Frequently Asked Questions

We are located in the Flats, close to beautiful downtown Cleveland, Ohio. Our parking lot and GPS address is 1775 Merwin Avenue Cleveland, OH 44113. From Columbus Road, turn onto Merwin Avenue. Merwin is a brick road between the green Columbus Rd. lift bridge and Sainato’s pizza. Then, turn right at our Ohio City Bicycle Co-op sign. The entrance to our section of the building is near a black chain link fence at the far end of the parking lot.

Sometimes GPS will send people further down Merwin Avenue, but if you reach Merwin’s Wharf restaurant, you’ve gone too far. If that happens, turn around and take the first left into the parking lot.

Our mailing address is 1840 Columbus Road Cleveland, Ohio 44113. Our space is quite large, so if you come to that entrance, we might not hear you knock. (Our apologies!)

Yes, we sell donated, used bikes that have been fully refurbished by our skilled volunteers and double-checked by our staff mechanics. All of the bikes available for sale can be seen and purchased in our Online Shop. When you come in for your pick-up appointment, we’ll take the time to help with test-riding, fit adjustments, and any other equipment (helmet, lock, lights, etc.) that you may need. If the bike you chose does not fit your needs, we’ll exchange it — or return your full payment it if we don’t have something suitable.  

As-Is Bikes:

We also sell some unrepaired bikes, which are listed in the As-Is section of our Online Shop. Priced at around half the cost of our comparable refurbished-bikes, these are usually either lower quality, “department-store” bikes in good condition; or higher, “bike-shop quality” bikes that need more repairs than we can put time into.  We also occasionally list antique bikes that may not be considered “collectible,” but would still make a cool project. 

Every As-Is bike we sell will include our “triage form” listing its major repair and parts needs (and a discount for our parts costs) and a waiver stating you understand that you are fully responsible for making it safe to ride, the price is non-refundable, and it may not be test ridden on our premises.

Step 1: Measure your leg length

In order to choose a bike that is safe and comfortable for your height, you’ll need to first measure your true leg length (as in this video; wearing your riding shoes, and lifting the book as high as possible!). It’s not the same as your pants inseam. The description of each bike online has its recommended minimum leg length. 

If you want a more “casual,” upright posture (handlebars higher than the seat), get a bike with a minimum leg length that matches yours. You should have just an inch to spare when you stand over the toptube while flat-foot on the ground. 

If you want a more “aggressive,” athletic posture (handlebars lower than the seat), choose a bike with a minimum leg length a bit shorter than yours.

Step 2: Browse our Online Shop and choose a bike

Purchasing a bike online is the best way to get the bike you want. Our inventory is usually much larger than we can fit in our physical showroom, but all available bicycles are listed online where you can browse by style and price. By purchasing it online, you  “reserve” the bike you want and schedule your test ride/pick up appointment (Thursday, Friday, or Saturday afternoons — or, if needed, at other times with an email).  

Step 3: Visit our physical store to test ride your bike

When you come in for your personal appointment, wear shoes you’d normally ride in. Bring your helmet, or we will lend (or sell) you one. We’ll take the time to help with proper fit adjustments, and you can ride as long as you like: there are nice trails right nearby. If the bike you chose isn’t just what you need — for whatever reason — we are happy to help you pick other bikes to test ride. If we don’t have something that suits you, you can get shop credit and a rain check for one that does, or we’ll just return your payment with no fees. 

All refurbished bikes include:

• Bike Drivers’ Manual: an online, self-paced video course of bike safety tips
• One year trial membership from our advocacy partners Bike Cleveland
• Mechanical check over at 3 months or 300 miles

Youth bikes include “trade-up credit” for 50% of their cost off the next bike as they grow (up to adult bike sizes).

Because we have a large stock of bikes and few staff/volunteers, we usually ask customers to pre-order a bike via our online store and schedule a test ride appointment. We can do a return/exchange if needed when you come for a test ride. 

We do have a physical showroom with bikes for sale. However, the available stock is actually too large to fit in that room, and the complete selection is listed on the website.

Masks are required inside our building (but not the covered dock area). We are still following Covid-19 protocols to respect our immunocompromised staff and volunteers.

Our showroom and dock are open Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, 12-5pm.

Bicycle donations:

Because of our limited staff and volunteer capacity, we cannot accept all bicycles. If possible, we request that people wanting to donate bicycles first send a photo of the bicycle to info@ohiocitycycles.org, and one of our staff members will respond letting you know next steps. 

If you are able, we request a voluntary $10 donation per bike when dropping off the donation. It helps offset the ~ $30 worth of new parts we put on the average bike we refurbish and greatly helps get used bikes back on the road for anyone who needs one. 

Monetary Donations:

Donations can be submitted via the donations page of our website. Checks can also be mailed to: Ohio City Bicycle Co-op 1840 Columbus Rd. Cleveland, OH 44113. We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, so all donations are tax-deductible.

Bicycle Racks, Apparel, and other accessories:

We also accept any bicycle car racks, jerseys, spare parts, books about cycling topics, and other cycling-related items. If you would like to donate these items, no need to send a photo in advance. Just schedule a donation drop off appointment using our appointments page.

We are not currently allowing members of the public to browse our parts room. If you are looking for a specific part, please fill out our parts request form, and we will let you know whether or not we have what you’re looking for. 

We have a limited selection of parts available for public browsing in our showroom, including hubs, derailleurs, brake pairs, brake levers, shifters, freewheels/cassettes, splined cranks, pedals, wheels, tires, tubes, fenders, and racks.

We are still requiring masks to enter our building.

We also have a smaller selection of parts available in our front dock area, including pedals, water bottle cages, handlebars and handlebar bags, kickstands, and grips. We consider the dock to be outdoor space, and masks are not required in that area.

Our showroom and dock are open 12pm-5pm Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.

If you are interested in volunteering, please fill out our volunteer interest form.

In 2020-2021, the Covid-19 pandemic brought our volunteer program to a standstill. We are slowly rebuilding capacity and apologize for any delays in getting back to you.

Volunteers receive 5 credits per hour. Each credit equals $1 toward “New Old Stock” or used accessories, used bicycle parts, as-is bikes, or tune up or overhaul classes. Unfortunately, we are not able to accept volunteer credits for new items or refurbished bikes.

Yes, you can schedule an appointment to reserve one of our shop workstations. Tools and a repair stand are included. Assistance from our knowledgeable staff is available for $1/minute. Please see our Public Shop Use page for more details.