Changing Gears Research Project

Dr. Mark Schulz, Laura Rolke, & Gillian Adler

University of North Carolina at Greensboro
February 2015

Project Description & Interim Findings

Introduction & Background
Changing Gears is a volunteer-run program that Bicycling in Greensboro (BIG) established in
2007 to provide reliable, economical transportation for bicycle recipients to access jobs, medical
care, healthy food, and housing. Clients are adults who are currently homeless or transitioning in or
out of homelessness and are referred to the program by the Interactive Resource Center (IRC). The
IRC is an innovative day center for homeless or people facing homelessness that allows clients to
reconnect with themselves and the community; they offer showers, laundry facilities, computers,
phones, resume writing, and more for clients.
Changing Gears recipients receive a refurbished bike, front and rear lights, a helmet, and a
lock. BIG requires each bicycle recipient to attend a bicycle safety training class and go on a 2 mile
bike ride with experienced riders on giveaway days. Giveaway days are typically the second
Saturday of every month.

Our Research Question

The aim of the project is to develop methods to evaluate the reach and impact of Changing
Gears, a community program by BIG that provides bicycles and teaches safe bicycling skills to an
average of ten homeless and near homeless individuals per month through the IRC.

Research Design & Methods

Contact other bicycling advocacy organizations to identify and request existing questionnaires
and best practices for evaluating programs that provide bicycles and safety training to
economically disadvantaged populations.

Develop the baseline and follow-up questionnaires from existing and proposed questions.

Pretest the questionnaires for face validity with a small group of past and current Changing
Gears volunteers and clients.

Develop a guide of best practices for maximizing the completion of follow-up questionnaire in
interviews with homeless and near homeless clients.

Administer surveys to Changing Gears recipients and collect data.

Analyze the data collected for 2015 and write an evaluation report. Changing Gears will use the
evaluation to make assessments about how to expand and improve the Changing Gears
program and to support grant proposals.
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Contacting Organizations
To get a better understanding of how other organizations with similar program operate, we
researched groups affiliated with the Alliance for Biking & Walking in August 2014. We found approximately 26 organizations in the United States, Canada, and Mexico that had a version of a bike
giveaway program for adults or kids. An additional 6 programs were found through a Google search.
From the list of 32 programs, we contacted the ones who served the most similar population
to the Changing Gears program (low income adults) in September and October. We reached out to
11 organizations through email or phone calls and received responses from 9 of them. We talked to:

ACE at Tulsa Hub (Tulsa, OK)

Biggest Little Commuter Program at Reno Bike Shop (Reno, NV)
Bike Athens (Athens, GA)
Bikes-for-all at Seattle Bike Works (Seattle, WA)
Community Cycles Boulder (Boulder, CO)
Cycles for Change (St. Paul, MN)
ReCYCLEry NC (Chapel Hill, NC)
Salt Lake City Bicycle Collective (Salt Lake City, UT)
SPOKES (Minneapolis, MN)

Once initial contact was made, typically through email, we set up a time for phone interviews
to get a better understanding of how each program works. Organizations were able to quickly match
us with the most appropriate representative to speak to. Each interviewee was asked the following
questions and follow-up questions were asked for clarification. Phone calls lasted a minimum of 20
minutes, but many were 45 minutes to an hour.

Interview Questions

What populations do you serve

How does your organization receive bikes?

What is the process for bike giveaways?

How is your program funded?

How do you share information about your program?

Do you use intake or follow up questions?

Who do the organizations serve?

The organizations that we contacted focused on providing bikes to low-income populations. SPOKES in Minneapolis is unique in that it focuses primarily on East African immigrants. ACE
at Tulsa Hub, ReCYCLEry NC, and Salt Lake City Bike Collective also have youth programs. The
way each organization found clients was different, but several use mental health, social service, or
veterans organizations to find clients. However, a few of the bike shops were large enough to attract
clients by word of mouth. The common goal with these organizations is to increase the diversity of
people biking and introduce people to biking who may not have had access to bikes before.
The number of people served varied greatly (Table 1). The most an organization gave out in
2013 was 500-700 bikes, but most gave away around a hundred bikes. The table provides the city
population that the organization is located in, but many organizations only focused on certain
neighborhoods or suburbs.
Organization

(2013 Census Estimate)

City Population

Number of bikes
given away in 2013

Changing Gears
(Greensboro, NC)

279,639

75

ACE at Tusla Hub

(Tulsa, OK)

398,121

~50-100

Biggest Little Commuter

Program at Reno Bike
Shop (Reno, NV)

233,294

Program started in
2014

Bike Athens
(Athens, GA)

119,980

80

Bikes-for-all at Seattle
Bike Works (Seattle,
WA)

652,405

173

Community Cycles
Boulder (Boulder, CO)

103,166

250

Cycles for Change

(St Paul, MN)

294,873

110

ReCYCLEry NC
(Chapel Hill, NC)

59,635

Do not count bikes

Salt Lake City Bicycle

Collective
(Salt Lake City, UT)

191,180

~500-700

SPOKES
(Minneapolis, MN)

400,070

Not given

How do organizations receive bikes?

Almost all of the organizations we talked with receive bikes through community donations.
Since most of the organizations we talk to operate out of bike shops, private donations were often
made to the shop. People learned about donating by word of mouth, but some donated after seeing
requests on social media. Social media (mostly Facebook) is a very useful resource for most organizations to garner community support.
Some organizations partnered with other groups to receive bulk bike donations. ReCYCLEry
NC has worked with the city of Chapel Hill, as well as a service learning fraternity at UNC-Chapel
Hill to receive bikes. Cycles for Change often holds bike drives with employers and businesses in
the area. One success they had is partnering with a local REI store so that community members receive a discount at the store for donating a bike to the program. The Biggest Little Commuter Program receives bikes that are left over from the Burning Man festival.
None of the organizations we talked to had major difficulty with getting donated bikes to give
away. Several had storage units filled with bikes and were able to help other organizations out with
their bike giveaways if they needed more. ReCYCLEry NC and Cycles for Change both have donated bikes to other organizations who needed bikes.
Bikes were accepted in varying conditions and many bike shops hold classes for people to
learn bike maintenance by fixing up the bikes. Some programs give clients bikes that have already
been fixed up, but some require clients to take a bike maintenance class to repair the bike. Most organizations try to use as many used parts from donated bikes as possible, but sometimes they have
to buy supplementary parts.

What is the process for bike giveaways?

Eight out of 9 programs require people to sign up at the shop or through a coordinator for the
bike giveaway program. Many programs have waiting lists to get into a session/group for the giveaway. ReCYCLEry NC is the only one who does not; they prefer to give anyone who wants a bike an
opportunity if they are willing to come to the shop and work on a bike. This means that clients normally need to come to 1-3 Saturday sessions to fix up a bike in a 30 day period.
Eight organizations require a bike safety or bike maintenance class to receive a bike. Some are
brief, only requiring an hour or two of a safety lecture, but a few were more involved. SPOKES and
Cycles for Change both require clients to attend several 2-3 hour long maintenance and safety
workshops. ACE at Tulsa hub has clients take a 6 hour bike safety class in order to receive their
bike.
Four organizations require that bike recipients volunteer in the bike shop or with the program
to receive a bike. Volunteer opportunities varied by organization, but some common activities are
cleaning the work spaces, organizing parts, and helping with classes held at the bike shop. Cycles
for Change has a volunteer tracking database that allows people working with the program to keep
track of their hours; SPOKES just instituted a similar database system as well.

How is the program funded?

Funding was not one of the main topics we asked organizations, but it was interesting to see
how much variation existed. Organizations were typically sustained by a combination of 5 sources:
revenue from the community bike shop to which they are connected, private donations, small grant
funding, a large federal grant, or revenue from college partnerships. Grants & private donations
made up most of the funding for organizations though.
Bikes-for-All in Seattle is an example of an organization associated with a community bike
shop. The Reno Bike Projects bike shop helps maintain the The Biggest Little Commute program
they offer.
Private donations were a common source of revenue for organizations. Many did outreach
programs and events to raise money. Several organizations have had success keeping in touch with
their donors and keeping them up to date with program happenings through calls or social media.
Small grant funding was the most common source of funding for organizations. Many organizations operate on a combination of several grants to keep their programs running. These come with
varying levels of responsibilities, some required follow-ups at the end of the grant period, but some
required specific funding meetings once a month. Depending on the location, organizations found
that it was fairly easy to apply for these grants and that their communities were supportive of their
efforts.
SPOKES operates off of a large federal grant and the Biggest Little Commuter program at
Reno Bike Project applied for the federal JARC (Job Access and Reverse Commute) grant, but
funding was not awarded because it was not approved on the regional level. These are available to
organizations, but may be difficult to be awarded.
Salt Lake City Bike Collective & ReCYCLEry NC receive funding by working with local universities. ReCYCLEry NC runs a bike share program with UNC-Chapel Hill and the mechanics get funding for doing the maintenance. Most of the ReCYCLEry NC budget comes from that maintenance
fee.

How do organizations share information about their efforts?

All of the organizations we contacted had an operating website with the basic information
about their program. Many use their websites to keep people up to date with the programs that they
do. Almost every group we talked to operates a Facebook page; a few also used Twitter or other social media platforms. Some organizations, like Cycles for Change and Biggest Little Commuter Program at Reno Bike Shop, attend community and neighborhood events to share with people what
they do.
The ACE program at Tulsa Hub posts every time someone graduates the bike safety class;
each person gets their picture taken with their bike and it gets posted to Facebook. Cycles for
Change has found that sharing personal success stories about their program are an important way
to show the public the impact that their program has. It also helps keep the people involved (donors,
volunteers, general public, etc) up to date with the program.

Intake and Follow Up Surveys

Of the 9 organizations we talked to, 8 collect some sort of information from clients when they
start the program. Most of the information is basic (name, age, height, weight, gender, and bike
preference) and is used to know who got a bike and what bike is appropriate for them to be matched
with. About 5 organizations took it a step further and inquired about employment, income, and
government assistance.
Only 5 organizations used follow up surveys when we talked to them. One followed up with
clients 30 days after completing the program and one waited for 90 days. Others did follow ups
when they were able to find time to contact the individuals. These surveys are typically completed by
phone or email.
Organizations that work through case workers often receive this information and then help
match people up with bikes. Working with case workers had mixed results some organizations
found it extremely beneficial, but some struggled with case workers forwarding all of their clients
(some with no interest in biking) . Also case workers were often too busy and unable to help with
following up with clients after they had been given bikes.

Our Surveys
Based off the information we collected from contacting organizations, we evaluated each intake and follow-up survey for its applicability to our aim of evaluating the reach and impact of
Changing Gears. For the purpose of our research, we wanted to see how the program changed
their overall transportation use, if it affected their employment status, and if it affected their perception of their health. For the intake, we also ask about why they want a bicycle, what they plan to use
it for, and what other factors would encourage them to ride a bicycle. Most of the questions on the
intake survey have a matching question on the follow up to track changes.
The intake survey is administered in person orally by the graduate students on the project or
trained volunteers at the start of the bike giveaway day. This makes the process go fairly quickly and
compensates for individuals with low reading levels. Once the information is collected, we input the
individual surveys into a Google form that is connected to a Google sheet. Most of the information
we collect that is a choose all that apply is scored as a yes/no answer to the question to make later
analysis in SPSS easier.
The follow up survey administration is less concrete at this time. Contacting homeless individuals is difficult because often they dont keep phone numbers for long and checking email is inconsistent. So far, our tactic is to attend events at the IRC and ask individuals if they have received a
bike through the program. On giveaways, we have bike mechanics on hand to fix bikes and we often
find previous recipients there. Since the Changing Gears program has been going on for nearly 8
years, we are focusing on talking to as many people as possible and not necessarily ones who just
received a bike.

Intake Survey

Name ______________________________________________ Age ___________

Telephone (_____) ___________________

Gender ________________________

Email _______________________________________________________________

1. Race
White
Black
American Indian or Alaska Native
Asian
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
Other
4. Current Employment Status (choose
one)
Full-Time
Part-Time
Seasonal
Enrolled in workforce training
Unemployed, searching for work
Unemployed, unable to work

2. Ethnicity
Hispanic or Latino
Non-Latino
3. In general, would you say your
health is
Excellent Very Good Good

Fair

Poor

5. When were you last on a bicycle?

(choose one)
Within the past week
Within the past month
Within the past year
More than a year ago
More than 10 years ago
Never
Unsure
6. What are the main reasons you want 7. What do you plan to use the bicycle
a bicycle? (choose all that apply)
for? (choose all that apply)
Health & good exercise
Work/workforce training
Cheap/inexpensive
To look for work
Convenience
Running errands/going to shops
Environmentally friendly
School
More flexible than public transit
Place of worship
No access to other forms of
Recreation/exercise
transportation
Meetings/social activities
Other ________________________
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8. In the last week, how often did you use the following modes of transportation to
go to somewhere (school, work, meetings, shops, etc) Check a box for each row.
Every Day

Most Days

Some Days

Never

(7 days)

(4-6 days)

(1-3 days)

(0 days)

Bicycle
Walk
Bus
Taxi

Drive a car
Get a ride with someone
Shuttle Service

9. Why did you not have a bicycle

before? (choose all that apply)
Cost
Did not know how to ride a bicycle
No place to store a bicycle
Not enough time to ride a bicycle
Did not think bicycling was safe
Health reasons
Bike was stolen
Other ______________________

10. How much, if at all, would each of the

following encourage you to ride a
bicycle? (choose all that apply)
Knowing more about the rules of the
road
Improving my riding skills
Having people to ride with
Knowing routes to ride
Knowing how to bring my bicycle on the
bus
Having a safe place to store my bicycle
Being able to carry things on my bike
Having easy access to a bike shop

For staff use only

Giveaway Date _______________________________________________________
Brand __________________________ Model _______________________________
Color ___________________________ Wheel Diameter ______________________
Frame Size ______________________ Style _______________________________
Step-Through ____________________ Speeds ____________________________
Serial # A ________________________ Serial # B ___________________________
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Follow Up

Name _____________________________________________________________
1. Do you still have your bike?
Yes
No
Why?:_________________________

2. When did you receive your bike?

(choose one)
Within a Month
Few Months Ago
A Year Ago
More than a Year Ago
Unsure

3. When were you last on your bicycle?

Within the past week
Within the past month
Within the past year
More than a year ago

4. What is your employment?

Full Time
Part Time
Seasonal
Enrolled in Workforce Training
Unemployed, searching for work
Unemployed, unable to work
5. Has your employment changed
since receiving the bike?
Yes
No
7. In general, would you say your
health is
Excellent
Very good
Good
Fair
Poor

6. Do any of these factors affect you riding

your bike?

Unsafe road conditions

Speed/volume of traffic

Lack of bike lanes

Weather

Destinations too far away

Dont feel safe riding

No place to store the bike

Too hilly

Dont like wearing a helmet

Health problems

Not fit enough

Other (please explain):_____________

8. Do you feel like your health has

improved since receiving the bike?
Yes
No
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9. In the last week, how often did you use the following modes of transportation to
go somewhere (school, work, meetings, shops, etc) Check a box for each row.
Every Day

Most Days

Some Days

Never

(7 days)

(4-6 days)

(1-3 days)

(0 days)

Bicycle
Walk
Bus
Drive a car
Get a ride with
someone
Taxi
Shuttle Service
10. Do you take your bike on the bus?
Yes
No

12. Have you had problems with the

bike?
Yes
No

11. Do you have a reliable place to

store the bike?
Yes
No

14. What are the main ways you use

your bicycle? (choose all that apply)
Work/Workforce Training
Looking for work
Running errands/Going to shops
School
Place of worship
Recreation/Exercise
Meetings/Social activities
Other (please explain):
____________________________

13. How would you describe yourself

as a bike rider? (please select one)

Strong & Fearless

Enthused & Confident

Interested, but Concerned

Not Riding/Interested

For Staff Use Only

Giveaway Date:__________________________________
Date of Follow Up ________________________________
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Whats Next for Us

Our evaluation and working with Changing Gears
has just begun. Our data collection officially started with
our first giveaway of 2015 on January 10th after we completed several trial runs in November and December. We
plan to continue the project through the year to collect
results. This summer we plan to complete a mid-year
review once we have a larger set of data to work with.
Our next challenge is to determine the best places
to talk to previous bike recipients and trying to increase the
number of follow-up surveys. Changing Gears has
provided about 175 bikes throughout the past two years,
but most phone numbers and emails of clients are
no longer active. We plan to choose several events at the
IRC to try to find more people. We will continue to talk to
individuals as they come to bike repair sessions on
giveaway days, but we will try to reach more people.
We also plan to train and work with more volunteers
over the next six months. The survey is administered orally
because we are working with a low literacy population who
may have difficulties reading the survey.
By the end of the year, we plan to complete a
full-year evaluation for the Changing Gears program.
Changing Gears volunteers will use it to make assessments about how to expand and improve the
program and to support grant proposals.

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