow. They moved here to the states when Kostya was three and now live in Palo Alto. Kostya is in the 5th grade at Baron Park Elementary school.
Women's Night Bike Repair Sessions
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- Written by Mary K. Mary K.
- Published: 16 September 2019 16 September 2019
Twice a month the Bicycle Exchange opens up for women to wrench. This women's only environment gives us a chance to tinker and problem solve. We break down parts of the bike that we are still learning to really understand how things work. Women's Night at SVBE is looking to empower women. First and Third Mondays at 7pm. Join us!
See the event calendar for Women's Night workdays as well as new Wednesday Morning and occasional Friday evening workdays.
Volunteer of the Month: Nilay
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- Written by Jonny Jonny
- Published: 01 September 2019 01 September 2019
The bike Exchange is getting to be a world-class organization, attracting folks from far and wide. In far-off India in the city of Kolkata, Nilay M was born. Little did he know at the time that his family would move halfway around the world and he would find himself in Palo Alto California, but since the 7th grade, this has been his home.
Nilay currently attends Gunn High School. His favorite subject is automotive technology, where he has been engaged in real hands-on learning. His class acquired a Mazda RX7 race car with a blown engine and somehow managed to shoehorn a Ford Mustang 4-liter v8 engine into it and make it work. Amazing!
Volunteer of the Month: Lauren Z
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- Written by Jonny Jonny
- Published: 04 August 2019 04 August 2019
Wednesday is becoming the new Saturday at the Bike Exchange.
Last week I arrived at 11 am and almost every station was occupied. Old friends and new faces and everybody swaying to jazz on the sound system. Looking around for a victim, I realized that I had never interviewed Lauren Z, so let’s meet her.
Lauren was born in Chicago. Her Engineer father and legal Secretary mother had the good sense to move to Denver soon afterward. Lauren loved everything about Denver (except the snow) and thrived. An athlete, she played volleyball and soccer and was good enough to get a volleyball scholarship to prestigious Rice University. Once there she soon realized that her academic studies in Chemical Engineering had to take precedence.
Volunteer of the Month: Harry C
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- Written by Jonny Jonny
- Published: 27 June 2019 27 June 2019
Harry hails from Nottingham England, and assures me he is no relation to the evil Sheriff of Robin Hood fame.Back in Blighty his father always biked to work as did so many of his generation. For his part, Harry rode his bike to classes at the University of Southampton, where he studied to be a software engineer like his dad.
He has been in the states for 3 1/2 years, landing a job at our favorite Mega Corp., the big G, where he hooked up with fellow Googlers who volunteer at the Bike Exchange.
Harry is active in his church and also enjoys fencing. If the poor peasants of Nottingham shire ever need a champion, he’ll be ready to head to Sherwood Forest and get the gang back together.
Volunteer of the Month: Ahmed
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- Written by Lauren Z. Lauren Z.
- Published: 01 June 2019 01 June 2019
Ahmed has been volunteering at the Bicycle Exchange for about three months. He likes to fix road bikes (like what he rides) and kids bikes. His goal is to become proficient in fixing his kids' bikes. Right now he is honing his skills on adjusting derailleurs and likes to get a bike indexing just right.
Ahmed was born in Somalia but grew up here in Silicon Valley. When not volunteering, he likes to spend time with his young children at museums, the zoo, or parks. His favorite place visited was London because of the deep history, the castles, and the culture. He loved the multi-cultural food available and the museums. He also enjoyed a Shakespeare play at the Globe Theater. Ahmed recommends a local Somali restaurant - Jubba in San Jose.
Volunteer of the Month: Jack G
- Details
- Written by Jonny Jonny
- Published: 01 May 2019 01 May 2019
The Bike Exchange has expanded a lot recently. Today I am talking to one of the folks who work here during our new Wednesday hours.
Jack is one of that rarest of breeds, a native San Fransiscan. Jack grew up locally and was always liked mechanical stuff, especially bikes. He attended Menlo Atherton High, then 2 years of junior college before transferring to Chico State where he got a BS in Physical Sciences. His first job out of college was with Perkins Elmer (he didn’t work on the Space telescope mirror). Then it was on to Varian in Palo Alto where he worked on Sputtering (plasma coating).
He has been a hard core mountain biker for years. He loves to ride his Santa Cruz Blur on the open space trails off highway 35 in the Santa Cruz mountains. Deciding he wanted to do something for others after retiring, he did an internet search and found the Bike exchange. He hooked up with Jack and now is one of our Wednesday regulars.
Volunteer of the Month: Dennis
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- Written by Lauren Z. Lauren Z.
- Published: 30 March 2019 30 March 2019
Dennis commuted by bike for decades here in Silicon Valley and maintained his classic road bike. Now that he is retired, he puts his bike-fixing skills to work at the Bicycle Exchange. He is part of the Wednesday crew that fixes bikes during the day at our new facility. If you join us on a Wednesday, you may enjoy one of his other hobbies – baking. In the last two weeks, he has brought currant scones and canelés. Another of his hobbies is wood-working and lately Dennis created cabinets and a front door. The most interesting place he visited was Istanbul because of the mix of the European and Asian cultures.
Volunteer of the Month: Kevin
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- Written by Jonny Jonny
- Published: 01 March 2019 01 March 2019
Lately I have had a number of conversations with our volunteers from the Veteran’s Administration. They are all great folks and worth getting to know. Today I sat down with Kevin.
He grew up in San Jose, was a Life Scout, and attended junior college where he went through the EMT certification program while working at Home Depot. At age 27, he joined the Army and became a medic.
During his time in the service he was stationed in Afghanistan in Ghanzi Province and the Andar district among other places. Fortunately he made it out of there in one piece but back in Cali he fell on rough times and wound up homeless for a while.
He eventually hooked up with the Veterans Administration, which got him into housing, and started on the road to recovery. It was there he met Rebecca and through her was introduced to the shop.
Kevin has become a regular here, always willing to help out and to share his knowledge with others. He is a long time rider and enthusiast and has a bunch of bikes, including a Specialized Langster track bike.
When not helping us at the shop he enjoys riding around San Jose and going on the Bike Party rides. Sometimes, life deals you a few bad hands. Kevin is proof that if you stay in the game the cards can start to run in your favor again. Glad to have you aboard, brother.
Volunteer of the Month: Jeff A
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- Written by Lauren Z. Lauren Z.
- Published: 01 February 2019 01 February 2019
Jeff has volunteered with the Bicycle Exchange for about four years after finding us via our website. He is our newsletter editor and used to work on bikes when he lived closer. Now he lives near Mt Diablo where there are great bike routes - Morgan Territory, Briones and biking the bridges over the Carquinez Strait are some of his favorites. He likes long rides and big climbs.Jeff grew up in a Navy family and also served in the Navy himself. He has lived on both US coasts, in Europe and Asia, and Mare Island back when it was a base. Now he loves to spend time outdoors - backpacking, skiing, hiking, and of course biking; especially with his two teenage daughters. He also loves to travel and study languages. Some memorable trips were to the mountains of Northern Japan, the West Bank and Jerusalem, the foothills of the Andes near Mendoza Argentina, and the wadis of Oman. But his favorite is Spain, which is where his wife comes from. He says that the food is spectacular, and the streets are always full of life. And some of the cities, like Valencia, have fantastic infrastructure for cycling.
Volunteers of the Month: The Move Crew
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- Written by Jonny Jonny
- Published: 03 January 2019 03 January 2019
On Saturday, Dec. 1st a group got together to sort through our inventory and cull out some of the things that we were never going to use. Then, we packed everything into new crates and hauled it over to the new digs. Some things, like tires, had already left, but there was still tonnage to go through. I worked with 2 other volunteers on derailleurs. One box each for road and mountain bikes, front and rear. Then I went into the warehouse and packed up chain rings, crank arms, and complete assemblies. Some of it was so old the dates were written in Roman numerals.
Outside, everyone was busy sorting and packing and tossing away. Then we stopped for lunch. Lots of folks brought tasty treats and casseroles and we ordered a few pizzas. A sumptuous feast was had by all.
Join us in Palo Alto this month! We hope everyone had a great holiday season.
We Have Moved!
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- Written by Dave Fork Dave Fork
- Published: 04 December 2018 04 December 2018
Starting with our January 2019 events, Silicon Valley Bicycle Exchange will now be operating at 3961 E. Bayshore Road in Palo Alto. Please let your bikin' buddies know that we are no longer at 2566 Leghorn Street in Mountain View.
Our new location is courtesy of a temporary lease from Google. We're grateful for our new temporary home as we continue operations while looking for a permanent home. With much more indoor space, we look forward to experimenting with new methods and new programs. Join us!
Volunteer of the Month: Kim Y
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- Written by Johnny Johnny
- Published: 03 December 2018 03 December 2018
One of the ongoing partnerships we have at the Bike Exchange is with the Veterans Administration Hospital in Palo Alto. We regularly donate bikes to the vets and often have some of them visit us on our work days. A while ago I had a long conversation with one of the vets who was working on his high-tech hand-pedaled trike. It was an impressive bit of kit and he was notable as well. Today he was back again helping out and I sat down with him for a chat. Kim Y grew up in Hawaii on the Island of Oahu, joining the Army in 1969 where he served as an Army Ranger until 1991, when a combat injury brought him to the Palo Alto VA hospital. While there he hooked up with the therapy program, which eventually brought him to the Bike Exchange.
He has been using the knowledge gained here to encourage other disabled vets to get into cycling for therapy and fitness. Kim rides his trike twice a week with the San Jose Breakfast Group and says riding helps him overcome the demons of PTSD. Asked if he has any words of wisdom he would like to share, he says “Whatever struggles you are going through in life, try something new to help you see things from a different light.”
His motto: “Laugh, to keep from crying.”
Volunteer of the Month: Tobi
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- Written by Lauren Z. Lauren Z.
- Published: 01 November 2018 01 November 2018
Tobi has been volunteering at the Bicycle Exchange for about a year. He found out about the organization through the Google website, as an employee. When he chooses a bike to repair, he often picks one that looks cool, but those seem to be the ones with lots of repair challenges. His specialty is fixing the crank/bottom bracket (how the pedals attach to the bike). He's gotten a lot of practice adjusting it so that the pedals turn easily but aren't wobbly.
Originally from Pittsburgh, Tobi moved to California 3 years ago. When not working or fixing bikes, he enjoys working out with weights and playing chess and computer games. He says the most interesting place that he has traveled is India for work - there were lots of people and amazing food.
Bicycle Exchange Finds Temporary Home
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- Written by Carol Mattsson Carol Mattsson
- Published: 01 October 2018 01 October 2018
Bicycle Exchange has found new space in which to continue its operations. Located at 3961 E. Bayshore Road in Palo Alto, the industrial office space is only a temporary solution, but for now it allows us to continue providing bicycles to the less fortunate. Read more in this article that appeared in the Palo Alto Online September 20.
We expect to continue holding our workdays and receiving donations at our old location, 2566 Leghorn Street in Mountain View, at least through December. Note our last donation workday for 2018 will be December 1, at our Leghorn location.
Volunteer of the Month: Jerry
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- Written by Johnny Johnny
- Published: 30 September 2018 30 September 2018
Jerry, 29, hails from St. Louis originally and like so manyof this country’s best and brightest, he found his waya year ago to our beautiful state, and more specifically, here in Silicon Valley. And, where would you guess he wound up working? Google, of course, where he is a Software Engineer on the Google Maps team.Jerry got an email recommending he check us out, and recently he volunteered with us for the first time. When not working, he loves playing soccer and riding his Norco road bike around our beautiful valley. He has done some 50-milers and wants to do more.
Volunteer of the Month: Chris
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- Written by Lauren Z. Lauren Z.
- Published: 01 September 2018 01 September 2018
Chris is originally from Wales but moved to the US, first Colorado then California, 14 years ago. He commutes daily to work via bicycle, taking the direct route to work, then the nice Bay Trail and Stevens Creek Trail for the ride home.
He's been volunteering at the Bicycle Exchange for about a year. When choosing a bike to fix, he likes the adult bikes because they are easy to test-ride, but the kids’ bikes are typically easier to repair. While his specialty is fixing tire problems, bent derailleurs are his biggest challenge.
He enjoys running (5K and 10K races) and swimming as well as riding. He loved visiting Paris for the architecture, cafes, and walks. And the most unusual thing that he has done is that he milked a cow in Denmark - ask him about it!