Green Options Buffalo

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Ladies Nights will be held on the 4^th Wednesday of every month from 6 to 9 PM and are meant to facilitate a collaborative learning environment where female cyclists and others--looking for something a little different than the usual male-dominated vibe of the shop--can come to practice bicycle mechanics, share skills, volunteer, purchase used parts and refurbished bicycles, and discuss the awesomeness of all things bike related.

Open shop rules apply, therefore anyone wishing to work on a personal bicycle or project must be a Green Options Buffalo member or purchase a day pass.  Memberships start at just $25 dollars for the year and can be purchased at the shop or online at greenoptionsbuffalo.org.  Day passes can be purchased at the shop for $5.  As always learning through volunteering is encouraged and free, and volunteer hours can be applied toward earning a membership.  The Green Options Buffalo Community Workshop is located at 98 Colvin Avenue on the corner of Colvin and Linden.

Our very first Ladies Night will be held on Wednesday January 25^th from 6 to 9 PM.  As a special incentive to get your gears out into the cold we will be offering this one free of charge.  Come on out and join the fun!

Questions?  Email our Shop Manager at stacy@greenoptionsbuffalo.org or call (716) 320-0193.

Green Options Buffalo is profiling an area cyclist each month who make green transportation options a big part of their life.  If you have someone you'd like to suggest as a cyclist-of-the-month, please click here to contact Green Options Buffalo.

January 2012: Julian Montague

January 2012 Cyclist-of-the-Month: Julian Montague

The Cyclist

Julian Montague, 38.  I’m an artist and a graphic designer (Frazer/ Montague Design).  My family moved to Buffalo when I was 11.  I was away for college and a little while after that.  I have now continuously lived here since 1998.  For the last 6 years, my wife and I have lived near the Peace Bridge on the West Side (a neighborhood properly known as Prospect Hill).

The Cycle

I have three bikes for the three different kinds of cycling that I do.  For my every day city riding I have a 2009 Raleigh One-Way.  It’s a steel single speed bike with drop bars.  For longer distance riding (day rides, touring etc.) I have a Surly Cross Check.  And for the winter I have a 2005 Raleigh C-500 Aluminum hybrid that I have modified for winter in a number of ways.  All of my bikes have long metal fenders and leather mud flaps.  Most of the plastic fenders available are far too short to be effective.  In general I’m interested in the aesthetics and practical ergonomics of the classic French Randonneur and English and touring bikes.

The Ride

I work from home so I don’t have a proper commute.  I do, however, wake up every morning and ride my bike 1.3 miles to Café Taza on Elmwood near Allen Street.  I also use my bike for whatever other errands I need to do during the day.  I’ve been into doing longer rides for the last couple of years.  My longest day so far was a 112 mile ride to Toronto in July.  I would like to do some real touring next Summer.  I also participate in the Buffalo Lazy Randonneur Club’s yearly Tweed and Seersucker rides.

When I tell people that I’m heading to the community bike shop they often ask, “Which one, Blue Bikes?”  And when I tell people that I work for a non-profit that focuses largely on bicycling they say something like, “Oh yeah, Blue Bikes.”

Sometimes I smile and nod or continue the conversation, but often I point out, “Well…sort of.  It’s actually Green Options Buffalo.”  This is often met with a confused look or blank stare.

Green Options Buffalo is profiling an area cyclists each month who make green transportation options a big part of their life.  If you have someone you'd like to suggest as a cyclist-of-the-month, please click here to contact Green Options Buffalo.

December 2011: Angela Lopez

December 2011 Cyclist-of-the-Month: Angela Lopez

The Cyclist

I'm Angela.  I live on the West Side near the burgeoning Grant and Lafayette intersection.  I am an Americorps ABLE service member working with Science Firsthand, teaching after school science to K-6 by day.  I also work at the Elmwood and Bidwell Farmers Market slingin' sausage with Avenue Boys Smokehouse, and am a dancer and performer with the local dance and performance community found in the City.

The Cycle

My current bike is a Raleigh Marathon circa 1984.  I bought it at Rick's Cycle Shop in Allentown.  It isn't too swanky, but it's a monster and gets the job done.  It weighs a ton, probably because my panniers are almost always packed with sciencey things I show my after school kids during lessons.  It's my first road bike, and has been my only bike for three years now.

After over a decade of not having touched a bike, I experienced getting back on and being thrown into the frightening yet invigorating experience of biking all over again.

Scary, yet exhilarating. Intimidating, yet thrilling. Nervous, yet exciting. These are all of the feelings I experienced the first time I got back on a bike after almost ten years. It turns out what they say is true… It’s just like riding a bike!

I felt like a child for the first time in a long time. I was terrified sitting on that bike, wishing there were training wheels behind me. I was running short on time for a meeting and couldn’t take the bus and since teleporting was not an option, I had to bike it.

The last time I rode a bike I was thirteen, and the only time I ever rode in the street was to cross it. I have had a few scares and falls in my day, and ultimately grew out of riding my bike. I was too concerned about what the wind would do to my hair, or how cold the wind-chill made the air feel, or how I might have looked and felt dilapidated once I got to my destination. So I opted to walk and use transit.