Recall for a moment riding a bike for a first time: you’re free, out of the sights of your parents, speeding down the road with your friends and now, with your new machine, your world just got a lot bigger. You’re now independent, maybe you’ll get a job, make a new friend or run errands for your parents. This increase in mobility isn’t only reserved for the younger generation though, and at GoodTurn Cycles, an electric bike shop in Littleton, CO, (https://blog.goodturncycles.org/) we exist to increase mobility for all. Specifically, we help increase physical mobility for our bike customers and professional mobility for our apprentices!
Enter, the eBike. eBikes, short for Electronic Bikes, are traditional bicycles outfitted with an electric motor, a battery and a controller to combine the two. They work through Pedal Assist, providing the rider additional power as the rider is pedaling, or through a throttle, allowing the rider to get motor power without pedaling (https://youtu.be/5VKMxd1FFDc). eBikes can take the “bite” out of cycling that can keep people off two wheels. That “bite” can come from steep hills, body ailments and health conditions or long days in the saddle. These miraculous machines are bringing the youthful joy of riding a bike back to those who’d been sidelined for whatever reason. We see customers all the time regain their two-wheeled mobility, resulting in more family ride time, less time in their automobiles and ultimately more time exercising!
Not only are we promoting mobility through cycling at GoodTurn, but professional mobility as well. As a nonprofit social enterprise, our mission is to provide young people ages 16-24 with transferable job experience and professional skills that act as a springboard for them to find meaningful careers. Our apprentices participate in a 3-month, bicycle mechanic curriculum diving into the specifics of advanced bicycle maintenance. Supplementing the technical portion of the curriculum is an employability regimen that readies our apprentices with soft skills for whatever career path they take. Through the continued support of our donors and customersof GoodTurn Cycles, we are able to provide our apprentices the same first-bike-liberation in their professional careers (https://blog.goodturncycles.org/apprenticeship-program/).
At GoodTurn Cycles, a nonprofit eBike shop In Littleton, CO, we do mobility differently. Through our eBike selection, we are helping customers regain their physical mobility. They’re getting back on the road, riding further, faster and without any of the “bite.” With our job training program we are providing our apprentices with a new sense of professional mobility. By gaining the transferrable, technical and soft skills needed in the professional world, they’re equipped to pursue the career paths of their choice. We are much more than a typical bike shop, and I invite you to come by to see all the good we’re doing!
Adam Taylor
Shop Manager