Cedar City Bike Works collective celebrates 4-year anniversary with ribbon-cutting at new shop

Written by Jeff Richards
April 30, 2024

CEDAR CITY — Cedar City Bike Works has opened its first brick-and-mortar shop, enabling the volunteer collective to operate year-round.

Attendees gather at the open house for Cedar City Bike Works’ new shop at 644 N. 800 West, Cedar City, Utah, April 22, 2024 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

“Previously, our workshop was located in a storage unit and we would have to close for seven months over the winter,” said Matt Bolus, board president of Cedar City Bike Works. “Now, with this new shop location, we can operate all year-round, increasing our capacity to help to make cycling more accessible to people in need and especially children.”

As previously reported, Bolus spearheaded the creation of the Cedar City Bike Works in early 2020.

Cedar City Bike Works, whose stated mission is “connecting neighbors through bicycle education and repair,” is an all-volunteer 501(c)(3) charitable organization that helps provide quality refurbished cycling equipment and maintenance at low cost.

At the ribbon-cutting and open house event held at the new shop on the evening of April 22, Bolus reflected on the past four years.

“This is our four-year anniversary and it’s amazing how fast we’ve grown as an organization,” Bolus told Cedar City News. “I mean, we started from just working in my garage, helping people, donating bikes. And then last year, we were able to move into this new space and donate 99 bicycles in just one year. So it’s been really amazing.”

L-R: Theresa Dean and James Jetton of Iron County Care and Share, Matt Bolus of Cedar City Bike Works and Tracy Womack of Iron County School District prepare to load donated bikes into vehicles during the open house for Cedar City Bike Works’ new shop at 644 N. 800 West, Cedar City, Utah, April 22, 2024 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

During the ribbon-cutting event, Cedar City Bike Works donated another 12 refurbished bicycles, with five going to Iron County School District, five going to Iron County Care and Share and two going to Canyon Creek Services.

“In 2021, we started our bike referral program,” he said, adding, “This is where we partner with other local needs-based nonprofits. They send us referrals of clients that need transportation, they need help fixing their bike, or they just want to get bikes for their kids. And we donate those bikes to them.”

Bolus pointed to a sign on the shop wall where a running total is kept and said the dozen bicycles donated that night brings the overall total from 254 to 266 bikes donated since 2020.

According to a Cedar City Bikes Works news release sent out in advance of last week’s open house, over the past four years, the organization has seen more than 60 volunteers who have collectively logged more than 2,000 hours of volunteer time at workshops and community events. More than 350 children’s bikes have been repaired at 40-plus community events, and dozens of helmets and locks have also been donated.

The new shop is located in Cedar City at 644 N. 800 West, Suite 3006.

“Our volunteer work nights are Mondays and Wednesday evenings from 6-8 p.m. here at our shop,” Bolus said. “It’s called our open shop work night. Anybody can come and volunteer, regardless if you have mechanical experience or not. It’s also a time where you can come and actually work on your bike, too. So not only just volunteer, but you could come rent our stands and our tools, and then I show you how to fix your bike.”

For more information, visit Cedar City Bike Works website or send an email.

Bolus also noted that Cedar City Bike Works is an avid supporter of Cedar City’s popular “Slow Roll” community events, where participants of all ages are invited to ride bikes, skateboards and other non-motorized wheeled vehicles, or walk or push strollers. The first Slow Roll of the 2024 season will be in conjunction with the city’s Spring Fiesta celebration downtown on Friday, May 3 (see map).

The event is scheduled to last from 5-11 p.m., with the slow roll taking place during the first three hours, from 5-8 p.m.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2024, all rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jeff Richards, a native of Salt Lake City with family roots in Panguitch, lived in Moab for 20 years before joining St. George News in 2017. Jeff is a longtime journalist and secondary school teacher. He and his wife Penny are the parents of five daughters. They also have three young grandsons. Jeff and his family enjoy swimming, camping, sightseeing, reading, and taking pictures.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @stgnews@moabjeff@stgnewssports

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