R.u.b.a.r.b.

Awesome community bike project in the 9^th ward teaching kids how to repair and build their own bike. I love this idea and brought three bikes that were in a trash heap in my neighborhood. If you have any old bikes laying around bring it to Rubarb.

RUBARB is a community bike project located in the 9^th ward, in the back of St. Mary of the Angels church (where Common Ground used to be headquartered). RUBARB stands for Rusted Up Beyond All Recognition Bikes, and began when, after the storm, volunteers began pulling unused bikes out of garbage piles and fixing them up for both residents and volunteers.
It is completely volunteer run and thus is only open Mon. 10 – 2, Wed. 3:30−6, and Sat. 1 – 6.
I just picked up my bike and I love it. The selection is obviously small, since it’s all donated or found bikes that are fixed up by volunteers, but I got an excellently shitty Columbia 3-​speed (now single-​speed since it’s missing shifters and gears, ha) for $ 50.
One of the raddest things about RUBARB is their Earn-​a-​bike program for youth. Saturdays are dedicated to the kids, who come to learn how to fix and build their bikes, learning about parts and mechanics, eating snacks, and just hanging out. If you see a kid biking around the 8^th or 9^th ward, chances are they got it here.
All the volunteer adults that I’ve met have been really great, extremely friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable. This is not a fancy place by any means. They are always in need of volunteers, art supplies, bike supples, tools, etc., so if you’ve got any extra resources, put them to good use here!