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Adams Bike Rental Shop Offers Bike Raffles to Residents

ADAMS, Mass. — Village Bike Rentals will raffle quality used bikes throughout the summer so everyone has the chance to get out and ride.

Drew McAuliffe, owner of the seasonal Park Street business, said he has two goals: to stay in business and to help the community.

"We try to do anything we can to support the local communities so we are involved in youth sports and we try to steer people towards local businesses if we can," McAuliffe said. "Over the winter we tried to figure out something else we could do to help."

McAuliffe also works at a bike shop in Newton and that had an abundance of used, perfectly good name-brand bikes.

"They are perfectly good bikes that people either dropped off or didn't want any more," he said. "Brand-name bikes that 10 or 15 years ago were the bikes to have."

McAuliffe brought a bunch of the bikes back to Adams and started cleaning them up and replacing parts that had been overused or damaged.

He said the bikes will be displayed in the store window and on Facebook and people will be able to buy a raffle ticket for $1 at the shop and test their luck.

"Not everyone can afford a brand-new bike but they can win one," McAuliffe said. "We want to have a bike for everybody ... we try to get everything in between so this is a way for us to say we do have a bike for you, you just have to get lucky."

McAuliffe said he hopes to have a raffle every few weeks.

He said he usually has to put around $40 into a bike to get it ready to ride. He said when enough tickets are sold to cover the cost, the bike will be raffled off. He said this money will go right back into restoring more bikes to raffle away.

McAuliffe said anyone can donate a bike that fits the criteria.

"We are Looking for manufactured reputable bikes opposed to something that you would get at a department store because we want to give them something that is going to last," he said. "I would hope if someone wins this bike that it will last long enough for them to give it to someone else."

Village Bike Rentals opened earlier last week for the season. Starting in June, it will be open seven days a week.

McAuliffe said they have even more bikes, trailers, and even a tandem bike this year.

The rental shop is not a full-service bike shop and McAuliffe hopes anyone looking to buy a bike shops at a local independent bike shop such as Berkshire Outfitters, Plaines, Spoke, or Berkshire Bike and Board.

"These are professionals that know how to service a bike and they also stock top quality bikes," he said. "I don't sell I just rent, and if you are going to buy a bike and you want it to last go to them." 

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