logo for Silicon Valley Bicycle Exchange - sprocket
SILICON
VALLEY
Bicycle Exchange
Quick Answers

Bicycle Exchange location: 3961 East Bayshore Road, Palo Alto, CA MAP.

Interested in volunteering? Explore our event calendar and visit our Eventbrite page to RSVP for upcoming opportunities. New volunteers can find details about our volunteer roles and general information.

Stopping by our shop? Make an appointment to shop for a bicycle or parts, ask us questions about volunteering, drop off a donation, receive service for your bike, or anything else! Shop Hours are Monday / Wednesday / Friday, 11:00 am - 5:30 pm.

Have a bicycle to donate? Donate bicycles and parts by emailing us photos and details of what you have, to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. We'll let you know if we need your items and get you the drop-off details. Please do not make an appointment to drop off a bicycle without emailing us photos first; we cannot accept all bicycles and parts.

The Silicon Valley Bicycle Exchange is a Section 501c(3) non-profit organization.

Have questions? Contact us.

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The Silicon Valley Bicycle Exchange wants YOU!

If you would like to learn more about one of these roles please contact our This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Roles for Event Volunteers

Front desk volunteer on the left, at a table, helping two other volunteers to sign in
Front Desk Operations

We're looking for one or two friendly faces to staff our front desk on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of each month. As our Greeter, you'll play a crucial role in our bicycle repair training events! This is a great opportunity to be at the heart of our community events, meet new people, and contribute to our mission of empowering others through bicycle repair skills!

What You’ll Do:

  • Welcome new volunteers and ensure they've signed liability release waivers
  • Help new volunteers check in via QR code or iPad
  • Take pizza orders and coordinate pizza pickup
  • Set up outdoor table for lunch and oversee canopy setup
  • Assist with sales and handling petty cash, as needed

Why This Matters

You will be the first point of contact for new and returning volunteers, and your actions will significantly influence their experience and overall impression of SVBE. A friendly and engaging approach will help volunteers feel welcome and encourage them to return.

Requirements:

  • Friendly demeanor
  • Desire to help where needed
  • Friendly demeanor and help volunteers to feel welcome
  • Responsible
Event Coordinators

Help us rock our events! We’re looking for friendly volunteers to help manage our on and off site bike repair events. This is a great chance to develop your leadership skills while having fun!

What You’ll Do:

  • Be the point of contact for volunteers and outside agencies before and during the event
  • Help manage all logistics, making sure tools and supplies are brought to events, and mechanics have what they need
  • Make sure everyone registers when they arrive
  • Track how many bikes get completed, partially completed, and go through QA1 and QA2
  • Send emails, answer questions, be on site for event

Why This Matters:

Outreach events are important for keeping us in touch with the community and letting the community know about us. Having volunteers run our events makes outreach possible.

Outreach Volunteers

Are you excited about bikes and cycling? Do you want to make a difference in your community? Join our Outreach Volunteers and help us spread the word about Silicon Valley Bicycle Exchange

What You’ll Do:

  • Staff information tables at indoor and outdoor events
  • Talk with the general public, share our mission and volunteer opportunities
  • Engage with the public about what we do and why it matters

Why This Matters

Your enthusiasm can inspire others to get involved, supporting our efforts to promote cycling and bicycle repair in the community.

Requirements:

No experience is necessary, just your enthusiasm and a willingness to engage with people.

Truck Driver

Drive a truck full of repaired bicycles from Bicycle Exchange to deliver the bikes to a recipient organization. Help load and unload the bicycles.

More volunteer role description coming soon.

Roles for Returning Volunteers and Mechanics

Two people visually checking a bicycle on a repair stand
Mechanics

Volunteer mechanics should be able to, at a minimum, do basic ABC checks and work somewhat independantly, performing some repairs on bikes. You do not have to be an expert, or have professional experience. As a volunteer mechanic you would also have the opportunity to take bikes home and work on them there at your own pace, and then bring them back when you are done. You would need to sign out the bike on our check-out sheet — be one of our Homework Heros! Contact our Volunteer Coordinator if you have questions about your qualifications, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Mentor Mechanics

Help teach and supervise apprentice mechanics, sharing your bike repair knowledge and skills.

What You’ll Do:

Work with volunteers interested in improving their bike mechanic skills. Share your knowledge and explain to the best of your ability how to perform repair work. Be ready to answer questions.

Why This Matters:

Skilled bicycle mechanics are the key link that enables us to achieve our goals. Mechanics repair bikes, make sure they meet our QA standards and get them ready ready for distribution. Having more volunteer mechanics will enable us to repair more bikes and meet the high demand from those in need.

Requirements:

  • Bike mechanic skills
  • Enjoy teaching adults and kids
QA (Quality Assurance) Inspector

What You’ll Do:

Perform quality assurance inspection of completed bike repairs. This work is important to ensure all bikes meet SVBE quality standards before they are received by our charity organizations.

Requirements:

Advanced bicycle repair skills

Roles for Volunteers in our Retail Bike Shop

Two adults and a child next to a bike on a repair stand
Assistant Shop / Inventory Volunteer

Support our retail and mechanic shop to improve volunteer and customer experience.

What You’ll Do:

There are lots of tasks to perform to keep our shop running smoothly and we need your help! Here are some of the things you will do, but this may not be a complete list:

  • Stock ordered parts & supplies
  • Stock donated bicycle parts
  • Keep workbenches organized and supplied with cleaners and lubricants
  • Provide support to shop manger as needed
  • Clean bikes - time permitting

Why This Matters:

We want to provide the best customer and volunteer experience and to do this the shop must be organized and run efficiently.

Requirements:

Bicycle shop experience. Familiar with parts inventory or other related experience.

Bike Salesperson Assistant

Help connect buyers with bikes. Engage with customers in a proactive and knowledgeable way, providing a positive customer experience.

What You’ll Do:

Help customers pick out the right bike for them. Be willing to engage in conversation about skill level, bike functionality, etc.

Requirements:

  • Should have knowledge of bike types and different riding styles.
  • Helpful if you are familiar with market values of used bicycles.

Roles for Supporting Volunteers - Organization

Volunteer mechanic at a bicycle repair workbench, bikes on three levels of racks behind
Newsletter Editor

Join our team and help keep our community connected! We're looking for a passionate individual to create and share our newsletters, keeping our volunteers and supporters informed and inspired.

What You’ll Do:

  • Craft engaging articles about the Silicon Valley Bicycle Exchange
  • Edit and polish content for clarity and impact
  • Collaborate with volunteers to gather stories, feedback, and insights
  • Publish and distribute the newsletter every two months to keep our community up-to-date

Requirements:

  • Prior experience in newsletter editing and content creation
  • Strong writing and communication skills
  • A proactive approach to seeking input and making content compelling
Marketing & Social Media Volunteer

Help us share the impact of Silicon Valley Bicycle Exchange! We’re looking for enthusiastic volunteers to capture and share the amazing work we do—whether through photography, video, social media engagement, or outreach. If you have experience in content creation and storytelling, we’d love your help in amplifying our message!

What You’ll Do:

  • Attend events (onsite and offsite) to take high-quality photos and videos for use on our website, social media, and promotional materials
  • Capture engaging moments of volunteers fixing bikes, teaching mechanic skills and building community connections
  • Edit video content for social media
  • Assist in creating tutorial videos about bicycle repair to help educate our community
  • Support our Marketing team with managing SVBE’s social media accounts (TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn) with engaging content, including event promotions, volunteer highlights and impact stories
  • Potentially monitor and respond to comments and messages to engage with our audience and encourage participation
  • Digital and in-person outreach
  • Attend Outreach events

Requirements:

  • Experience in photography and/or videography
  • Experience posting content on social media platforms, including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn
  • Ability and interest in attending various events within your schedule capacity and interacting with volunteers to capture authentic moments
  • Interest in increasing your sales, marketing, conversational and non-profit management skills
  • (Bonus) Experience creating tutorial videos or educational content

This is a flexible volunteer role with no set schedule, but your contributions will have a lasting impact! If you’re ready to use your skills to support a great cause, we’d love to have you on board.

Thank You Letter Writer

Volunteer position description coming soon. If you're interested or want to learn more, please contact our volunteer coordinator Toni, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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