***read through, I will end on a positive note***

On the hardest days at BBP I hate wearing my helmet on my ride home. That’s not a statement reflecting my stance for or against helmets, it’s a self observation that’s true 100% of the time. On good days, most days, I put it on without thinking twice. Today when I walked out of BBP I wanted to throw my helmet against the building. Or even better, stomp it into an eggshell of pieces and kick the biggest chunk across the street. Instead I put it gently on my head, clicked the buckle under my chin and rode home.

Why don’t I want to wear my helmet on the hardest days? It probably has something to do with a longing for simpler times, maybe childhood, when there was wonderfully little responsibility to others… when I didn’t feel the weight of the world bearing down on me… when the 16 ounces of a helmet didn’t feel like 4 ounces over the final straw.

And why, today, did I want to smash my helmet into a mosaic of styrofoam in front of our shop? Sadness and uncertainty.

Today, for the first time in BBP’s 13 year history, we laid off two of our valued staff members. We did this in conjunction with one other planned departure and another leave of absence, reducing our staff by 25% in a preservation effort to get through the next two months. As this was being implemented at BBP, similar reductions were unfolding at our nonprofit and business partners across the valley. I know they (layoffs) will continue at many of our other beloved organizations tomorrow.  

And so maybe we should just start smashing shit. The next three weeks aren’t going to get any easier, so why the hell not? ...Of course I’m being dramatic, but it’s tempting? 

The “reason the hell not” is that just because tomorrow might not be better, it doesn’t mean there won’t be a day that will. It might come in May or June or July, and when it does, WE, as a community, as a bike shop, as friends and family members, have to be ready for it. Ready to build back stronger.

It’s hard right now because our instinct is to overcome obstacles by coming together and getting our hands dirty, yet the only instructions we’re receiving is to stay away (social distancing) and keep our hands clean (20 seconds with soap). And we have to do this shit, we have to keep putting our helmet back on our head instead of smashing it on the ground (my metaphor for moving forward) so we’re ready when the time comes. It will come, things will be different, and it will be OK.

Viktor Frankl (author, neurologist and Holocaust survivor) tells us. 

When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.

We (You, I, BBP) cannot change our current situation right now, so our great challenge is to figure out how we can change ourselves to overcome it. It’s taking me some time to figure that out. It’s taking BBP time, but we’re trying, and that’s important.

Below are some changes BBP is incorporating this week. They’re not necessarily big, but they’re what we’re able to do for now. Baby steps till we’re ready to take the bigger ones. We’re asking for your help in taking these steps, and we’re asking for you to keep riding with us during this unbelievably difficult time.

We will get through this together. We will come back stronger.

Volunteer: You can still volunteer with BBP by adopting a bike, taking it home, fixing it up and dropping it back off when you’re finished (Or as finished as you’re able, clean with full tires is still helpful). Email info@boisebicycleproject.org if you’re interested.

Buy a bike or parts online: As of today you can buy our bikes online. We have some parts listed online too, and if you need something different to get your bike rolling, give us a call, we’ll find it for you and you can pay for it online. Bikes come with a $25 gift cert. 

Donate: I hate asking for donations, and we’ve created a business model that doesn’t rely on them, but that model doesn’t work when the doors are closed. We are working hard to apply for relief opportunities, which likely won’t be available for about 2 months. So we need donations right now to get us through May. Your investment in BBP will help build a strong comeback in the future.

Basic repair as a service: Right now we’re only offering this to people with no other transportation options, and we’re doing it for free. We’re hoping to be able to offer the same basic repairs (flats, shifting, brakes) to all bike commuters soon. Call us 208-859-3984 if we can help