Community bike shop to host spring reopening event 

A community bike shop aimed at helping residents repair bicycles, learn maintenance skills and access affordable transportation will celebrate its spring reopening with a special event on March 16.

The event will take place from 4 to 7 p.m. at the community bike shop located at 107.5 California Ave., behind the Safe Harbor Secondhand Store and across from First State Bank. Shay Kelley, who chairs the board of Puerto Seguro, Inc/Safe Harbor (PSI/Safe Harbor), said the gathering will include food trucks and an opportunity for community members to see the space, learn about its programs and get involved.

The bike shop is a collaborative effort between the New Mexico Tech Bike Club, Socorro County Options, Prevention and Education (SCOPE), and Puerto Seguro. Together, the organizations operate the shop as a community resource focused on education, access and transportation.

Volunteers from the New Mexico Tech Bike Club staff the shop and help visitors learn how to repair their own bicycles. The program provides tools, parts and guidance so community members can maintain their bikes themselves.

“It’s an educational format,” Kelley said. “People can come in and learn how to fix their bikes and maintain them, and we provide the tools and materials to help them do that.”

In addition to repair assistance, the program offers a loan-a-bike initiative and occasional bike giveaways, particularly for children. Kelley said the effort has also helped adults in need obtain bicycles.

Because Puerto Seguro operates as a drop-in center serving people experiencing homelessness, the bike shop has become an important resource for many of its clients who rely on bicycles as their primary mode of transportation.

According to Kelley, bicycles can fill an important gap in Socorro, where public transit options are limited.

“The goal is to help provide transportation,” she said. “There are a lot of places in town that are easy to bike to, and this program helps make that possible for more people.”

The shop also accepts donated bicycles and welcomes volunteers and financial contributions to help cover repair supplies such as tubes and parts.

During the winter months, the bike shop paused operations due to lower bicycle use, but the March 16 event will mark its official return for the spring season.

Regular shop hours are typically held on Mondays, though organizers say additional repair times may be added this spring as more volunteers step forward.

Community members interested in donating bikes, volunteering or checking updated hours can visit the PSI Safe Harbor Facebook page for more information.