Bellemeade Community Bike Shop

The Bellemeade Community Bike Shop, located in Bellemeade Park, works in close collaboration with Oak Grove-Bellemeade Elementary School and Community Center to provide neighborhood children and families access to bikes and helmets, bike education and safety, and bike paths and community rides. Bike Shop programs include:

Open Shop Hours

The Bike Shop is open 2-6pm, Wednesday through Friday, when youth and community members can visit the shop for all of their repair needs. We have multiple toolkits and bike stands available for use and we encourage our visitors to learn how to work on their own bikes through our assistance.

With your help we were able to upgrade and renovate the interior of the bike shop in winter '23. This winter ('24) the bike shop is getting lit! When power is brought in, light and heat will be available.

Earn-a-Bike

Youth can earn-a-bike of their choosing by volunteering with us at the shop or around the community. Tasks include but are not limited to helping clean up Bellemeade Park, working at our mini farm, assisting with small tasks at the bike shop, and more. This is our most popular program and how we give out a majority of our bikes. This program is available year round during our shop open hours.

To date, we have distributed over 800 bikes!

Camp Spokes

Camp Spokes is a week-long, free bike mechanic and adventure camp for middle and high school girls and gender diverse youth. This camp was created and is organized by Groundwork RVA Bike Shop staff and Rag & Bones Bicycle Cooperative, with the help of many of our bicycle friends and partners from across the city. During their Camp Spokes week, youth rebuild a bike of their own, learn how to use lots of new tools and skills, and take route rides around the city and our local parks! An exciting aspect of Camp Spokes is that participants from previous years often come back as leaders in subsequent years to share their knowledge and energy.

Build-a-Bike

This is a 10-week bike building class, where students will learn how to fully deconstruct, repaint, and then rebuild a bike of their choosing. We offer this program during the winter season at the Bellemeade Community Center, and at other sites during the year.

Bike Adventures & Field Trips

For many of our youth, these bike adventures are full of firsts—the first time riding 25+ miles in a day, the first time camping overnight in a national park, or the first time tackling a rugged trail. Our bike shop isn’t just a place to fix bikes; it’s a launchpad for adventure and learning.

We lead guided rides and outdoor experiences for youth and community groups, from exploring local trails to swimming at the river. Groups can visit the shop to learn bike mechanics or book a guided ride with us. Past partners include Friends of Bellemeade Park, Cultural Roots Homeschooling Collective, and Sacred Heart Center. Whether it’s a day trip, a group ride to the river, or an unforgettable overnight biking adventure, young riders from our community are building confidence, endurance, and a lifelong love for the outdoors.