Bicycle Valet: It’s All About Trust

This article first appeared in the Fall 2015 edition of our quarterly magazine, the Tube Times, Issue 153.


If you searched worldwide for the best Bicycle Valet Supervisor, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better person for the job than Alexis Wallace. It is hard to gauge whether Alexis is a bigger fan of people or bikes. It is exceptionally clear, however, that she loves people who bike.

Alexis is an energetic and engaging San Francisco native. After going to college out of state, she returned home, moving in temporarily with her parents.

“I grew up in Noe Valley and rode my bike around the neighborhood, but never really rode my bike during college,” she told your SF Bicycle Coalition. “After college, my first job in San Francisco was at Third and Market, and I started biking there from my parents’ place in Noe.”

“I joined the SF Bicycle Coalition and started to volunteer to meet folks, and Bicycle Valet seemed like the best way,” Alexis said. And meet folks she did.

Since first volunteering in 2008, and then becoming a supervisor in 2011, Alexis has worked more events than she can recount. If you ask about her favorite, be prepared for her answer.

“Bike to Work Day is a flashback to 2007, when if you were biking, everyone else biking around you was excited to see you. The rush of big events, like Tour de Fat, Golden Wheel or a Giants playoff game is great. I worked a bike-themed wedding once. I love events at beautiful bike shops like Huckleberry,” Alexis said, bouncing back and forth between scores of memories over the years. “Wait, I can’t believe I forgot Folsom Street Fair!”

You cannot help but smile talking to Alexis, who is genuinely enthusiastic about the thousands and thousands of people she has helped out through Bicycle Valet.

“When you’re securing someone’s bike and handing it back to them, you naturally can’t help but create a bond with most folks,” Alexis told us. “There’s an intense trust, and they’re really happy that we offer the service. Giants fans ask how much we charge, and they can’t believe us initially when we say, ‘It’s freeeeee!’”

Want to join Alexis on the Bicycle Valet team? We’re hiring! To apply, please visit sfbike.org/jobs.

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