Nothing really compares to a bike ride along the Santa Cruz coast, wind in your hair, breathing the sea mist, free from the jammed highway with its air and noise pollution. Locals and visitors alike can agree on at least one thing: Santa Cruz County has incredibly diverse scenery, and there’s nothing quite as exhilarating as seeing it under your own pedal power.

Beyond the scenery, there are those of us just looking to get around without a car. Whether to avoid traffic, work those leg muscles or as primary transportation, it helps that so much of the county is easily navigable by bicycle.

The Good Times charitable initiative Santa Cruz Gives has identified two local organizations that look to introduce more people to this healthy mode of transport by advocating bicycle ownership and building a cycling habit: Community Bike Collective and the Bike Church are both on the 2024 list of grant recipients.

Breaking Down Barriers

Watsonville-based Community Bike Collective is a 501(c)3 non-profit that provides equipment, coaching and access to trails to underserved youth in Santa Cruz County. By partnering with the Housing Authority of Santa Cruz County, Monarch Services, Watsonville Youth Center and other nonprofits, CBC provides refurbished bikes to low-income residents and hosts community rides that provide essential mountain bike skills.

“We want to break down barriers to riding bikes by providing equipment, coaching and access to trails,” says Alex Ponick, CBC President. The collective aims for a positive bike experience by offering youth a progression of coordinated cycling skills with opportunities to earn badges, cycling gear and even a bike as they complete designated CBC Pathway levels.

“Our goal is to move youth from basic bike handling skills to engaging them in a lifelong activity that boosts physical and mental health, reinforces valuable life skills and builds community,” Ponick says. Healthy snacks are provided on the trips as well.

Explaining how the collective will use their Santa Cruz Gives funding, Ponick says, “Two of our largest needs are a new van and a new trailer to haul our bikes around.”

To date, CBC has given away over 400 bikes, according to Ponick. On average, Ponick says it costs just under $20 a bike to refurbish with parts such as tubes, tires, brake cables and other supplies. “We have a bunch of volunteer mechanics who help and members of the community who donate their used bikes, and parts as well.”

This is the second year the CBC has participated in Santa Cruz Gives.

Formed more than a decade ago, the CBC (formerly Trips for Kids) started with Mountain Bikers of Santa Cruz. Ponick has been with the organization for eight years. An avid cyclist, he and his two daughters ride bikes to work and school every day. “I’m a transportation planner for Metro, so getting more people on bikes and out of their cars not only does the individual good in terms of health but it also benefits the environment,” he says. Community Bike Collective Is located at 345 Harvest Drive, Watsonville. For a form to request a bicycle, donate a bike or book a ride, visit communitybikecollective.org.

No Need to Fix What Ain’t Broke

Owning a bicycle is a substantial responsibility, one that the Bike Church doesn’t take lightly. For nearly three decades, the Bike Church has been committed to equipping people of all walks and abilities with a bicycle and basic bike maintenance skills, and selling solid, working bikes both new and used, based on a sliding scale.

Bike Church is open five days a week for repairs, bike education and monthly volunteer programs. The shop offers no-cost or low-cost bikes, along with ready-to-ride and “as-is” options. Learn-to-repair workshops allow use of the Bike Church’s tools with help from knowledgeable mechanics.

“Transportation is basically a human need to survive in the world,” says Niko Hodgson, collective member and mechanic. “Bikes are more accessible than cars no matter what your experience or socioeconomic status.”

On a recent Sunday afternoon, I showed up at Bike Church with my GT all-terrain mountain bike with a broken chain, and no one laughed at my 30-year-old ride. They showed me how to use a link tool to add a new master link, two-and-a-half other links and reset the limit screw. They charged me $1.11 for parts, and the rest was a donation for labor. I was back in the saddle in no time.

From tune-ups to clunky shifters to just pumping air into tires, “We want to empower people,” Hodgson said. “We will meet you at your mechanic ability and socioeconomic status.”

“For such a radicalist enclave, it’s one of the last bastions of democracy,” says Jeremiah, a longtime bike builder and volunteer. “I think there’s a need for it now more than any other time in its existence.”

The shop’s dedication to sustainability is evidenced by its recycling of bike parts, and by using both new and used bike supplies. “This is a place to learn about bikes and grow as a community,” Hodgson says. “We can help people build an entire bike from the ground up.”

Santa Cruz Gives grant funding will expand Bike Church education programs, build out the volunteer program and establish a safety net for its inevitable relocation due to downtown’s housing development(s) and a push for rezoning. “If that happens, we would have 60 days to relocate,” Hodgson says.

The Bike Church is part of the Hub for Sustainable Living, a Section 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that also includes Sub Rosa Book Store, the Fabrica and Tenants Sanctuary. 

Bike Church is located at 703 Pacific Ave., open to the public Wednesdays to Mondays, noon-5pm and Tuesdays 5-8pm for women, trans and femme (WTF) identifying people “because biking can be a very bro-y culture,” Hodgson says. Bike Church also dispenses NarCan, period products and free fentanyl test strips. Call 831-425-2453.

To donate, visit santacruzgives.org.