Bicas – Bicycle Inter Community Art & Salvage

I have been in Tucson for over 18 years and I have never heard of this place. Reminds me of the 60’s in San Francisco, nice. Very pleasant, accommodating place geared to customer service. They showed me what I needed, where to get it, how to install it, and options, and all this for an axle I bought for just ONE dollar for which they even provided me with the grease I needed.
Needless to say I will pass the word to my friends. And this will be the first place I will think of when the need arises.

it was recommended to me that I go here after I was told my bike was unfixable… I went in and immediately was greeted and when I told the guy behind the desk what I was told and that I knew nothing about fixing it they got me all set up w/​a mechanic who was AWESOME and off we went. she showed me and had me help me and explained everything step by step. they were able to get the bike apart and it was really a fun experience. and the prices were great; I spent ¼ of what I had just spent at a well known bike place who as it turned out didn’t do anything! i will go back now for all my issues and would definitely recommend it.

Places like this are why I love Tucson! Creative, earth friendly, user friendly way to keep people on their bikes.
I found this place after I hit a cyclist with my car. (He was on the wrong side of the road so it wasn’t really my fault, but still) He was ok so I Unilocaled for a bike shop and this being the nearest one with a good rating, I took him there. They don’t usually do repairs but because of the circumstances they went right to work and got this gentleman back on his bike in about twenty minutes replacing a wheel, the seat and the pedal crankshaft for $ 40. The stern talking to about riding on the right side of the road was free!
Everyone there was unbelievably helpful and incredibly committed to bikes and bike safety. I picked up a map of bike routes in Tucson and a flier for a bike safety course.
A wonderful resource for tucson cyclists.
Plus cool sculptures made from bike parts.

Visiting this Spring we wanted to bike everywhere and stumbled on this place as a bike rental place. It is absolutely so much more than that — their social mission and the dedication of everyone who works (volunteers?) there is inspiring. WARNING do not go near here if you are a spandex-​clad bike snob. For real people, this is a wonderful place.

I love this place. I have gotten both of my bikes from here and they offer a lot of options for community seminars (women only classes), paying (work for parts), etc. Only draw back is that sometimes they don’t always have a bike that is good for your size.

I’m a cycling newbie and signed up for a bike maintenance class. When I walked in, it took over 5 minutes for anyone to even notice that I was there… And nobody bothered to mention that I was over an hour early for the class, since I had apparently written down the wrong time.
Zero indication of who is an employee or volunteer versus someone working in their own stuff, so I spent nearly 45 minutes standing around awkwardly, alone, and ignored looking at biked parts until anxiety got the best of me (yay mental illness!) and I grabbed my bike and tried to make myself invisible and duck out the door.
Seems like there is a lot of neat stuff going on here… But if you’re new or solo, prepare to be completely turned off.

I’ve built three bikes here, for a fraction of what it would have cost me to have purchased the same style/​quality of bicycle at a bike shop. The added bonus is that I’ve learned how to build a bike as I’ve gone along.
It may not be obvious but they do have a stock of new parts that are available for purchase and you can ask them to order new parts on your behalf. You’ll be the one installing them, through there is always plenty of help and all the tools you’ll need.
There’s also an art gallery there with bicycle inspired and themed art.
This is a great resource for folks who want to learn more about bicycles and how to take care of and build out bikes. It’s also a great place to make new friends and meet people — if you want to — since conversations will often start between the bike stands.
Bicas is a very special, very friendly place and a great resource for the Tucson community.

Honest people, that provide a valuable service to the community. A point of pride in Tucson.

My wife and I bought bikes from this shop today and we couldn’t be happier: we got two beach cruisers, front and back lights, baskets and U locks for less than 400 combined! Can’t wait to take their bike maintenance class.

The first time I walked into BICAS it was a bit of a culture shock & i was extremely intimidated — I knew diddly about bikes & wasn’t looking for anything more than a bike I could ride around the neighborhood… i walked out with a road ready bike for $ 20.
Since then, I have upgraded & BICAS has been a huge help to me throughout the entire process… $ 4 an hour shop time, a staff that is knowledgeable & friendly… then of course, there are the art classes on tuesday nights — bikes + art + community — BICAS has it all.
If you can get past the initial intimidation you’ll realize what a gem this place really is — bike maintenance, art classes, volunteer opportunities… there really is something for everyone here.

I was a little concerned about walking into Bicas because these guys put bikes together and I can hardly ride one. I was really relieved when I had one foot in the door & was greeted with a friendly smile & offer for help. I was there for the Underground Art class, Bike Zine Origami Stars with Rachel Sandler. I really had too much fun & almost broke my laughing bone. There were fellow crocheters, knitters & painters learning how to make Origami Stars. Mine turned out really cool. Check out my pic.
I can’t wait till next week for the Japanese Book binding class. Check out their website for more classes and art exhibits. There’s a new art studio and gallery featuring bicycle-​themed and recycled art by local and international artists. You can go home with some bike art originals.

This store is amazing for those who believe in recycle, reuse and reduce! They have a ton of community programs for all ages, gender, lifestyle and interest. Heck this company even does outreach for at risk kids. The staff are very helpful and ready to teach anyone who is ready to learn.

The first time I wandered into Bicas, I was by myself and decided just to check it out in stealth-​mode, because there were so many moving parts and it was filled with creepy, intimidating people. The next week, I darted back in and worked up the nerve to talk to one of the dudes behind the counter, described the issue I was having with my cruiser, and he showed me how to fix it. I bought a basket because I was sick of the messanger bag balance. I was out of there having spent a very small sum of money, and was proud of myself for approaching the strange hipsters on my own.
I’ve been back about a dozen times since September, typically for small things, like needing a tool to adjust my brakes. Due to my work schedule, I can only easily make it on Sundays, so I tend to wind up there during the Women and Transgender Hours. During those special hours my daughter built a bike for $ 10, a vast improvement over the ridiculous cost of cheap plastic kid’s bikes at Target, and she proudly declares that she fixed it from a bike graveyard.
When riding to work daily on a heavy one-​speed cruiser became too annoying, I couldn’t afford a proper replacement, and craigslist flakes started making me insane, I turned to Bicas. It took two trips and some devoted nerds digging through the graveyard trying to find a reasonable bike, a not-​so-​hip ’92 Trek, made for someone of my stumpy stature. Eventually we found something, they helped guide me through fixing it up, and once again, I was out with a sturdy, reliable and faster-​than-​the-​cruiser bike for a nominal fee and only a few hours of my life. (Of course, the old tires which would «do for now» are finally past their prime, so it’s sitting in my backyard until I can find another free block of time during their open hours to take care of it.)
The parts are a bit of a mess and I’m not always successful. Sometimes, after digging through those bins, they just don’t have what you need. I have a couple of backup proper bike shops I check out if I’m not able to complete my mission, but since I’m capable, handy and cheap enough to do most things on «my own», Bicas is always my first stop and I appreciate their supervision so I don’t do anything too mechanically stupid that would eventually lead to my death on the mean car-​filled streets of Tucson.

I heard about Bicas Bicycle Inter Community Art & Salvage from a friend who went there to work on his bike. I thought «Hey, I need to get a bike for one of the kids and this place seems to help people so why don’t I give them a try?». So I loaded up the minivan and off we went.
When I got there I realized that this was not what I was looking for. This is not a bike store, this is some sort of Post-​apocalyptic subculture. You step down into the basement and after your eyes adjust, you see a flurry of activity going on. There were a lot of people down there. Some people were working on bikes, some were just standing around talking, one guy was sitting on a huge tricycle with three flat tires, there was even a guy on the back wall hanging and then un-​hanging inner tubes. Something about this place reminded me of the Kevin Costner movie where he lives on a boat and he visits a city that floats on the ocean. Or maybe it is like walking into a Mad Max Movie. Or maybe its that Tom Petty video where he is wearing goggles out in the desert singing «…You better watch yourself.». Anyways, it was very interesting.
I guess this is probably a good place if you need to work on your bike and you are a little tight on funds.

I love Bicas,
I live in a condo and dont really have space to do bike maintenance, for $ 4 an hour I can use all their tools/​stands/​expertise. They sell parts for SUPER cheap (even the new stuff), although dont expect it to be that great if your searching the used stuff.
They have free flat repair station
Host classes of all kinds. building bikes, maintenance.
they sell bikes for fairly cheap.

I love the idea of BICAS. I visted Tucson and it was fantastic to be able to rent a bike realitivly cheaply. However the bikes to choose from were quite poor. I got a single speed with a coaster break which proceeded to throw the chain regularly. The hand brake on it was not functional so I had to stop Fred Flinstone style.
I love the laid back hippy vibe of the place and the abilty to use the tools and stand in exchange for helping others with their bikes is an awesome idea. If I lived in Tucson I would find myself in their often.

I want to give it a 5 but the place is well worked in there are lots of parts that you have to shuffle through to find anything. this is not supposed to be a thrift store for bikes, but since it kinda is can we get some organization of parts?. There in bins but often you’ll have to search forever through wrong sizes and mismatched bolts.
I really like working there as I am broke and lost my bike. This happened in Cali. I like the mission of the group, the people are nice, its good to just get your hands dirty and the have the tools to let you do that.
We wish for a larger space so that we may do larger bike projects in the future. Imagine Aluminum welded bikes. Theres a knack to it, you can burn aluminum pretty bad.

this place is so special! you can make your own bike! recycle mania.
some really awesome premade bikes… i LOVED my bike from here

One review!?!
This place is fantastic. I’m not positive but I think we can probably attribute some of the kick ass bike racks in Tucson to these folks too.
My partner built a bike for me here. It rocks. It’s a JCP. That’s right JC Penny. Holler.
So as Ferdinand says, the staff here show you how to build an old, salvaged bike into a brand new beautiful ride. They have a pretty big selection of frames, handlebars, and parts. They have all the tools. You pay by the hour (I think they lump it into blocks of time if you go over 2 or 3) and you pay for the parts you use. They will help you as much as you need and they also teach classes. Also, like Ferdinand mentioned if you can’t pay you can do work there to earn time and parts.
It’s a community center so they seem to do lots of community activism around transportation issues and community service for kids.
Also they have a women and tranny only day on Sundays? (I think… might want to check on that). But anyways, this is a super great center… I would love to live in a community that had something like this.
Definitely stop by here when you’re in town!

These guys help people fix their bike up, letting them use their tools, know how and garage. If you are broke, sign up to get a bike for work hours. They also sponser events related to Bicycles. Probably hippies and eco-​nerds. How fun. How green. Community lives. They sell used Bicycle parts. Leave your car at home. Ride a uni-​cycle there if you can. For $ 5 a day you can rent a bike, you can buy a bike, recycle old unusable bike parts, etc.
** — Tucson Critical Mass — **
(The rides move at a very, very leisurely pace and are always free.)
El Presidio Park Downtown
Last Fri of every month 6PM
** — Bicas WEEKLY BIKE RIDES — **
Tuesday | 8pm | Meet at UA Flagpole