Sylvie Baele, Executive Director
Sylvie has been involved with Second Chance Bikes since 2018. She started out planning our 2018 and 2020 Fall Festival Fundraisers, and then became Programs Manager in June 2020. She recently finished her Master of Public Administration and a Master of Environmental and Sustainability Studies at the College of Charleston. Her thesis research focused on gaining a deeper understanding of the impacts of the Change a Tire, Change a Life program on the lives of people experiencing homelessness. Prior to joining the Second Chance Bikes team, she worked as a trip leader for VBT and Austin Adventures, which she still does part-time. Originally from Charleston, she has travelled or worked in almost every state in the U.S. She prides herself on synthesizing her travel experiences with her passion for bicycles to facilitate collaborative and innovative approaches to help solve complex public problems.
Jake Thomas, Mechanic
Jake is long-time bike enthusiast and support of Charleston bike culture. He has been hosting an annual weekend of bike fun, called Shred Bike Brew, since 2013. When he’s not in the shop wrenching bikes, he’s whipping people around town on a rickshaw, working a festival for his traveling pedicab company (Black Sheep Pedicab), playing bike polo, or carting his kiddo around in their cargo bike.
Bryan Luce, Mechanic
Bryan is a part-time mechanic and volunteer proctor but has been volunteering with us for quite some time. A true believer in giving back to his community, he is also involved with various other nonprofits organizations such as the Center for Birds of Prey Charleston and SCDNR’s oyster shell recycling program. When he isn’t fixing bikes, he is sharing his knowledge and love of nature as an SC Coastal Master Naturalist or running Famous Adventures, an adventure summer camp for kids.