Community Cycles has many volunteer opportunities for you to help get bicycles out of the waste stream, teach bike mechanics and encourage bike commuting and recreation. From special events to weekly schedules we have plenty of ways for you to contribute. The best way to start is to get connected.

Get Plugged In
We use a volunteer scheduling system called Volgistics that allows you to manage your Community Cycles schedule directly from most web browsers. Get started by telling us about yourself by filling out one of the following forms.

Fill this out if you have bike mechanic experience.

Fill this out if you'd like to help while learning

Keep in Touch
Once a month we send out an email newsletter with a review of the past month and listings of upcoming events. Keep up to speed and subscribe today.

Find us on FaceBook.

Volunteer at CC
Now that you've earned your bike we encourage you to volunteer and help others learn about bicycles.

• Monthly Volunteer Orientation - The best way to get plugged in is to attend our monthly volunteer meeting held on the 4th Wednesday of each month at 6p.m. If you can't make that meeting but would still like to get involved tell us about yourself by filling out our volunteer form.
• Volunteer Email List - If you're not already you can sign up to our volunteer opportunities email list. Once a week we send out emails with volunteer opportunities. Sign up for the list here.
• North Storage - You're always welcome to drop in at our 820 Lee Hill Location a.k.a. North Storage and lend a hand and expand your bicycle knowledge. See current North Storage hours.

Participate
Community Cycles is constantly putting on workshops, classes, service days and other special events both in and out of the shop. Keep up to speed with our events calendar.

Bike Shop Help

We have all kinds of needs in the shop. Some tasks require experienced bike mechanics, but most do not. Some of our needs in the shop include: sorting and pairing up parts in our bins, answering phones and greeting shop visitors, and wrenching on bikes, but every day is different, and our needs change as often as Boulder's weather.

Community Bike Shop Greeter

Greeters are the face of the Community Cycles organization. All volunteers start out as greeters, allowing them to learn the ins and outs of CC.

Time Commitment :

• One, 3 hour shift per week

• Greeting customers/volunteers/Earn-a-Bikers as they come in the shop
• Answering the phones
• Returning voicemail messages, taking and routing messages
• Accept Donations
• Data Entry
• Routing questions to the appropriate person

• Comfort with answering phone (we'll teach you the answers to our most frequently asked questions...)
• The ability to work well with others
• Ability to communicate with other members of staff, public
• Spanish speaking a definite plus, but not mandatory

HOW DO I BECOME A GREETER? WHAT'S THE PROCESS?

1. Attend a volunteer orientation.
2. Shadow with an experienced greeter for as many shifts as you need.
3. Speak to the shop manager about which shifts we need a greeter for, and go for it!

If you're interested in becoming a greeter tell us more about yourself and how you can help. Or attend the next volunteer meeting on the 4th Tuesday of the month.

Bike Shop Facilitators

Shop facilitators are the lifeblood of Community Cycles' bicycle shop. Facilitators do not need to be expert mechanics, but some knowledge of the way a bike works, the parts that make up a bike, and the way the systems of a bike work together are necessary. Some of our best facilitators have learned all the bike mechanic skills they have by being in our shop and doing non-skilled tasks. Bike mechanic's classes and training are available to help bring our non-mechanically inclined brothers and sisters up to speed.

Time Commitment :

• At least one, 3 hour shift per week

• Greeter task, see above
• Assist Earn-A-Bikers
• General Shop Help

Skills Required :

• A desire to help people discover the joys of bike mechanics and cycling
• The ability to work well with others
• All facilitators must begin their training as a greeter (See above for more information.)

1. Function as a Greeter for 4 or more shifts.
2. Speak to the shop manager about becoming a Facilitator.
3. Find a shift that works with your schedule; fill that shift.

Experienced Bicycle Mechanics

From removing usable parts from unusable bikes, to finishing bikes for the showroom, we need bicycle mechanics of any and all skill levels. Including those with zero experience, who will start slow by sorting parts, pairing up things that come in two's. More experienced mechanics may find themselves teamed up with an Earn-a-Bike student, or finishing a showroom bike which will end up for sale.

Time Commitment :

• One, 3 hour shift per week

• Tuning up and finishing donate bikes for sale in the showroom.
• Assisting Earn-a-Bike participants with mechanical questions
• Triaging incoming bike donations for their final destination
• Staffing Boulder Farmer's Market booth doing tune ups on site.
• Helping during classes, instructor.

• Experienced bike mechanic skills
• Ability to work with specialized bicycle tools, in a team or solo environment
• Be able to lift 40 pounds as we move bicycles around the shop.

1. Attend a volunteer orientation.
2. Volunteer during open shop hours at least 4 times.
3. Speak to the shop manager about ongoing needs.

If you'd like to offer your advanced bike mechanic skills tell us more about yourself and how you can help. Or attend the next volunteer meeting on the 4th Tuesday of the month.

Bike Safety Ride Leaders

Community Cycles is creating a culture of cycling in Boulder. We would like to address one of the main reasons people don't commute by bicycle; that is, they don't feel safe enough.

We're looking for ride leaders, preferably certified by the League of American Bicyclists, to lead rides that put an emphasis on bike safety and to highlight Boulder's bike way system, including multi-use paths and on-street bike lanes. CC will promote the rides and encourage graduates from our programs to attend. The rides will be open to the general public as well.

Time Commitment :

• One, 2 hour ride per month preferably on Sundays

• Coordinating a ride leader partner volunteer
• Planning an appropriate route

• Self motivation
• A passion for cycling
• League Certified Instructor or demonstrate mastery of bike safety
• An ability to keep a group of beginner cyclists together as a group, give clear directions/instructions, manage a group while on the ride
• A strong familiarity with Boulders bike ways
• Map Reading

HOW DO I BECOME A RIDE LEADER?

If you're interested in becoming a bike safety ride leader tell us more about yourself and how you can help. Or attend the next volunteer meeting on the 4th Tuesday of the month.

Event Planning / Organizing

Whether it's finding a location to hold an event, organizing volunteer staff, or gathering door prizes from local sponsors, we have lots of events, and need your help to make them as spectacular as they can be. Some of our past events have included: the Bike Shorts Film Fest, Kids' Bike Holiday Giveaway, numerous bike sale events outside the shop, Bike swaps and clinics. What's our next event? You tell us.

Time Commitment :

• Varies according to event, generally several hours per week or more

Duties Include:

• Organizing volunteers
• Overseeing planning meetings
• Soliciting donations
• Staffing events

• Willingness to see an event through from planning stage to final wrap up
• A desire to introduce members of our community to elements of bicycling they might not otherwise be exposed to
• An ability to motivate others to help plan, organize, and staff events

HOW DO I BECOME AN EVENT PLANNER/HELPER?

If you're interested in becoming an event planner/organizer tell us more about yourself and how you can help. Or attend the next volunteer meeting on the 4th Tuesday of the month.

Farmers Market and other Community Outreach

Community Cycles has a regular booth at the Boulder Farmer's Market on Wednesday evenings and Saturday mornings.

Farmers Market 2009 Season:

• Saturdays 7:30 a.m. - 2:15.p.m. April 4 - Nov 7
• Wednesdays 3:30 p.m. - 8p.m. May 6 - Oct 7

We use this opportunity to tune up bikes at the Farmer's Market, (while patrons shop,) speak to the public about the mission of Community Cycles, our programs, and volunteer opportunities.

We need at least one experienced mechanic to tune up bikes while at the Farmer's Market, but other opportunities are available for less mechanically inclined volunteers.

Community Cycles also gets requests to be present at events put on by all types of organizations and groups in and around Boulder County, we have our own list of regular recurring and annual events. We can always use help staffing these events, organizing volunteers, setting up and taking down tabling materials, and answering the public's questions about Community Cycles.

Time Commitment :

• 4 hours per week between April and October (Wednesdays 3:30 - 8:15 p.m.) or (Saturdays 7:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.)
• 4-6 farmers market sessions throughout the session to be picked at training

Duties Include :
2009 will be our third year with a presence at the market. We've got plans to make our presence a little more meaningful this year. Basic duties are as follows :

• Pull 200lb bike trailer filled with tools and supplies about 1/3 of a mile
• Set up farmers market booth
• Distribute CC and other bike related literature
• Promote CC and it's programs
• Help people find bike routes in Boulder County
• Provide $20 tune ups

• A desire to help people discover the joys of bike mechanics and cycling
• Advanced bike mechanic skills
• Speaking with the public
• Familiarity with Boulder Bikeway system

1. Attend volunteer orientation on the 4th Tuesday of each month at 6p.m.
2. Function as greeter for 4 shifts
3. Sign up as a Farmer's Market staffer and show up.

If you're interested in helping out at this years Farmers Market tell us more about yourself and how you can help. Or attend the next volunteer meeting on the 4th Tuesday of the month.

Youth Bicycle Programming

Community Cycles has two bike programs working with youth in Boulder . Our Youth Earn-a-Bike program meets Thursday nights, at the shop, from 5:30 to 8:30 PM, year round. This class is mostly mechanical in nature, with some group rides happening in the summer, when daylight hours are longer. Youth Earn-a-Bike Thursday night class sessions are 6 weeks long, with two weeks off between classes.

The Family Learning Center After-School Class takes place on Thursdays, from 4-6 p.m., year round. This class includes more riding skills practice than mechanics, but some mechanical knowledge is helpful. If you like working with kids, but aren't comfortable calling yourself a bike mechanic, this is a great class in which to learn some mechanical skills. Family Learning Center class sessions are 8 weeks long. Sometimes classes are back to back; occasionally there is a week or two off between sessions.

Time Commitment : 3-4 hours per week, plus occasional (approximately 2 per year) planning meetings.

Duties Include :

• Teaching basic mechanics, safe riding skills, bicycling knowledge to students aged 8-15
• Keeping students focused, while maintaining a fun and relaxed atmosphere
• Leading short lessons in the classroom about bike mechanics
• Assisting with group rides, chaperoning and keeping students focused on safe riding practices

• A clean background check.
• A desire to instill in children ages 8 and up a comfortable relationship with bikes, bicycling, and bicycle mechanics.
• Must be patient, able to work with a group of people/children with varying skill, interest, and ability levels simultaneously.
• Should be able to have fun and not be afraid to make fun of one's self.

1. Attend a volunteer orientation
2. Be a greeter for 4 sessions
3. Meet with youth program director
4. Assist current instructors

If you're interested in helping with our youth programming tell us more about yourself and how you can help. Or attend the next volunteer meeting on the 4th Tuesday of the month.

CHaRM Pick Up - Recycling

Each week we need someone to run to Ecocycle's Center for Hard to Recycle Materials (CHaRM) center located a half a mile down Goose Creek bike path from Community Cycles. We take our worn out tires to them and pick up bicycles and parts that have been dropped off. We do all the hauling with bike power and our large bike trailer

Duties - Vist CHaRM once a week with large bike trailer to drop off tires and pick up bicycles.

Time Commitment - 1 Hour per week for a three month period

Skills Required - Ability to ride a bike and pull a heavy trailer.