Over the last few decades, UCSB students have advocated for resources and programs essential to campus through the highly engaged Associated Students (A.S.) organization. One of the most recognizable testaments to students’ understanding of community needs is the A.S. Bike Shop. The A.S. Bike Shop, created by and for students, has provided repairs and maintenance on thousands of bicycles since 1975. Nearly half a century after its establishment, the Bike Shop has found its permanent home with a newly built structure. Previously located in a compact temporary unit, now the Shop is stationed between the Student Affairs and Administrative Services Building and the North Hall Bus Loop, a central location for most cyclists.
Adam Jahnke, the A.S. Assistant Director of Student Engagement, has been central to the completion of this new building. In 2017, while attending UCSB as a graduate student, Jahnke joined in the first initial conversations surrounding this building and has now seen the project through fruition as the Bike Shop Director. Jahnke explains how dedication to sustainability has been prevalent throughout construction plans, with decision-makers pushing to gain Platinum LEED Certification. Not only is the Bike Shop’s commitment to environmental care evident in the building's planning, but it is also displayed through the services they provide.
Bike culture on UCSB’s campus leads the charge for sustainable transportation within the Santa Barbara community. With over seven miles of Class 1 bike paths on university grounds, many students use bicycles to travel from one class to the next. The services provided by the A.S. Bike Shop promotes this cycling culture and ensures that the same bikes can stay on the same roads. Jahnke recalls working on the same bike over several years in the Shop, evidence of UCSB students’ generosity and commitment to passing down their belongings. Director Janke hopes that the Shop’s services can “keep the existing stock rolling on campus”, preventing students from abandoning or scrapping their bikes. Jahnke does, however, have an idea for how the Shop can utilize abandoned bikes.
The A.S. Bike Shop has never sold bicycles to students, but its future in retail looks bright. With its new and larger space, the Shop is capable of storing a large quantity of bike parts to repair and reconstruct previously deserted bikes. The Bike Shop is currently in conversation with the University’s Campus Security Officers (CSOs), who are responsible for collecting abandoned bikes stranded on campus. The Shop is aiming to establish a relationship with the CSO’s where they are able to tap into that stock of bicycles before they reach the landfill. With repairs and resale of old bicycles, the A.S. Bike Shop has the opportunity to be a “one-stop-shop”, providing students with repairs and safe to ride bicycles at a reasonable price.
The Bike Shop’s dedication to recycling and repair is closely linked with its devotion to community engagement. For many years, the Shop has collaborated with CSOs to provide bicycles for the Guardian Scholars Foundation. In this partnership, CSOs collect bikes and the Shop repairs them for UCSB students exiting the foster care system. Additionally, the Bike Shop participates in a variety of sustainability events every year including Bike to Work Day, the Zero Waste Festival, and the Bike Fair to raise awareness of the Shop’s services and the significance of green transportation. The Bike Shop is also proud to be open to the public. Jahnke explains how the Shop’s warm welcome to the community is a “good faith effort on behalf of students within A.S. to have external outreach… and be this conduit of student agency.” The A.S. Bike Shop is the ultimate example of UCSB students translating their compassion for the environment and community into action.
With each Associated Students election, UCSB undergraduates vote on electoral positions and which programs they believe deserve student funding. Year after year, students vote “YES” on financially supporting the expansion and continuation of the A.S. Bike Shop. The Shop’s new building represents a major landmark in student achievement. While Jahnke has played a crucial role in the Bike Shop’s success, he attributes the Shop’s continuous impact to the long-lasting “DIY ethos” of undergraduate students and the UCSB community.
By Elle Viefhaus, UCSB Sustainability Communications and Outreach Coordinator, 2023-2024