UPDATED FEBRUARY 2021: Working Bikes is closed to the general public. If you are interested in purchasing a refurbished bike, our full inventory of bikes, along with new accessories and gear, is available on our online store. Our Service Department will also be open for drop-off repair services and curbside pick-ups. Contact the Service Department with questions, or schedule an appointment to drop off your bike for service. Send questions to: [email protected], (773) 977-7138.

Working Bikes wants to keep you all rolling, and we’re doing it with the help of the world wide web! Our webstore is up and running, and though it used to be focused on the hard to find specialty bikes and parts around our warehouse, we will be adding some of inventory of the affordable refurbished bikes Working Bikes is known for, along with some parts and accessories everyday cyclists need. If you are looking for used parts, please email [email protected] or give us a call at (773) 527-2949. Folks interested in purchasing items from the webstore can schedule a curbside pick-up at our home base. Contact us with questions or to schedule a pick-up! [email protected].

Working Bikes is open to receive donations Tuesday-Friday between 12pm-5pm and on Saturdays between 11am-3pm. Please give us a call or text us when you are outside so we can be sure to receive your donation! You can also check our list of partnering drop-off locations for a donation site that might be in your area.

We believe in bikes as tools of empowerment, and through our local donation program we provide individuals in Chicago the transportation to access community resources. However, to keep people safe and to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 we will be changing up our Cycle of Power program and putting a temporary halt on having recipients into the warehouse for a bike pick-up and helmet fitting. We are working to find the best way to meet the needs of the people in Chicago who need transportation. One avenue we are exploring is donating bikes in service of delivery. Working Bikes is looking to collaborate with community groups and social service organizations who are working to deliver goods and medical supplies to folks who are homebound. If you have any suggestions for how we can best support people here in Chicago email us at [email protected].

We’ve reopened to volunteers but are requiring folks to sign up ahead of time. You can sign-up for a shift on the Volunteer Portal. Contact [email protected] with any questions. We also encourage folks that have at-home workshops to take a bike or two home to repair remotely. If you are interested in taking bikes home to repair on your own, contact [email protected].

We love bringing folks together at Working Bikes, but now is not the time for gathering. All in-house events have been cancelled. However, we will still host our General Meetings remotely, with an option for electronic participation. We anticipate participating in several collection events this year, but will respond according to any updated safety guidelines. Please refer to our calendar for updates regarding upcoming bike drives.

We are so thankful for the amazing community of volunteers, patrons, donors, and staff that make-up Working Bikes. We will continue to keep everyone updated, but don’t hesitate to reach out to us with questions. Be sure to follow-us on Facebook and Instagram for updates.
Stay well, wear a mask, and look out for one another.

In order to ensure the health and safety of our community, Working Bikes is cancelling all weekly Volunteer Sessions and events through the end of March. Starting today (Friday, March 13th), Brandon’s will not be open to regular drop-in volunteers or groups. Our event Global Impact Stories scheduled for Sunday, March 29th has also be postponed until further notice. Best practices with regards to COVID-19 evolve daily, so please be sure to keep an eye on your inboxes, our website, and our Facebook page for up to date announcements. We will be sure to let you know if anything changes, but for now greatly appreciate your support and understanding.

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

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

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!