March 4 Ward 9 meeting
Covered by Documenter Mel Mohler (see her notes here)
At the edge of Summit Lake, inside a repurposed shipping container, is a space where chains turn, wrenches click and lives may be transformed — one bike at a time. The South Street Ministries Bike Shop isn’t just about fixing bicycles; it’s about helping to restore dignity, fostering responsibility and strengthening the Akron community. It’s a place where faith, service and a deep love for people come together.
Chris Usner, the program’s director, along with some dedicated volunteers, works to ensure that every person who steps into the shop leaves with not just a bicycle but a sense of accomplishment and belonging.
Want to help out? The Bike Shop needs volunteers at weekly events from May to August to help repair and maintain bikes. Organizers invite people who are interested can come out to a program and see what it’s all about before deciding. Go here to learn more and sign up or email chris@southstreetministries.org
Bicycles have always been more than transportation for Usner — they were his first love and that passion drives the bike shop’s sweat equity model. Rather than giving away bikes, participants earn them through hands-on learning.
“You’re buying with your time,” Usner said, emphasizing the concept of delayed gratification. Over multiple sessions, participants gain mechanical skills that can lead to real job opportunities. “If you can work on a bike, you can work on a motorcycle, then a car. Now you have a vocation.”
Faith played a role in the bike shop’s beginnings, but it’s never been a requirement. “You don’t have to be a Christian,” Usner said. In fact, the shop’s origins trace back to a lively debate in a driveway between a pastor, Duane Crabbs, and his neighbor, Liam, about whether there was a “Christian way” or an “atheist way” to fix a bike. They decided there wasn’t — and teamed up to restore bikes and people.
Thirty years later, South Street Ministries is still building on that.
Going beyond just fixing a bike
The South Street Ministries Bike Shop is about more than transportation — it’s about transformation. Usner compares life to a bike rim — no one rolls through perfectly straight.
“If anyone tells you their rim is perfect out of the box, they’re lying,” he says. “Most of us have a little wobble.” Life’s challenges, like failed relationships, addiction and identity struggles, can create tension, just like spokes pulling on a rim. When one tension outweighs the others, the wheel bends.
And for those who roll out of that shipping container with a newly built bike, the journey is just beginning.
The program also fosters intergenerational connections. With locations at Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority in Summit Lake, the Summit County Metro Parks and coming soon in Kenmore, it’s reaching more families, seniors and adults eager to learn.
The Kenmore location will be located near Kenmore Boulevard and be open on Thursdays and Saturdays, Unser told a group of residents at the March 4 Ward 9 meeting.
A lot of older adults find purpose mentoring younger riders, forming bonds that might not happen otherwise. “On the streets, it’s like oil and water, but at the Bike Shop, it’s different,” said Unser. The bike becomes a bridge — between generations, races and economic backgrounds.
Find your ride. Nearly two dozen Akron-area group rides are planned from May to October. Go here to learn more.
Bike shop is a place to ‘feel seen, valued’
For teens such as Myrell Buchanan, 15, and Laevon Gaines, 17, the bike shop isn’t just an after-school program — it’s a space where they feel seen, valued and empowered. Through the guidance of Usner and other mentors, they said they have learned that hard work pays off.
Buchanan joined the bike shop because he saw the volunteers as good people and was excited about the chance to earn a bike. “Chris put me up on a lot of challenges because he wouldn’t help me,” Buchanan joked. “He just talked me through stuff.”
The experience also helped him make better choices. “I stopped doing stuff that wasn’t good for me,” he said. Now, Buchanan enjoys spending time with friends, riding bikes together.
Gaines grew up with Buchanan, and after hearing about the bike shop from him, decided to check it out for himself. While staff and volunteers helped teach him new skills, he was surprised at how much his communication improved. Being around the bike shop community made him want to be more social. “I like to be inside, but because of Myrell, I wanted to go outside more. I want to do more stuff like this and help people.”
The bike has also become a practical tool for Gaines, helping him when he doesn’t have a ride. When he misses the school bus, the bike ensures he can still make it to class.
“You can never go wrong with helping people,” Gaines said. “Once you come down, you’ll see what I mean.”
He said he appreciates how the bike shop brings people together and hopes to see a larger community where he can volunteer one day and eventually share his own story.
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Volunteers, donations keep bike shop spinning
In 2024, the bike shop distributed 501 bikes. Volunteers and donations are always needed, whether it’s helping hands, unused bikes or time and knowledge. The shop’s model empowers participants to do the work themselves with guidance from mentors, making it possible to restore nearly 10 bikes each week.
“If I had to do all the repairs, we might get through 100, maybe 200 bikes,” Usner said. But for him, the real impact isn’t in the number of bikes — it’s in the people. “The number I look at is five,” he said. “Five people I know we missed. Five missed opportunities. That’s five individuals who might take the wrong path.”
At the heart of the program is relationship-building. “Not knowing someone’s background, I can put them in front of a bike,” Usner said. “Building a bike is a simple task. But what we really want to focus on is the cyclist — their story, their goals.”
For some members, the ministries’ redirection program supports people in addiction recovery, giving them purpose and structure after treatment. “That’s what South Street Ministries and the bike shop do,” Usner said. “We bring people back from the brink.” Through those connections, the shop becomes a launching pad for bigger opportunities.
Bike shop honors local rider by connecting people
For those serious about cycling, the shop connects them with Akron’s BMX legacy, kept alive by the family of Curtis J. Rhoden, who was instrumental in the sport’s local scene. “If someone wants to go to the world stage, we link them with the right community,” Usner said. “To build a cyclist is to pour into them, taking them places in life we couldn’t have imagined.”
This year’s annual Curtis J. Rhoden III. Memorial Rideout will be held Sept. 14. This YouTube video shows what it looked like in 2023.
Usner encourages people to get involved in whatever way they can — whether that’s joining a group bike ride, donating supplies or simply stopping by. It starts with small steps. He recognizes that not everyone has a strong support system, like the one his wife provides for him, which allows him to do this work. For many, change happens gradually, through small, consistent acts of care and kindness.