Community Cycling Center Aims to Reduce Barriers to Biking

The organization works to get butts on bike seats for better health.

Community Cycling BOP (Cole Lalomia)
By Vinny White

Community Cycling Center (1700 NE Alberta St., 503-287-8786, communitycyclingcenter.org) is a nonprofit organization that’s been ingrained in Portland’s biking community for nearly 30 years, preaching the positive effects of cycling and working to ensure those who want to bike can.

“Our goal is to get butts on bikes,” board member Steven Soto says. “It improves financial outcomes, it improves health outcomes, it’s good for mental health, it’s more than just a hobby. We see bikes as a tool that can help transform lives.”

CCC offers free, grant-funded bike repair and training programs in underserved communities around Portland. In the New Columbia neighborhood, CCC has established a bike repair shack, staffed with two mechanics, that runs May through September.

In Cully, CCC collaborates with community group Andando en Bicicletas en Cully (Riding Bikes in Cully) to educate grade schoolers on safe biking practices with four-day summer bike camps. The center also offers classes at Helensview School and Alliance High School at Meek campus that teach introductory physics concepts through the mechanics of the bicycle for class credit.

“I think a lot of us acknowledge the inherent inequalities present in today’s society,” programs director William Francis says. “The bike is this amazing tool, but it’s not exactly the easiest thing to access and utilize. We gotta stay true to our mission, which is reducing barriers.”

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