It’s getting chilly out there but that won’t stop us! The next shipping party will be to our friends at CESTA in El Salvador. CESTA is the only one of our international partners that accepts full-suspension mountain bikes, so we’ll be clearing out our reserves in the basement. Come lend a hand Friday and Saturday from 12pm-4pm!
Thank you to everyone who joined us on Monday, October 14th to celebrate 20 years of Working Bikes! We had a blast with you all at Lagunitas Brewing. A big shout out to the folks at TCEP and Ignotz Ristorante for the tasty dinner, as well as all our amazing sponsors and silent auction donors. This year’s celebration was bigger than ever before – Lagunitas even had to open an extra room to fit us all! We hope everyone had a great time and got a chance to meet with some of the wonderful individuals and organizations that help Working Bikes do what we do. We can’t wait to see what the next 20 years look like!
Peace & Bike Grease
The Working Bikes Team
Photos courtesy of Doug McGoldrick Photography
This summer, Working Bikes donated over 250 bikes to community partners throughout Chicago! These donations were made possible by the generous bicycle donors, and our dedicated and talented volunteers!
Learn more about our community partners at the links below:
Boxing Out Negativity
Chicago Help Initiative
Garfield Park Community Council
Marshall Square Resource Network
Major Taylor Cycling Club
The Night Ministry
Poetry Foundation
Open Books
Oscar DePriest Elementary School
Think Outside da Block
YEPP
Working Bikes is turning 20! Join us in celebrating two decades of giving old bikes new homes. We invite all friends, volunteers, donors, staff, partners, and community members to celebrate with us!
You can also send a check directly to Working Bikes (and avoid the processing fees):
Working Bikes, Attn: Steve Irwin
2434 S. Western Ave.
Chicago, IL 60608
Tickets will be available for purchase at the door for $50.
Dinner will be cooked up fresh by the good folks from TCEP and Windy City Harvest, along with tasty Lagunitas brews available for purchase at the cash bar.
Interested in sponsoring our anniversary party? Learn about Scwhinn-inspired sponsorship levels here or contact [email protected].
A huge thank you to all our sponsors!
PARAMOUNT
◆ Scott Johnstone
SUPERIOR
Freeman Kevenides ◆ Jenner & Block ◆ Keating Law Offices ◆ Modern Optical ◆ Nancy Gerrie
WORLD TRAVELER
Arco/Murray ◆ Chesley, Taft & Associates, LLC ◆ Christopher B Burke Engineering ◆ Dan Sobol ◆ Doug Bacon ◆ Ellen Bogolub ◆ Francis Wisniewski ◆ Gofen and Glossberg, LLC ◆ Spin
This event is a great opportunity to meet some of our community and international partners! The night will also feature a drawing, silent auction, and games!
Every spring, Working Bikes honors bike shops and businesses that go above and beyond in their role as a partnering drop-off site.
In 2018, we collected over 12,000 bikes from around Chicagoland! Our 2018 Top Shops contributed to our exciting total by collecting hundreds of bikes for us throughout the year.
7 Mile Cycles
All Spoked Up
B&G Cyclery
Beverly Bike & Ski
Bicycles, Etc.
George Garner Cyclery
Glenview Cycles
Goodspeed Cycles
Green Bay Cycles
Performance Bikes
REI, Lincoln Park
Spin Doctor Cyclewerks
The Wheel Thing
Trek Bicycles, Highland Park
Village CycleSport
Wheel & Sprocket
Our organization is fueled by bike donations, and we appreciate all our partnering shops, businesses, and individuals who open up their space for receiving donations! These partners allow Working Bikes to have a broader impact in our region and make bike donations
Know a bike shop in your area that could be our next drop off location? Contact us at [email protected] or call our shop at 773-657-8419 to get your neighborhood bike shop to help support the cause.
April and early May are some of the busiest weeks for us at Working Bikes. With the worst of the winter weather behind us (or so we hope), WB is not only seeing lots folks come in to purchase a bike, but this is one of our busiest times for donations as well! This year, we participated in 20 bike drives and recycling events throughout Chicagoland, collecting over 700 bikes!
Thank you to all the volunteers that helped out at events receiving and prepping bikes!
Check out our photo gallery below to see highlights from our Earth Month collections.
Working Bikes board members and founders Lee Ravenscroft and Amy Little recently returned from a trip to El Salvador and Guatemala, where they visited community bike shops and WB partners CESTA and Bici-Tec.
CESTA, located in San Salvador, El Salvador, is the Center for Appropriate Technology in El Salvador – also know as Friends of the Earth and Eco-Bici. This project focuses on environmental and cycling projects in the community, working with students from all over the area. Lee and Amy also visited a couple of flat coastal towns, where CESTA has several affiliated bike shops. These were very successful projects in agricultural areas, having received bikes from all over the world – including bikes from Working Bikes(!), Bikes Not Bombs, Cycle Nord Sud, and Bikes for the World. Cycling conditions are great in these coastal regions, with a wide area on the side of the road for pedestrians and cyclists.
We’ll be shipping bikes out to CESTA this week on Friday, May 3rd and Saturday, May 4th!
Bici-Tec is based in San Andres Itzapa, Guatemala. This is a social enterprise run by the family of Carlos Maroquin. Carlos was busy with Easter Week festivities. 30,000 young people were descending on San Andreas and Carlos and family were hosting about eight of them. Amy and Lee got to see three Bici-Tec owned properties – the main bike shop, a bike machine shop with dorm rooms for students learning how to make the machines, and a warehouse where they store bikes.
We are always grateful for the chance to meet our international partners and see how our donated bikes are serving their communities! Check out more photos from Amy & Lee’s trip!
The first weekend of April, WB staff members Anna, Brian, Devon, Josh, and Trevor set out for a two-day bike adventure to the Indiana Dunes National Park! The group set off from the 31st Beach and made their first little stop at Calumet Fisheries for a late morning fish snack.
Once the group had their fill of fried shrimp, they started the ride in earnest. Their route took them round Wolf Lake and on through Hammond, IN, where they sought relief from the brief bit of rain that was in the forecast. From their shelter at Wicker Memorial Park, the riders took their second break of the ride, turning the trip into a mini pub crawl as they stopped at New Oberpfalz Brewing, Pokro Brewing Co, and Wildrose Brewing Co.
Their thirst thoroughly quenched, the group set off for the final leg of their trip, winding through Indiana until they arrived in Beverly Shores right and the Century of Progress Homes right at sunset! After Devon, Anna, and Trevor took a quick victory dip in the chilly waters of Lake Michigan, the riders settled in for the night.
The journey home was just as exciting and scenic. Taking a shorter route home, the group stopped for second breakfast/lunch at a small roadside dinner that had plenty of charm. The best surprise of the trip, however, was found just outside of Whiting, IN, across the street from the looming BP Refinery and Marktown. The heavily decorated and recently completed Mascot Hall of Fame was a highlight of the trip. Maybe the next destination for a WB staff ride?
The ride home from Whiting lead the riders through once more through Wolf Lake until they reached the familiar paths of the Lakefront Trail. Most of the group finished the trip looking a little more pink than when they left, and feeling refreshed after their first big ride of the season! It was a great little adventure before kicking off spring/summer hours!
Want to see more photos from the trip? Follow us on Facebook or Instagram!
Good news everyone! We’re about to switch over to Spring/Summer hours! Starting Sunday, April 14th, our shop hours will be:
Now is the perfect time to stock up on all your riding needs, including your row boats and cocktail dresses as seen in this 1965 ad for a folding bike. What better way to start the season off than by taking your bike on a lovely trip around the lake!
To celebrate the official start of Working Bikes Spring Riding Season, we’ll be giving a free article of cycling apparel to anyone who buys a bike on the 14th! So come by from 11am-4pm to stock up on all your necessary but ridiculous looking cycling wear.
*Also, our shop will be closed on Sunday, April 21st for the Easter Holiday*
This past December, Working Bikes got into the holiday spirit by donating over 300 to local organizations and communities. Our trip to Gary, IN was our largest, with 111 bikes and helmets going to the kids of the First AME Church after school program! The congregation reached out to Working Bikes back in the fall after the nearby library closed down. With the program hosting up to 80 kids a day, the library was a valuable resource for computer access and school work (the church itself only has 4 computers, and of those were recently donated at the end of the year). With the next closest library located about 20 blocks away, many of the students were unable to complete assignments. That’s where we come in! These bicycles donated in December will help students get the library quickly and safely. Working Bikes is looking forward to continue to partner with First AME on more related events, such as a mechanic workshop and a bike parade!
This live-changing donation was made possible by the hard work of our volunteers and mechanics, who helped repair hundreds of kids bikes this winter!
