Our task: Sell 500 adult Raleigh bikes between April 1st and June 15th. If we meet this goal Raleigh will donate $10,000 to our Sister Shop programs in Africa. And with shop number four now up and running in Lesotho, our partners in Africa can certainly use the support. If you’re in the market for a bike, it’s the perfect time to check out a Raleigh. Help them help us, and don’t forget we’re always in need of your tax-deductible donation bikes too!
PODS containers have landed at several Mike’s Bikes locations, where they’ll stay until the end of April to give us extra capacity to kick our Africa Bike Drive into high gear! We know the garage is a big part of your spring cleaning plans, so now is the perfect time to dig out that old dusty bike and send it somewhere where it will literally change a life. Bike donations are tax-deductible too. Huge thanks go out to PODS for providing this invaluable storage. Now we need your help to fill the PODS and get more bikes to our Sister Shops in Africa!
Find PODS containers at these Mike’s Bikes locations:
San Rafael
Sausalito
Berkeley
Palo Alto
Sacramento
Los Gatos
Thanks to the generosity of our customers, and Specialized Bicycles (who’ve provided a fleet of brand-new light cargo bikes), we now have enough donation bicycles to fill container #14 for our Africa Sister Shops. Demand on the continent couldn’t be higher, as people from Botswana, to Namibia, to Zimbabwe, and now Lesotho, are snapping up affordable bikes to gain mobility in their lives. All are welcome to help load the container, or to just say hi and take a photo or two. Join us Thursday morning at 9am on 4/5/2012 at 24 Tiburon St. in San Rafael.
We are happy to report that Tumi’s Bicycle Shop is open and ready for business! So far, the residents of his community have been very enthusiastic and supportive of this little shop, having a lot of interest in mountain and kid’s bicycles for the rugged Lesotho terrain. He sold 28 bikes on his first day open!
"The Beast" has a trailer that's filled to the brim with bicycles for the shop. Apparently, this one batch wasn't enough to satiate the residents of Lesotho.
Bikes for sale along the road leading to Tumi's shop.
Lots of young customers ready to ride!
A customer trying on a new Specialized jersey.
Paul is advising a customer here. Looks like a good day for a bike ride.
Tumi is doing a great job and we are proud of him and what he’s been able to do in such a short time and with limited resources. We are sure that his shop will be a huge success and can’t wait to see what happens next!
Rob Carle of Bicycle Recycle sent us a photo of one of the first customers at Jerry’s Bikes in Gaborone, Botswana. We think he experienced this exact phenomenon.
This old man was convinced that he needed a gold racing bike, despite our best efforts to convince him that a relaxed cruiser was the way to go. He liked the bike and wasn’t leaving without it.
