Things to Do in Denver: Bike Depot

The Denver area is a great place to bike. The weather is great, the drivers are generally not assholes, and despite the epic mountains in the distance, the city itself is relatively flat.

But what do you do if you don't have a bike, or you got a used bike on Craiglist that maybe doesn't actually stop when you apply the brakes? (It turns out those things are pretty important to your safety). Sure, you could go to a bike shop and pay $75 or more for a tune-up...or, you could check out the epicly awesome Bike Depot, where they will help you fix your own bike for free! They also sell fixed-up bikes and bikes you can fix yourself, and there's even a program where you can get a free bike after volunteering and learning basic bike maintenance.

All you have to pay for are the parts, many of which are available used for a discount. And then the giant milkshake you buy to celebrate your bike-fixing accomplishments (is that just me?)

We stopped by on a Saturday and easily registered for the Fix-Your-Bike workshop in the back, where they helped us mount Girlfriend's bike on a rack so we could administer a little brake surgery.

It's okay Bikey, this won't hurt too bad.

There are tons of used parts available, from brake pads to tires to bolts to chains to kickstands. We opted for a pair of new brake pads, and even those were super affordable.

You get to dig around for parts yourself, which is super fun. One tip: don't wear nice clothes!

While Girlfriend tweaked her brake placement and worked with a very patient volunteer to figure out why the chain wouldn't shift all the way to the biggest gear (futzing with a cool part called the derailleur), I got to take in the sights, such as this disturbing animal-bike hybrid:

Is it a donkey? A horsebike? Who made this pink abomination...and why?

I also saw some boys who looked to be about 10 years old fixing their own bikes, clearly with a lot more skill than Girlfriend and I.

They also had WAY more fabulous wheel decor.

After I spent some time standing around getting in the way, one of the mechanics handed me a little bottle of chain lubricant and instructed me to oil a few of the parts on the bike. I can't say that I did a great job (Girlfriend, if your gears somehow explode off the bike, I take full responsibility), but it was cool to participate in the tune-up.

Clearly I spent more time taking pictures than helping. Sorry, guys.

In conclusion, the Bike Depot is fabulous and you should check it out, whether you have a bike or are looking for one. You can even donate your old bike for others to use! It's like a magic circle of bike love. And Girlfriend is super happy to have working brakes and a derailleur that shifts to ALL the gears.