With spring sunshine comes the annual Rogue Valley Bike Swap in Ashland.

From noon to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, April 29, in the parking lot of The Grove building, 1195 E. Main St., bicycle enthusiasts will sell, trade or donate bikes and parts.

“It’s not only a great place to find an affordable bike, especially after the pandemic made it really hard to find a good used bike, but it’s also for a good cause. And if you’re into bikes, it’s a good way to meet people who are interested in bike outreach and education,” said Sulaiman Shelton, volunteer and special event coordinator for Ashland Parks and Recreation.

The event is put together through a partnership between Ashland parks and the Rogue Valley Transportation District. The event is a fundraiser for youth bike education. 

“It’s smaller now, because of COVID,” Shelton said. “This year all we were able to do was in the spring, a pilot program at Hellman Elementary School. It was like a P.E.-style riding safety class done by Parks and Recreation staff. We had some classroom time and some time learning how to ride out in the streets safely, getting kids comfortable on the bike, learning hand signals, things like that,” he said.

A portion of sales proceeds at the swap will be used to pay for staff time to teach or maintain a fleet of bicycles reserved for the program. Hopefully, he said, this year’s swap will help expand the program to more schools.

Sale proceeds are split 80% to the seller and 20% to the youth education fund, according to the RVTD website.

E-bikes will be available to test ride from Piccadilly and Ashland Electric Bikes. Both bike shops will have staff on hand to answer questions.

Ashland police will also be on hand to help people register bikes with the department to help reunite owners with recovered stolen bikes. 

Bikes can be dropped off Friday afternoon at three locations. Between 4:30 and 5:30 at Craterworks, 419 N. Front St. in Central Point. From 4 to 6 the RVTD building at 229 S. Front St., Medford. From 5 to 7 at the Grove in Ashland. Bikes can also be dropped off at the Grove Saturday morning from 8:30 to 10 a.m.

Unsold bikes must be picked up by their owners between 3 and 4 the afternoon of the event.

Those who dropped off bikes at the Central Point or Medford locations can also pick up their bikes Tuesday, May 2, 4-6 p.m. The expanded pick-up options reflects a hope for the swap to eventually expand.

“We’d like to be more of a Rogue Valley-wide event, and we know people don’t always want to drive all the way out to Ashland,” he said.

Unsold bikes can also be donated to RVTD. Some of the bikes will be used for a long-term program to match veterans in need with a used bike. Bikes donated to the swap may also be sold to support the youth education programs. 

For details, see https://rvtd.org/way-to-go/events-and-campaigns/rogue-valley-bike-swap/