Lawrence Unchained was founded in 2014 and was inspired and helped by similar shops in the region, notably the Topeka Community Cycle Project, as well as Revolve KC and 816 Bicycle Collective in Kansas City.
These shops are part of a growing grass-roots movement in the US to get people on bikes by creating spaces where old bikes can be rehabilitated, where people can rediscover bicycling, learn how to maintain their bikes and learn how to bicycle safely and legally.
If you are someone who has a bike in your garage or back yard that you never use, perhaps because it’s in need of repair, or perhaps because you find city streets intimidating to ride on, Unchained is the place be and the people to help you. We want you to ride that bike, to know how to maintain it and make minor repairs, and to feel comfortable riding in Lawrence and Douglas County. We want to share our knowledge of bike maintenance with you, and our tricks for riding on city streets and for finding alternative routes to get around without having to face congestion or high-speed traffic.
We love bicycling and make it part of our daily lives, both as regular bicycle commuters to our jobs in and around Lawrence, Kansas, and also as social and sport cyclists. We want to share the enjoyment that bicycling brings to our lives to others in the area by advocating for cycling, by teaching safe bicycling techniques and, most importantly, bringing old bicycles out of sheds and basements and garages and getting them back to life and back on the street.
