By Liam O'Donoghue

SHOPPING FOR ORGANIC vegetables on her lunch break isn't a freedom that downtown worker Maxine Rubin takes for granted. When the clock strikes noon at her Financial District law firm, she loves to get on her bicycle and cruise the Embarcadero, run errands, and get fresh air. But for years vandalism and theft deterred her from parking her bike downtown. She had asked BART many times to open a bike storage facility at the Embarcadero station, and when it finally did last June, she was overjoyed. "Sometimes," she says, smiling as Mike's Bicycle Center manager Dan Sankey retrieves her wheels from the racks, "because I come here every day at the same time, my bike is sitting here waiting for me."

According to a David Binder Research telephone survey of San Francisco's registered voters, almost 50 percent of adult San Franciscans own bikes, but less than 4 percent use them for commuting. After safety concerns, the biggest problem keeping people from using bicycles as transportation is a lack of secure storage, says Leah Shahum, executive director of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition. "Our mission is to get 10 percent of all commuters on bikes," she says, "and facilities like the bike station at the Embarcadero BART are instrumental in making that a reality."

Riders aren't allowed to bring bikes on trains during rush hours, and BART was hesitant to install in-station racks or lockers due to terrorism concerns. But last June an area of benches and phones on the first lower level was converted into a valet-style drop-off and repair shop, Mike's Bicycle Center. Day storage at the center (an outpost of a Palo Alto bike shop of the same name) is free, night storage costs $3, and the monthly rate is $30. Sankey also gives free bike-maintenance classes every other Thursday evening, is always willing to pump up a flat, and according to one satisfied customer, has also been spotted fixing wheelchairs.

By lining the walls of the steel-and-concrete den with posters of beaches and Elvis and putting a couch next to his workbench, Sankey has created a chill-out spot for weary commuters to immerse themselves in underground (literally) bike culture. Sankey sees the community-building aspect of his position as essential for the conversion of commuters to "the way of the bike," and grateful customers have presented him with cookies, San Francisco Giants tickets, and even homemade socks. "Switching to a bike is a lifestyle change," he says. "If you don't know what you're doing, it can be discouraging, so I'm trying to help people learn all the little tricks that will make it easier. Once you get used to riding to work, going back to the old way is just horrible."

Sankey learned the advantages of biking firsthand in Boston, where he turned a nearly hour-long bus commute into a 10-minute bike trip and lost 35 pounds in the process. His boss refused to take the unreliability of the bus as a reason for tardiness, so Sankey dusted off his old bike, a form of transportation he thought was "uncool" during his teenage years, and was amazed at the staggering difference a little exercise makes. Pointing to a "Cycling Makes Me Aware" poster, he explains, "When you ride a bike, you have to be so conscious of what's going on around you, 365 degrees. It separates you from your stresses, because you have something more important and immediate to focus on."

Unfortunately, the bike center is facing BART budget cutbacks that could drastically reduce service. If it loses partial funding, in July the center will become self-service except during commuter hours and, therefore, less secure.

Kent David used to lock his bike in a parking garage a few blocks away, but he has been using the center valet since day one. He loves the fact that he can leave his helmet and riding shoes at the facility with no problems. However, he's worried the service is underutilized and, perhaps, perceived as unimportant. "It's underground, and they don't have any advertising, so a lot of people aren't even aware it exists," he says. "But if more commuters don't use it, BART will take it away, and that would be a real shame for the bike-riding community."