Bike Repair Stations Now Have Adjustable Wrenches

Guest article by former board member, Kyle Hord:

Last year, I joined an Oaks and Spokes ride to Anderson Point Park to celebrate the installation of the second Dero Fixit bike repair station. For those who aren’t familiar with these, they are fantastic resources that can allow a handy person to fix most minor issues they would encounter on their bicycle. They come equipped with a complement of common tools, an air pump, and a place to hang your bike while working.

When we started our ride to Anderson Point Park, a young man joined us as he get off of work downtown. This very tall young man rode the whole way there on a very small bike with a very low saddle. After we made it to the park, some other riders offered to help him raise his saddle, so he could ride home more comfortably. We put his bike on the stand and soon realized that the repair station didn’t have the right size wrench. Undaunted, we came up with a crafty solution and were able to adjust his seat, but I knew immediately what would have solved our problem, and solved every future problem like it: a simple adjustable wrench.

Later that month I went out and bought materials to add adjustable wrenches to Raleigh’s two bike repairs stations at Anderson Point Park and Marbles Kids Museum. About one year, three house moves, and one hurricane later (sorry for the delay), I am happy to announce that I have finally finished the job. Both repair stations now have an adjustable wrench hanging along with their standard assortment of tools. If you stop at a station in the future, there should now be no bolt or nut up to 31 mm wide that you can’t turn.