By stufflovely
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For many who live in New Mexico’s 29,500 square miles of Navajo land, biking is a way of life, yet there is not a single bicycle repair shop in the area. That’s why a group of bike enthusiasts is bringing a repair shop to the desert.
Instead of residents having to travel to cities as far away as Gallup to repair their bikes, Silver Stallion comes straight to them and doesn’t charge them a penny.
Silver Stallion Bicycle & Coffee Works is traveling the lands of Diné to repair bicycles for free for the Navajo Nation as a form of relief from COVID-19, and they were awarded a grant in 2020 to help cover the expenses of the Department of Economic Development again. Mexico.
In addition to the state grant, the Southwest Indian Foundation donated a delivery truck and the Catena Foundation awarded the Stallion a grant to cover the truck’s operating costs.
Late this summer, Stans-Pivot Pro Team mechanic Myron Billy traveled to Gallup in New Mexico to outfit the Stallion’s newly donated truck as a mobile bike shop.
From September through November, Billy and the Stallion team held thirteen repair events, repairing 425 bikes in seven different communities across the Navajo Nation.
The events were hosted by community members in Navajo Nation chapter houses and community schools.
The Silver Stallion mobile repair center was a grassroots movement led by mechanics from Diné and several riders like Billy. His experience working on the World Cup mountain bike circuit was critical to the success of the operation by making it possible to ride as many bikes and served as an invaluable mentor to the other mechanics.
Silver Stallion used donated parts from companies like Stans No Tubes and the Clif Bar Pro Team, along with salvaged parts from old bikes to do many of its repairs.
The crew was adept at unlocking seized freehub, outfitting bikes with new cables and housings, and thinning tubes for the abundant local goatheads.
The effort was so successful, and the need so great, that they had to cut off bikes early at almost every event.
This spring, Silver Stallion hopes to continue free bike repair, operating in the belief that cycling is one of the best ways for children and communities to recreate and find joy during the pandemic.
The Stallion saw a lot of evidence on how essential the bike repair service is in the Diné lands, but also started raising funds for five children’s mountain bike teams to expand the cycling lifestyle.
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To support both efforts, you can donate to Silver Stallion Pledgeling Fundraiser here. Silver Stallion is also accepting in-kind donations for bikes and spare parts for its Devo kids kits. Visit your website to learn more and learn a little more about their amazing initiatives.
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