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Bike Prom celebrates new location for Provo Bicycle Collective

Natalie Stoker

Bikers take the streets in their prom clothes for Bicycle Collective's Bike Prom. (Natalie Stoker)

Forget the limousines and fancy cars; biking to prom is where it's at. Local residents gathered together to bike in their prom wear to celebrate the Provo Bicycle Collective, a new building in Provo.

The Provo Bicycle Collective is a do-it-yourself bike shop. The company teaches people how to fix their own bikes. The shop also fixes up donated bikes, donates bikes to those who need them the most in the community and sells fixed up bikes at a low cost.

The grand opening of the new location for Provo Bicycle Collective sparked the idea to continue the tradition of Bike Prom.

Bike Prom has been sponsored by Provo City for the past two years, but this year the event did not make the cut. Bike Prom seemed a perfect fit to keep the tradition alive and celebrate the grand opening of the Collective.

Natalie Stoker

Austin Taylor introducing the new building before the prom began. (Natalie Stoker)

Bike Prom reaches beyond the city limits of Provo. It has taken place in Salt Lake City as well. Austin Taylor, a sophomore at BYU studying percussion and the director of the Provo Bicycle Collective location, said Bike Prom is a tradition with Bicycle Collective.

“It’s fun,' Taylor said. 'Everyone loves prom, or everyone hates prom, you know. It’s a good way to kind of reminisce of high school and I guess do it better.”

Putting together Bike Prom was no simple task. It took a lot of planning and help from employees and volunteers, according to Anna Lim, a graduate of BYU in marketing. She had an influence on the revival of Bike Prom. Lim said she was excited for Bike Prom in Provo.

“When I found out we were getting this new location, I was super pumped because I think biking in Provo is really important, and so I wanted to help the community be a little bit more aware of it,' Lim said. 'It was a good opportunity to get the community involved with safe biking and a fun launch.”

Natalie Stoker

Kam Jones and Dallin Farnsworth attended Bike Prom on a tandem bike. (Natalie Stoker)

All bikers met at Kiwanis Park and rode to the new location of Bicycle Collective. They took over the streets of Provo as they rode in their prom wear.

The weather took a turn for the worse as Provo was met with a down pour right before the event. However, this did not stop the bikers.

Provo is not the only location of Bicycle Collective. Taylor introduced the original Bicycle Collective.

“It started back in 2002 in Salt Lake City by a group of bicycle enthusiasts, and they just wanted to share the good things of bicycles with everyone,' Taylor said.

Natalie Stoker

Nick Estrada and Tara Carpenter show off their prom attire during Bike Prom. (Natalie Stoker)

Nick Estrada, a grad student at BYU studying public administration, said he is a Bike Prom fan.

“I follow Bicycle Collective on Facebook, and I saw they were hosting the bike prom,' Estrada said. 'I know that Provo had been doing bike prom every year, but I noticed they didn’t do one this year, so I was excited that bicycle collective was going to do one.”

Tara Carpenter, a professor at BYU teaching art education, had a good plan for avoiding the issue with riding a bike in a dress.

“I put on leggings for that very reason,' Carpenter said.

Most people who are currently involved with Bicycle Collective started as volunteers.

Taylor started volunteering for Bicycle Collective in 2012 before he moved on to be shop manager in 2015, then director in March of this year. He said his love for bikes and his volunteer work helped him choose to oversee the Provo location for Bicycle Collective.

'I love riding bicycles around everywhere,' Taylor said. 'I think it’s safe, I think its fun, I think its economical, and I wanted to share that with other people.'