When a resident of Greensboro, Ala., told Pam Dorr, executive director of Hale Empowerment and Revitalization Organization, that there was too much bamboo in her area, it was a complaint. And it would have been nothing more than a complaint if HERO had not been learning to build bamboo bikes for residents of the Black Belt region.

“It all happened at about the same time,” Dorr said.

HERO was founded in 1994 with the vision of being a comprehensive community development agency for Hale County and neighboring counties in the Black Belt region of Alabama. It started out providing various social services before adding housing resources in 2004. In 2009, it expanded to include economic development projects, starting with the PieLab, a twist on the traditional café. The next step in their plan was HERObike, a new kind of bike shop.

“We had a chance to buy an abandoned building downtown, and we did some renovations on it,” Dorr said. “This new business fit right in.”

HERObike now offers retail services – selling hand-made bamboo bikes and bike kits, including supplies necessary for customers wanting to construct their own bike frame – in addition to hosting weekend workshops, where visitors can make their own bike.

“I think having a green manufacturing small business can really help a small town,” Dorr said. “Instead of waiting for a business to come, we can create our own, given what we have, which is a lot of bamboo.”

(See also “UA campaigns for bicycle safety“)

The organization’s newest style of bike, funded through Kickstarter, is the Semester Bike. A hand-woven bamboo bike weighing less than two pounds is in the pipeline, as well as a bamboo skateboard.

“We like building bikes, we like riding bikes, and I think we want others to feel the same passion we do for our bike lines,” Dorr said. “We like bikes.”

Dorr said the next step for HERObike, as it reaches its 20th year, is becoming profitable and sustainable.

“[At HERO], we really see ourselves being a leader in the next 20 years,” she said.

Adam Fowler, a UA graduate student and HERObike employee, said the key to HERObike is the people.

“That’s what really makes it effective,” Fowler said.

While bamboo bikes are not particular to HERObike, Fowler said, the business is competitively priced and well regarded. In addition, the human experience offered by workshops accents the things Greensboro has to offer as a community, Fowler said.

(See also “Bicycle theft common crime on campus, recovery difficult“)

“People comment on how it’s a unique experience to come in the shop for a few days and come out at the end of the week with a bicycle frame. That’s incredible,” Fowler said. “They comment on how the town has a lot of unique things going for it. We’re one of the anchors for the uniqueness for the area.”

While many people have to travel to Greensboro or pay hundreds of dollars for that uniqueness, UA students can spend $5 to rent one of the Outdoor Rec’s new fleet of HERObikes for a day.

Justin Vaught, manager of the Outdoor Rec bike shop, said the bikes are perfect for a day trip around campus with friends and family.

“They don’t have the complexity of your 21-speed bike, or whatever, which makes them almost more fun to ride. They basically simplify the whole biking process,” Vaught said. “I think that allows you to pay a lot more attention to your surroundings and get a feel for where you are. They’re geared really well for the University.”

Vaught said he thoroughly researched HERObike when first approached about adding their bikes to the Outdoor Rec and was convinced by positive reviews. Since then, he has subbed in as a mechanic in their Greensboro shop.

“It was nice to go into the HERObike shop and be treated the same way we try to treat our customers, which is with friendly service [that provides] very informative and helpful stuff,” he said. “They were as excited to teach me about the bikes when I came in as I was to learn about them. It’s always good to see people who are passionate abut what they do. And it makes you more confident in buying the bike from them, too.”

The bikes do require some extra maintenance because of their unique composition, Vaught said, but they have held up well since the Outdoor Rec acquired them. The bamboo materials make the riding experience more comfortable and quick than what most students are most likely used to.

“It is a cool experience, a cool thing to knock off your bucket list,” he said. “We love having them in the shop, and our staff will actually take them out. They definitely get quite a bit of use between us and students renting them out. Some of the professional staff really like to rent them. So they’re well-loved.”

(See also “Bike shop gets revamp for increased amount of student bikers“)