To help kick off the cycling season, Bike Cochrane is hosting its first-ever bike swap on Apr. 20 at the Cochrane and District Agricultural Society.

For $15 you can register to sell up to three bikes with no commission taken by the vibrant nonprofit organization. You don't have to be a member of Bike Cochrane to participate.

The registration deadline is Apr. 18, and all the details can be found here.

"When people come by on the day of the swap, we'll have racks and racks of bikes, whether it's road bike, gravel bike, mountain bike, kids bike, toggle bike, whatever," says Paul Perrault, Bike Cochrane's operations director. "We'll have it all sorted and it'll be all marked and people can see what they have and be able to purchase bikes and walk out of there with a new bike to them."

He says they first ask all sellers to go through the bike index to check their serial number and confirm it's not stolen.

They also want the owners to ensure they are in working condition and can arrange a free inspection at Big Hill Cycle. He stresses, it's not a free tune-up, it is a check to ensure the bike meets the requirements of the bike swap.

He says it's a win-win situation. Those with extra bikes can find their bike a new home, and buyers needn't search through marketplaces or garage sales in search of a set of wheels. Plus, they'll know it hasn't been stolen and is in working condition.

He says they believe it's a chance to get bikes in motion that might otherwise be sitting idle. 

"We see that there's underutilized assets in people's garage and the idea of being able to have somebody else, a new rider to be able to use that bike is just fantastic."

"We're super excited about the bike swap from a community event standpoint and just the whole idea of connecting people with bikes. I think that this event really speaks to what we're trying to do."

bike swap