Slideshow Volunteer Tom Feledy makes adjusts a bike seat for customer Alex Melville at the Bike Exchange on September 15, 2018. Photo by Magali Gauthier Bikes for sale at the Bike Exchange on September 15, 2018. Photo by Magali Gauthier Payton Weidenbacher and Nancy Benner pick out some bikes at the Bike Exchange on September 15, 2018. Photo by Magali Gauthier Founder Dave Fork speaks with customers Susan Bird and Richard Asano at the Bike Exchange on September 15, 2018. Photo by Magali Gauthier Two customers speak with a volunteer at the Bike Exchange on September 15, 2018. Photo by Magali Gauthier A volunteer makes an adjustment on a customer's bike at the Bike Exchange on September 15, 2018. Photo by Magali Gauthier Akash Verma tries out a bike at the Bike Exchange on September 15, 2018. Photo by Magali Gauthier Previous Next

The Silicon Valley Bike Exchange is no longer on the brink of closure. The nonprofit, which repairs bikes and donates them, is set to relocate to a Palo Alto industrial office space being provided temporarily by Google.

Located at 3961 E. Bayshore Road, the new 6,000-square-foot space is a significant upgrade for the Bike Exchange. The scrappy group of bicycle lovers has been operating in a small, 500-square-foot space tucked behind an auto garage at 2566 Leghorn St. in Mountain View. But for years, Bike Exchange members found a way to make the space work, using it to host bicycle repair tutorials, sales and other events.

That changed earlier this year when the family that owns the property said they were planning to sell the site, triggering a small crisis for the Bike Exchange. The nonprofit operates on a budget of about $12,000 a year, which is mostly spent on repair supplies. Bike Exchange members had little ability to pay market-rate rents, and they publicly urged the community to help find a new low-cost location.

The solution came from members' own professional network. Bike Exchange board president Dave Fork, a Google employee, was able to tap his employer for help. The Bike Exchange was eventually presented with an opportunity to lease the Bayshore Road space, which Google reportedly owns but is not currently using. Terms of the lease were not disclosed.

"The Bicycle Exchange has supported our community for many years and Google is happy to return the favor by providing space for them to continue their vital work," said Javier Gonzalez, Google public affairs manager, in a statement to the Voice.