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workbike – Page 6 – workingbikes.org
News

Working Bikes 20th Anniversary Celebration

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!

Monday, October 14th
5:30pm – 8:30pm
Lagunitas Brewery Taproom
2607 W 17th St, Chicago, IL 60608

General tickets are $40 and are available for prepurchase online.
Get your tickets today!

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.

Sponsorships Available:

Interested in sponsoring our anniversary party? Learn about Scwhinn-inspired sponsorship levels here or contact devon@workingbikes.org.

A huge thank you to all our sponsors!
PARAMOUNT
Scott Johnstone

SUPERIOR
Freeman Kevenides Jenner & BlockKeating Law OfficesModern OpticalNancy Gerrie

WORLD TRAVELER
Arco/MurrayChesley, Taft & Associates, LLC Christopher B Burke EngineeringDan SobolDoug BaconEllen BogolubFrancis WisniewskiGofen and Glossberg, LLCSpin

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!

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News

2019 Top Shop Awards!

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.

Thank you to our Top Shops!

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

 

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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 info@workingbikes.org or call our shop at 773-657-8419 to get your neighborhood bike shop to help support the cause.

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News

Earth Month 2019!

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.

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Archive

Lee and Amy’s Visit to Central America

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.

Lee and Carlos, the owner of Bici-Tec.

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!

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News

2019 Tour de Daffodil!

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.

Taking a little break at New Oberpfalz Brewing.

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.

Sunset at Beverly Shores featuring the Florida House.

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 Mascot Hall of Fame!

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!

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News

Spring Hours are Coming!

Good news everyone! We’re about to switch over to Spring/Summer hours! Starting Sunday, April 14th, our shop hours will be:

Wed-Fri: 11am-7pm
Sat: 10am-6pm
Sun: 11am-4pm

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*

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News

Supporting Mobility and Developing New Partnerships in Gary, IN

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!

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News

Bike Tales: Edith Turkington’s Raleigh

Have you ever walked into the Working Bikes shop and wondered: “where do all these bikes come from!?” Well, a good number of bikes we receive are donated by individuals. Each one comes with its own special story, and today we’d like to highlight one in particular.

On August 4, 2018 bk Elmore was called out to Flossmoor for a donation pick-up. There, he met Edward and Edith Turkington. As a college student, Mrs. Turkington had purchased a pinned-brake Raleigh in the early 1950s as a way to get around Boston. Eventually, her and the Raleigh relocated to the Chicago area. After many decades of riding, the Turkingtons called Working Bikes to give this classic bike a second life. Below is a picture of the couple and the cherished wheels.

It’s always a wonderful surprise when someone not only donates a bike, but entrusts us with a family heirloom. We hope to find a new home for this beloved ride soon!

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News

Ground Report: Thriving Bike Tours in Jordan!

Our friends over at Al Numeira Bike Shop and Bike Tours in Jordan are having a great season. Al Numeira is located along the Dead Sea Highway, halfway between the Dead Sea resorts and Petra. We shipped out almost 500 bikes to them last April and we are so excited to see them in action! Thanks to our partners from Abercrombie & Kent for helping make this shipment and this story possible!

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News

The Working Bikes “Kitchen Crew” Takes the Lane

On November 17th, the Volunteer Committee went bowling at Diversey River Bowl! The field of experience was wide, ranging from a first-timer to league members. It was exciting to bring together people that contribute to the shop on different schedules.

The Committee also voted to change its name. Our scrappy collective of volunteers will hereby be known as the WORKING BIKES KITCHEN CREW.

The name, proposed by volunteer Paul Konkoly, came from the tradition of bike co-ops being nicknamed “kitchens.” Our volunteers are also avid cooks and bakers, and volunteer hours often times means getting to snack on homemade treats. 

Two of the Kitchen Crew’s goals are to build comradery and encourage dialogue about ways the volunteer experience can be improved. Stayed tuned for more fun volunteer gatherings in 2019.
 

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