It’s that time of year again!
You may have opened the garage door, swept out last year’s leaves and the winter salt from the floor. Maybe you’ve even taken inventory of lawnmower needs, or made space for social distance gatherings within its shelter during April showers.
But what is that in the corner, covered in cobwebs and dust? Is that the bike you planned get serviced and ride again? But where and how? Most bike shops that survived the pandemic are so backed up as to be nearly inaccessible.
Bike Medic to the rescue!
Our volunteers are available on Saturday mornings during the months of May and June at the Dexter Farmer’s Market. Schedule a visit with us where we can give it a bath and perform triage. We frequently replace tubes or tires, straighten wheels, lube chains, and adjust brakes or derailleurs.
Our service and parts on hand are free of charge. While we can’t anticipate parts for all makes and models (That would require more space than our minivan provides), we freely offer what we have on hand. If you know for sure what part you need, pick it up at your local retailer or order online and bring it by the clinic and we will do our best to help.
Sometimes…
the problems are just too big for a field medic given the limited parts, tools and time at the clinic. When this situation arises, we will refer you to a local bike shop with all the resources to help you out and get your steed mobile again.
Other times a well-used bike just isn’t worth the cost to repair. Bike Medic can repurpose a bike donated to us. (Contact us for details of how to do this outside of the Farmer’s Market.) Whether we rebuild it with parts from other donated bikes or find new life on another bike for some of those hard-to-find parts, our hearts and hands are here to serve others. In our six year history we have donated to Delonis Shelter, Dawn Farms, and others in need who have reached out to us. This year we are excited to begin working with the Michigan Foster Care Closet of Ann Arbor, providing bikes to displaced children who will receive a little slice of freedom and joy during a turbulent time.
You might be asking, “How can I get in on this great deal?”
Set an appointment to have your bike serviced by Bike Medic. We are scheduled to be at the Dexter Farmer’s Market each Saturday from 8:00am through 1:00pm, May 8th through June 26th.
We don’t accept monetary donations on site – it is central to our mission and ministry. While some find this uncomfortable, we maintain that our service is absolutely free, serving as an imperfect reflection of the perfectly free gift God offers to everyone. For those who wish to support this ministry, you can donate in other ways. Two local churches have continued to support us from the beginning with volunteers and funds to buy inventory and equipment. If you wish to send a donation to them, simply indicate “Bike Medic” on your donation.
Dexter Gospel Church, located at 2253 Baker Road, Dexter, MI 48130 (734)-426-4915 www.dextergospel.org
Scio Community Church, located at 1293 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48103 (734)-662-7351 www.sciocommunity.org
Another way you can help is to support our Wish-a-Mile team. We are currently raising funds for the 2021 Wish-A-Mile. Our team is training and plotting a 50 mile route for our “bubble” to complete the last weekend of July, so we can help grant wishes to kids with serious illnesses. You can find us on the web here at our Wish-A-Mile online Bike Medic Fundraising Form.
We are committed to getting you back on the road. Minus the dust. *wink*
Bike Medic 