Bike rack manufacturer Dero rewarded our status as an Advocate Dealer by donating a public bicycle repair station, complete with heavy-duty pump, for us to install.

We decided that maximum community benefit would be achieved by installing it in East Park, a few steps from our office.

Negotiations with Metro Parks about installing it coincided with an enquiry by a young volunteer named DJ, who looked more than capable of mixing the necessary concrete!

Here are the details:

Walk Bike Nashville has recently installed a Dero bicycle FixIt Station to benefit the Nashville biking community.

What exactly is a FixIt Station? A FixIt Station is collection of tools available to the public so they fix their own bicycles. The FixIt Station includes tools (i.e., allen wrenches, screwdrivers, tire levers, air pump, etc.) necessary to perform basic repairs, from changing a flat to adjusting brakes and derailleurs. The tools and air pump are securely attached to the stand with stainless steel cables and tamper-proof fasteners. Hanging the bike from the hanger arms allows the pedals and wheels to spin freely while making adjustments. If the cyclist has a smartphone, there is a Quick Read (QR) code on the Fixit station to view detailed help instructions via smart phone.

Walk Bike Nashville partnered with Metro Parks to identify an easily accessible and highly trafficked location.  It is located adjacent to the site of popular events, under the shade of a beautiful tree, in East Park. The site selected is at the intersection of two bike routes, notably Woodland Street, across the street from popular all-organic grocery store Turnip Truck.  It can be found at 600 Woodland Street, the intersection of S 7th Street, GPS coordinates 36.1729° N, 86.7602° W.

The successful installation of the FixIt Station took many weeks of planning, directed by Robert Johnson, Safe Routes to Schools Manager, and sweated over by DJ Weinstein, a high school volunteer. Together the team puzzled over the assembly instructions, foundation requirements, and strategized about how to do the installation for the minimum expenditure while ensuring it would be sturdy and useful.

One day was spent excavating a hole large enough for the recommended foundations, while taking care of the roots of the adjacent tree, and minimising the impact on rainwater flows. Then followed a big day, hand-mixing and pouring 1000 pounds of concrete! 

The final day, April 20th 2020 culminated in the use of our Big Red Drill to secure the FixIt station to it's new base. We were rewarded with finding that the station was exactly vertical when we tightened down the bolts!

Walk Bike Nashville is indebted to Dero and Metro Parks for their support and flexibility in helping strengthen the biking community in Nashville today and for years to come. 

Below is evidence of the FixIt station in use a few days ago, by a man who used it to change nearly all of the drive system of his bicycle!