One of a number of clever initiatives to enliven the streetscape of dreary, pill-popping mid-Market, a free bicycle repair kiosk has opened up in an unused newsstand kiosk at 7th and Market. The project was one of several dreamed up last year by a team of architects and organizers as part of a Mid-Market Revitalization brainstorming session, and a year later, with a bit of perseverance and elbow grease (and bicycle-chain grease!), the free bike repair kiosk is now open on weekday mornings, starting at 7:30 or 8 a.m., to pump up your tires or lube things up for you on your way to work down Market Street.

The mechanics on duty, thus far, hail from nearby and not quite open Huckleberry Bicycles (1073 Market Street), which should be opening later this week. Thus, the free bicycle repair component is a nice bit of marketing for the shop as well (check Twitter for updates). The shop is being opened by three friends and Bicycle Coalition members, Zack Stender, Jonas Jackel, and Brian Smith. Smith just so happens to be a descendent of the Wright Brothers, who first opened their Wright Cycle Exchange in 1892 in Dayton, Ohio, before doing the airplane thing.

So, even though half the storefronts up and down this block are plywooded over, there is at least this bright spot for the cycling community taking shape.