Bittersweet Goodbye to Bad Business Model Bikes
Billy Bradford stands in front of his garage that he converted into a bike repair shop.
Billy Bradford, a longtime bike repairman and community philanthropist, will be saying goodbye to Castro Valley within the next year. He has lived in his home with his wife for 21 years and began running “Bad Business Model Bikes” eight years ago in 2015.
Bradford’s love for biking began at a young age and fixing them up is a hobby he grew to enjoy. When he began restoring classic bikes that people no longer wanted, he realized that he could give these unused bikes away to people in need. He never charges for the bikes he donates and does not generate a profit—thus inspiring the title of “Bad Business Model Bikes.”
An altruist at heart, Billy has always wanted to give back to his Bay Area community and inspire more people to share his passion for biking. Since starting his “business,” he has given away about 800 bikes to those who could not otherwise afford a bike. This includes yearly donations to the Alameda County Fire Department toy drives and more than two dozen bikes delivered to kids and adults who lost their homes, cars, and transportation following the devastating series of fires in Napa and Sonoma counties in 2017.
The way he sees it, 800 people donated their bikes, and he is just a guy who repairs them in his garage.
“None of this works if generous people don't get involved. It was an effort that started organically: communities providing for communities. I’m just a guy who works on bikes,” Bradford says.
Many of these bikes were donated to the AIDS LifeCycle riders, who ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles every June. This year, he helped them raise $11.7 million to help end AIDS. Bradford was also acknowledged for his body of work with a Jefferson Award from the local CBS-TV affiliate for his inspiration to others to become involved in the community and public service.
He says that his donation program serves everyone in the Bay Area community, but most notably people of color, immigrants, low-income students, single parents, and others who cannot afford to go to a normal bike shop. Bradford says he is proud to support a growing love for biking in his community.
Bradford says that even though big cities like San Francisco and Berkeley have upgraded their biking infrastructure in recent years, he feels that Castro Valley has also begun to make progress toward more bike-friendly roads.
Though he has encountered some rude drivers honking at him on the road, he takes it all in stride. "I live in Alameda County. I pay my taxes. This is my road too. Not everyone is in a car," he says.
His response to the large biking groups that can cause trouble on the road is to remember that they are just teenagers and that we all do stupid things as teenagers. He says it is easier for him to be patient and let the bikers go on their way because he used to be just like them. He insists that riding on the interstate is just a fad that will likely end soon.
Billy Bradford and his wife will be retiring in Guanajuato, Mexico, in the upcoming year. He is sad that he will be unable to continue running his business but is happy to see that there are currently three potential prospects to take over the program when he leaves.