Get Ready to Ride: Build Your Own Bicycle at Revolutions

Get Ready to Ride: Build Your Own Bicycle at Revolutions

Now that Memphis is about to become an infinitely more bicycle friendly city, it may be time to upgrade your ride.

And while Memphis' regular bike shops are great, there's only one place in town where you can get a custom bike for the low, low cost of $40 (plus 10 hours of volunteer work).

Bikes waiting to be taken apart, Revolutions Community Bicycle Shop

Revolutions Community Bicycle Shop is a volunteer-run shop that was started in 2002 as a way to provide bikes to neighborhood kids. Eight years later, it's a place where cyclists of all levels can come together, build bikes and be a part of a community.

That community is what keeps the shop going. Anyone can get a custom bike from Revolutions. There's just one catch - you have to do 10 hours of volunteer work (taking about old bikes, learning simple mechanics and maintenance) before you can get your bike. And then, you have to build it yourself.

"You really appreciate the volunteer work when you start building your bike," Revolutions director Kyle Wagenschutz told me. "Someone else has already sorted the parts for you - you just have to pick them out." Building your own bike is important - once you the mechanics, you can do your own repairs.

Revolutions founder Anthony Siracusa works on a wheel

Revolutions is open seven hours per week (Sunday, Monday and Thursday). All you have to do to get started is show up. The shop also accepts donations of old bikes, so if you've got one that you're not using, they'd be happy to take it off your hands and give it a new life.

Go There:

Revolutions Community Bike Shop

First Congregational Church UCC
1000 S. Cooper St. 
Memphis, TN, 38104

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I Love Memphis…
[...] A horseshoe over the door at Revolutions Community Bicycle Shop [...]
July 24, 2010 6:45pm
Tony Jenkins
I would like to buid a bicyle for myself. my wife and daithyer.  I am willing to put in the 30hrs needed.  I have a full set of tools Nand exptensive mechanic experience.  I hae on motr than on occasion use thet skill to repair bicycles.
May 28, 2012 10:15am