WATERLOO, Iowa --- A fledgling volunteer organization is determined to keep a good bicycle from going to waste.

The Cedar Valley Bicycle Collective has formed to promote more cycling in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls area --- recycling and repairing unused bikes and encouraging people to use them.

"We're more of a community center than a bike shop," said CVBC trustee Jamie Mansfield. "We're here to educate, advocate, get more people into cycling that otherwise think bicycles are a toy and not a serious means of transportation."

The nonprofit organization, which is hosting a public swap meet Saturday at the Cedar Falls Community Center, started with a discussion about a year ago among a group of bike enthusiasts who were aware of similar operations in other cities.

"What better place than our area, with over 100 miles of bike trails, to have some sort of co-op or collective like they have in Iowa City and Des Moines?" said Pat Morrissey, another trustee. "We love bicycling, the concept of it being a healthy lifestyle, trying to get people out of their cars and onto bicycles to commute."

The collective takes donated and some unclaimed bikes from the Waterloo Police Department and fixes them up or parts them out for resale. The mechanics' operation is currently housed in an annex at the Kistner Building, home to the Plaid Peacock, while the store opened about six weeks ago in the retail incubator and creative space at 220 E. Fourth St.

"We'll take any donations," said board member Jessica Young. "We want to keep them out of the landfill as well."

The CVBC has partnered with the Blue Zones initiative and is looking to partner with other organizations, ranging from the Department of Corrections to the Boy Scouts of America, to promote cycling. The collective is planning in the future to offer training programs for bicycle mechanics and host safety classes for children and adults.

This weekend's swap meet and the sale of donated and repaired bikes are designed to raise cash to operate the collective. The group's major goal is finding a place to call home --- merging the repair and storage shop with a storefront.

"We're still toddlers when it comes to this," Morrissey said. "We've got a lot of things that need to be done, and finding a place is the most difficult."

For more information about the organization, visit www.cvbikecollective.org.