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
Currently our volunteer days are on pause due to COVID-19. Main volunteer workdays when we're not in a pandemic 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 by appointment.This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and details of what you have and schedule a drop-off time for items we can use right now.
The Silicon Valley Bicycle Exchange is a Section 501c(3) non-profit organization.
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What's New
Featured SVBE Volunteer: Shree Sandilya
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- Written by Roger Conley Smith Roger Conley Smith
- Published: 15 January 2021 15 January 2021
In the last couple of years, SVBE has expanded its social media presence to include Instagram. The regular activity on our IG page has been a great way to get the word out about some of our activities and programs, like #BikeMatch. But it has also been a way to connect with new volunteers, especially our younger members.
Our January Volunteer of the Month comes to us from Gunn High School and found SVBE through Instagram.
Bike of the Month: Raleigh Sports Mixte 3-Speed
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- Written by Cap'n Jonny Felch Cap'n Jonny Felch
- Published: 15 January 2021 15 January 2021
For the New Year here is something old that’s also something new.
Recently, I spotted a horrible looking Raleigh Superbe at the shop. The paint was in bad shape, it had a chrome fork that was wrong, and the crank was from a different bike. About the only things it had going for it were beautiful wheels and new gum wall tires. In another corner of the shop was a ladies Raleigh Sport. It had 700c rims with skinny tires and a singlespeed freewheel.
2020 in Review, and Many Thanks
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- Written by Andrew Y Andrew Y
- Published: 22 December 2020 22 December 2020
A global pandemic. Canceled volunteer days. A bike shortage. A backed-up bike parts supply chain. Destructive fires and horrible air quality. And a serious concussion!
I certainly couldn’t have predicted any of these challenges a year ago when I joined SVBE, but I’m proud to say we’ve somehow survived all of these, and end 2020 with a lot to be thankful for.
I have 5,023 reasons to be thankful this year!
Thanks to Our Weekday Warriors
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- Written by Jack Miller Jack Miller
- Published: 22 December 2020 22 December 2020
What a year!
Our Wednesday volunteer events took a long hiatus due to the pandemic.
Once we resumed on a smaller scale this summer, we still repaired an amazing number of bikes and shared plenty of smiles and laughs behind masks.
I'd like to thank the crew who regularly came to our socially-distanced events:
Give and Receive with SVBE's Fundraiser Silent Auction!
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- Written by Andrew Y Andrew Y
- Published: 04 December 2020 04 December 2020
2020 sure has been an interesting and challenging year for many of us, and our organization certainly hasn't been immune to pandemic-related challenges. We haven't enjoyed our popular, packed Saturdays, volunteer group events, nor open days for donation drop-offs or bike sales.
Yet we've gotten creative, and still have plenty to be grateful for. We've still donated over 500 bikes to partner charities and those in need, had volunteers take home over 450 bikes to work on at home and had some very small volunteer events. We couldn't do it without the tireless efforts of our loyal volunteers!
As the year comes to a close, we're hoping to end it on a high note while rewarding supporters with some incredible swag and experiences through our first-ever SVBE Silent Auction.
Enjoy sailing on the SF Bay, an online deep-dish pizza-making session, handmade treats and crafts, high-end bike components, a professional bike fitting, bike tune-ups, gift certificates and even a professional photoshoot!
We've received tremendous support from individuals and local businesses for this fundraiser, and all of you can benefit!
Read more: Give and Receive with SVBE's Fundraiser Silent Auction!
Bike of the Month: Schwinn Stingray, Refurbished by Cap'n Jonny
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- Written by Cap'n Jonny Felch Cap'n Jonny Felch
- Published: 03 December 2020 03 December 2020
With all the mountain bikes, sport bikes, and race bikes that have graced this space, it might seem that this rather odd-looking kids’ bike is a bit out of place here. It is, in fact, the first Schwinn Stingray (more accurately, Lemon peeler) I have seen in the shop.
You might not realize it, but this is one of the best-selling bicycles in history. Produced from 1963 to 1981, in its heyday something like 60 percent of all the bikes sold in the US were Stingrays and variants.
Read more: Bike of the Month: Schwinn Stingray, Refurbished by Cap'n Jonny
Featured SVBE Volunteer: Lucy Hsu
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- Written by Roger Conley Smith Roger Conley Smith
- Published: 03 December 2020 03 December 2020
One of the constants at the Silicon Valley Bicycle Exchange is that there are always more bikes to repair. Our talented volunteers are always repairing bikes at a good clip, but only by moving the repaired bikes to our partner organizations are we able to have the space needed to continue repairing bikes. And in order for that to happen, we need people to help coordinate getting the repaired bikes to our partner organizations.
One of the people that leads this effort is Lucy Hsu. Lucy helps get our repaired bikes to organizations all throughout Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties, which has been 490 so far in 2020! Contacting the organizations, keeping tabs on all the bikes that have been repaired and passed our rigorous QA process, and arranging the exchanges is no small feat for the number of bikes that move through BikeX. Today, we're shining our spotlight on Lucy via our interview.
Bike of the Month: 1974 Allegro Special, Refurbished by Cap'n Jonny
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- Written by Andrew Y Andrew Y
- Published: 05 November 2020 05 November 2020
Here's our most recent featured bike, donated by an owner moving from the Bay Area up to the Sierra, and fully refurbished by our tireless volunteer Cap'n Jonny. Enjoy a brief trip back in time:
Founded in 1914 in Neuchatel (French Canton), Switzerland by Arnold Grandjean, Allegro gained a reputation for being one of the premier manufacturers of racing bicycles in Switzerland. By the 1960’s they were the largest bicycle manufacturer in Switzerland. From the late '50s to the mid-'70s they were being imported into the U.S in large numbers.
Read more: Bike of the Month: 1974 Allegro Special, Refurbished by Cap'n Jonny
Featured SVBE Volunteer: Dave Fork
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- Published: 03 November 2020 03 November 2020
Most people who have been to BikeX have seen Dave Fork, in his characteristic neon-yellow vest affixing green tags with a smile on bikes that have passed the first round of our rigorous quality assurance process. Some may not know that in addition to being an integral part of the BikeX current operations, Dave co-founded the Silicon Valley Bicycle Exchange in 1993.
Through rain, shine, or pandemics, Dave has been a consistent guiding voice to keep the Bicycle Exchange moving forward and delivering on the mission of helping people learn how to repair bikes, donating bikes to folks who need them, and decreasing the waste stream of bicycles in our society.
Featured SVBE Volunteer: Patrick Twohy
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- Written by Andrew Y Andrew Y
- Published: 02 October 2020 02 October 2020
A global pandemic presents interesting challenges for everyone and everything, and nonprofits are no exception. While the Silicon Valley Bicycle Exchange unfortunately can't safely hold our large weekend volunteer events, we're grateful for a dedicated group of loyal volunteers that has powered our operations during this interesting time.
These volunteers book appointments to pick up "homework bikes" and parts and refurbish them at home.
One such volunteer, Patrick Twohy, has worked on no less than 17 homework bikes since mid-July.
The retired journalist and now sailing instructor first discovered SVBE as a bike donor, but now comes back weekly to pick up take-home projects and the necessary bike parts.
We caught up with Patrick, our latest featured volunteer, to learn more about his background and volunteering experience.