Our Story
Vision
Our Community Bikes envisions a community without oppression, where equal access to mobility supports self determination for everyone, regardless of perceived ability, employment status, income, race, gender, or sexual orientation.
mission
Our Community Bikes promotes the use of bicycles as a healthy, affordable and environmentally sound form of transportation. We offer education in the form of mechanical skills training and workplace learning to empower people and enable access to community services and opportunities. Equity, environmental sustainability, and waste reduction are central to how we work.
ENVIRONMENTAL ACTION
Environmental sustainability and waste reduction are central. Optimize operations, purchasing, and decision making to reduce environmental impact. Divert waste through recycling and refurbishing bikes. Enable people to use bicycles as low impact transportation and cultivate a community that values reused materials.
EMPOWER
Minimize barriers to mobility and increase access to bicycles. Create opportunities for experience by teaching people to fix their own bikes. Provide an affirming environment to learn about bike mechanics to people with disabilities, and work experience for those who face barriers to employment.
EDUCATE
Equip people with mechanical skills and cycling safety knowledge so people can feel confident with their bicycles. Promote the use of bicycles and pedal-powered technologies to improve our common environment, and mitigate the effects of climate change.
ENABLE
Provide bikes to low-income individuals to facilitate participation in community enabling people to join in, fit in, get jobs, get to appointments and to participate in their lives, on their terms. Develop and distribute pedal-powered technologies within our communities.
Our Community Bikes
At Our Community Bikes we use the bicycle as a tool for social change to combat oppression, increase individual opportunities and expand community boundaries.
Open in Mount Pleasant since 1993, Our Community Bikes (OCB) is a community bike shop for DIY bicycle repair and affordable bike maintenance and sales. We provide refurbished bicycles and education in mechanical skills to empower people and to enable their access to community services and opportunities.
OCB offers an equitable workplace and opportunities regardless of perceived ability, employment status, income, race, gender, orientation or age. Together, we work to increase access to bicycles and the opportunities that affordable, independent transportation can give people.
At OCB we believe in a fair and just society that acknowledges and accounts for the systemic imbalances that have existed in the past - one where everyone has equal access to sustainable transportation, employment and opportunities to build new skills, confidence and community.
We highly value accessibility and respect in the space and invite everyone to read our Community Agreement before using our shop and services.
Pedal Energy Development Alternatives (PEDAL) is a non-profit society that oversees Our Community Bikes and related programming in the Vancouver area.
