For those of us living in cities and suburbs with every type of store imaginable nearby, going without a bike repair shop would never even cross our minds. But for the community in Gallup, New Mexico, this need was felt big time.
That’s where Silver Stallion’s mobile bike center comes in! In the Navajo Nation, there was an entire 27,000-mile gap where not a single bike shop existed. So the center’s founder and executive director, Scott Nydam, rallied a team and set a goal to fill that gap.
According to Scott, the lack of access to a repair shop is a microcosm of a greater issue of inequity. The people, namely the kids, in their community are in a place of lack just by nature of their location.
But Scott didn’t want the children to go without bikes because of social barriers that were entirely out of their control. Instead, he wanted them to be able to make their own choice when it came to picking up a bike.
So he decided to create Silver Stallion Bicycle & Coffee Works, a nonprofit mobile bike repair joint and specialty coffee shop that fosters youth development through programs and riding teams.
A big part of the bike repair element is their mobility. The Southwest Indian Foundation donated a delivery truck to Silver Stallion, which mechanic Myron Billy then fixed up and made into their very own mobile shop. As a result, they can now offer the community free repairs on the go!
Scott explained that because of the geographic gap in this industry, bike repair shops were designated as “an essential service” in their community.
As such, New Mexico’s Outdoor Equity Fund decided to invest $10,000 toward their COVID relief efforts.
“If there’s a systemic reason for these things not existing in places like the Navajo Nation, there needs to be a system’s approach towards addressing that,” Scott explained to Outside. “And that’s what the Outdoor Equity Fund provided us is a heavy lift to make up for these gaps in the industry to keep kids riding and keep adults riding.”
Having worked on the World Cup mountain bike circuit, team member Myron continues to be a huge help to the group when it comes to meeting the quickly-growing bike repair need – and mentoring other mechanics on how to get the bicycles in top shape!
In the fall of 2020 alone, the organization repaired over 400 bikes. They also arranged 13 bike repair events and have no plans of stopping anytime soon.
As their riding groups and mobile bike repairs continue, Silver Stallion is excited to add an educational feature to their efforts, hosting special guests and holding training sessions.
This incredible grassroots group has a mission to bring access to their community’s outdoor recreation industry, and we have faith that they’ll do exactly that!
Check out their website or donate to their fundraiser, and don’t forget to share this story.
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