Local nonprofit expanding access to bicycles, two at a time
Last month, the Old City added a new nonprofit venture to its ranks when Two bikes opened on Central Street between Good Golly Tamale and Fin-Two. You can’t miss the storefront’s bright blue window frames and the welcoming message painted on the windows: FRIENDLY SERVICE – AFFORDABLE BIKES.
Walking in, it’s obvious that this is not your typical bike shop. To the right sits a staggering variety of bikes of all ages, styles, colors and sizes profiled against an exposed brick wall glittering in the sunny window light. It almost feels like Brooklyn, only unpretentious and instantly inviting.
It’s highly likely that Matt Zingg, who manages retail operations downstairs, will enthusiastically exclaim, “Welcome to Two Bikes! Anything I can help you with today?” After more than a year of maintaining social distancing, this social familiarity is a delightful change of pace.
If not Zingg, service manager Travis Jolly will look up from his mechanic’s station at the back of the store and come out to greet you. Two Bikes is the kind of place where you almost immediately feel like a regular.
As the name suggests, this 501(c)(3) is more than simply a bicycle shop; for every bike sold, a second is donated to a separate nonprofit in the Knoxville community. Two Bikes works with other local organizations, which act as conduits. Organizations like the Boys & Girls Club, with whom Two Bikes did a recent bike giveaway, and other groups working with children and adults who need access to transportation are the ideal collaborations as they get their first few months in the books.
“Our mission is to expand access to bicycles in Knoxville,” says Mitchell Connell, who is straight-to-the-point when he talks about Two Bikes. As co-founder of the venture, Connell is involved with Matt and Travis on a regular basis, leveraging his passion and more than a decade’s experience in the bicycle industry. He also is instrumental in coordinating nonprofit efforts and growing the community around this new organization.
“We have a different supply chain,” Connell says. “We’re not importing bikes from Taiwan; we’re importing them from people’s garages. We have this different methodology for getting bikes on the sales floor and back into the community.”
Every bike that you see in the Two Bikes showroom is a custom-built, “useful” bicycle, as Connell describes them. He has found that there’s a niche that needs filling when it comes to making bikes accessible for all.
“We’ve found that there’s a lack of available bicycle options that are just great, useful objects. Something you can ride to the grocery store, to class and to your job. We’re trying to fill that niche. Almost everyone who wants a bicycle right now is looking for what we have – they just might not know what they’re looking for.”
Connell has a point. The COVID-19 pandemic created a massive surge in demand for bikes, especially for those for everyday riders. It seems that the trend in modern bike shops is to carry higher-end brands that are specialty-based, often pricing the everyday rider out of comfortable options – if that comfortable option even exists.
“Bikes you find in shops today are about performance at all costs. That means they’re often designed to ride on aggressive mountain trails or go really fast on the road. Instead, we take these aggressive mountain bikes from the ‘90s and turn them into upright, comfortable commuter bikes. Every bike that you buy here is unique.”
Those comfortable commuter bikes are built up from bike frames donated from your neighbor’s garage, a bike basket donated by someone who has just upgraded a setup or a comfortable seat that someone decided to swap out when they changed to a more aggressive riding saddle.
Simply browsing the selection of bikes is a fun experience. You’ll find a vintage-looking road bike with a comfortable seat and bright red grips, a really fun knock-around bike that, like the average bicycle in the shop, costs around $250 or less.
Connell gets animated when he talks about the early response from the community.
“We feel like everyone has really embraced this Knoxville nonprofit that was born and raised here,” he says. “We’re barely able to keep up with the demand for bikes already.
So if you’re looking at your garage, at your unused bikes, even your relatives’ spring rummage sale, keep Two Bikes top of mind.
“We take it all,” Connell says. “All bicycles, tools, parts and accessories. If you have something as small as an old Blinky light, we’ll use it on a bike or we’ll put it on the sales floor for $1.99 to give people access to everything they need to get started inexpensively.”
Beyond the sales floor, which includes bikes, cycling accessories and some very cool merch, the back of the house features a full-service mechanics’ shop, as well as a self-service station.
Full-service means you can bring your own bike in for anything. “As simple as changing a tube on the spot and as advanced as frame-up builds, suspension work, brake bleeds, whatever you need, we can do it,” says Connell.
But what if you don’t want or are not financially able to bring your bike to a professional mechanic? Two Bikes has a public workstation where anyone can come and work on their own bike, free of charge. There is access to tools, fluids, space and helpful resources to do a variety of services to your own bike.
Connell describes his inspiration for Two Bikes as his experience joining a bike community that gathered at a workstation behind a local shop as a teenager. “Everyone would hang out and work on fixing their bikes together,” he says. “Bicycles gave me a sense of community and empowered me to believe that I could fix something myself.”
Whether you’re inundated with unused bike parts after a thorough spring clean or are looking for an affordable bike with which to explore this beautiful city, Two Bikes is a must visit next time you’re in the Old City.
The best way to keep up with Two Bikes’ events and happenings is through its Facebook page. Follow it for information about donation-based bicycle education classes, fun local events and more opportunities to get involved in the organization’s mission to expand access to bicycles in Knoxville.
