Nate Phipps is a co-founder of the Bike Alliance of Washtenaw and a board member of Common Cycle.
In 2014, Nate and his wife, Michelle Bellino (who commutes on a Brompton), moved from Boston to Ann Arbor. Nate had been involved in cycling advocacy in Massachusetts through work with Bikes Not Bombs and the Boston Cyclists Union and saw the positive impact of community-based cycling organizations. When he relocated to Ann Arbor, he was encouraged by the high number of cyclists and bicycle organizations. However, there was a missing piece – a central organization that could harness the energy, connections, and power of all area cycling groups. For this reason, he helped form the Bike Alliance of Washtenaw with fellow Common Cycle board member, Brad Parsons. The group’s mission is to unite area bicycle organizations and cyclists to improve the quality of life for bicyclists in Washtenaw County. The group allows the Washtenaw County cycling community to speak with a single voice to city councils, legislative representatives, and others. It’s also a way for cyclists from different clubs or organizations to get to know each other, work together, and meet new friends with common interests. Current partners of the Bike Alliance of Washtenaw include the Ann Arbor Velo Club, Bike Ypsi, Ann Arbor Bicycle Touring Society, PEAC (Programs to Educate All Cyclists), Potawatomi Mountain Biking Association, Friends of the Border to Border Trail, Campus Bike, Bike-In Ann Arbor, the Washtenaw Bicycling and Walking Coalition, and Common Cycle.
Common Cycle is a community-based organization that provides Ann Arbor area residents with the workspace, tools, and support necessary to ride and maintain bicycles. The group runs a number of bicycle maintenance classes each year, has weekly open shop hours, and does pop-up mobile repair at events year-round. They have a brick and mortar workshop located at 416 W. Huron, Ste 11, in Ann Arbor.
Nate commutes to his job at the University of Michigan School of Education and also rides for exercise and recreation. He has an awesome and unique collection of bikes, which includes a pink, steel adventure bike made by Elephant Bicycles of Spokane, Washington, and a Bullitt Cargo bike.
