Ride on!

Durango is the 33rd most-populated city in Colorado, yet, it boasts one of the largest bike swaps in the state. And this year’s swap, the 16th annual held April 25-27 at Chapman Hill, was the most successful yet, according to organizers.

“The swap brings together riders from across our community,” Devo Executive Director Nate Greason said. “You can feel how stoked everyone is to ride and be around other riders, whether they're picking up a new bike, selling a bike or volunteering.” 

This year, Devo sold nearly 400 bikes and countless pieces of gear and equipment, totaling $235,000 in sales, tying last year’s record. In all, the swap raised $50,000 for the local cycling development program, a new record. Most of those funds came from the swap’s 22% commission on sales, registration fees and admission fees, and a raffle.

The primary mission of Devo’s fundraisers is to help subsidize the cost of its youth programs. According to organizers, without fundraisers like the swap, youth registration fees would nearly double. Currently, about half of Devo’s budget comes from donations, sponsorships and fundraising, which allows the program to cover costs such as staff, coaching, insurance, permits, vehicle maintenance, and coach certification and training.

In addition to keeping program costs down, fundraisers and donations also pay for Devo’s other projects, such as the Devo Scholarship Fund, which awarded 87 scholarships in 2024; school bike safety rodeos; and community pop-up-rides, parties and cycling celebrations.

Just hosting the swap is a superhuman effort in itself, requiring 173 volunteers putting in 1,200 hours of work over the course of the three-day event.

Of course, in a perfect world, all bikes would find a new home at the swap. However, the reality is, in a town full of bikes, there are always some left over. Bikes in good working order that are not picked up by their owners after the swap are donated to Silver Stallion, a nonprofit providing bike resources, instruction and repair on the Navajo Nation. More than 50 bikes went to Silver Stallion this year.

After that, all remaining fixable bikes and parts (40 bikes this year) are donated to Southwest Open School, in Cortez, which serves at-risk and low-income students. The school, through a grant from Park Tools, teaches students bike mechanic skills, enabling them to earn a bike mechanic certificate. Typically about 75% of the bikes donated are fully rebuilt, repurposed and given to area students and homeless shelters.