Ethan Eliaquim, a Coe College sophomore from Brazil, doesn’t have a car to get around town, so when he heard about a new Cedar Rapids nonprofit’s effort to sell bikes at an affordable rate, he knew he needed to scope out the organization’s newly fixed offerings.
After he arrived at the new Chain Reaction Bike Hub shop Wednesday, Eliaquim, 20, grabbed a Schwinn bike — gravitating toward one with a similar size and frame to bikes he rode back home — and tested it outside the shop. Dave DeWitte, the group member in charge of bike repairs, adjusted his brakes, and then Eliaquim was on his way with the new wheels. It only cost him $53.50 — and having several strangers take his photo — to be the first customer.
- Chain Reaction Bike Hub is a new nonprofit in Linn County looking to expand transportation access and inclusion in the cycling community.
- Through community partnerships and programming, the organization envisions bikes as a means to reduce inequities and strengthen social bonds.
- Its physical shop opened Wednesday at 1010 Third Ave. SW in Cedar Rapids and will be open two days a week as the organization starts up.
- Donated bikes will be repaired and sold at an affordable rate, and there are plans to eventually allow people to borrow bikes.