Missoula Free Cycles

I've seen the building for some time around town but am curious if anyone has been to Missoula Free Cycles run by Missoula Institute for Sustainable Transportation (MIST). Does anyone know if they have bike stuff for people of all ages or is it an adults only kind of thing?

Free Cycles is amazing! I've never heard of MIST, so I hope I am talking about the right place, but if you mean the building on second street, then yes, it is absolutely friendly for kids. They even provide helmets, training wheels and, when available, sparkly handlebar streamers.

Yes that's the place! I've been meaning to stop for ages but have had 4 kids in the car so it wasn't an option. Now that I know it's kid friendly though, maybe I can grab the older ones and check it out. St. Pats has a program for free helmets so I'm set in that area but our old bikes definitely need a tune up or trade in.

They have all the tools, parts, odds and ends, and help you could want. Seriously, they could build you a generator to power your (bicycle) head lamp or weld you a custom trailer. Have fun!

Free Cycles is just wonderful. Bob Giordano, the founder and owner, is incredibly helpful. I actually built my bike (Sparrow the Wheelbarrow) from scratch there. They have a huge collection of tools, spare parts and fixer-upers. You can start from the ground up or just do a little tune up and have your own bike in no time. They ask that, in exchange for all that they provide, people take a short class on bike safety and maintenance and volunteer for about two hours in the shop.
I was in there this weekend and Bob pointed out that they got a whole box of 70s stuff-- colorful streamers and grips--so now would be the perfect time to bring kids down for some fun.
They will also have a mobile bicycle tune-up cart and loaners available at the Sunday Streets Missoula Festival, next Sunday, Sept. 12, 9-2pm (and are looking for volunteers).

Here's the basic info:

Community Bicycle Shop: 732 S. 1st St W.
(3 blocks west of Orange St., just south of the Clark Fork River).

Open shop: Monday - Thursday - 3:00pm - 7:00pm, Saturday 11am to 3pm

BikeWell Class: Tues 7-8:30pm, Wed 5:30-7pm, Thurs 1:30-3:00pm

Volunteer Night: Wed- 7:00-9 pm

Information hotline: 406- 541-PATH (7284)

Email: mist..at..strans.org (replace ..at.. with @)

Are these hours the same this year?

Paul and Bob Giordano of Free Cycles talk about the shop in this podcast.

Wow, I am glad I looked at this thread, I had no idea - that is awesome! I was thinking of the national no-cost version of Craig's List, http://freecycle.org hehe!

In Missoula: http://groups.freecycle.org/Missoula-Freecycle/posts/all