Tacoma ONE BIKE AT A TIME NONPROFIT BIKE SHOP INCREASES ACCESS TO BIKES FOR EVERYONE By Rachel Kelly Photos Courtesy of Second Cycle
“W
e believe in bikes,” says Noah Struthers of Second Cycle, a Tacoma used bike store that is so much more than a place to buy parts. From the orderly display of almost new or stylishly vintage bikes, to the community tool space, to their knowledgeable mechanics, there’s something different about Second Cycle. It is not just a place of business; it is a space for community. Their mission is simple: to demystify and normalize the use of bikes. To hasten the realization that the bike is a tool for community and personal empowerment. It’s common knowledge that bikes can be used as an alternative to cars, especially for small distances. It’s also widely known that bikes can be used to lower congestion, increase the health and mental well-being of people, and to decrease one’s environmental footprint. Bikes are inherently good. Second Cycle just wants to see more of that good out in the community. They accomplish this less through awareness and more through providing everyday access. When Noah founded the bike shop 12 years ago, it was with the mind to see more of his friends ride bikes. The general excuse to not ride centered around bikes being too expensive to buy or too complicated to maintain. Noah had been a bike mechanic for several years by then, so he was familiar with the ins and outs of the professional biking world. The more he looked into getting his friends into biking, the more he became aware of the privileges enjoyed by his fellow bikers. If Noah was going to see more people from his community on a bike, he was going to have to address those privileges that bar so many from riding. This meant a little more than simply selling used bikes. He was going to have to make an inclusive space,
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