A small group of Working Bikes compatriots attended Bike!Bike! 2017 in Winnipeg, Canada August 24th through 27th. The fourteen-hour drive did not deter the enthusiasm to explore the city and connect with like-minded bike enthusiasts and leaders.

The annual conference brings together bicycle advocates, particularly involved in community bike shops, to exchange ideas to improve their respective organizations and communities. Workshops are requested and led by conference attendees.

Slow Roll Chicago, an organization we have partnered with this summer, presented a workshop entitled “Organizing Community Bicycle Rides as Vehicles for Social Justice & Equity.” Slow Roll Chicago’s co-founder Olatunji Oboi Reed led the discussion that brought up bikes as a means to transform communities and improve lives, which correlate to addressing bicycle equity and social justice. Uniting community members and raising awareness of these issues can be done by organizing neighborhood rides.

Slow Roll Chicago’s co-founder Olatunji Oboi Reed presented a workshop entitled “Organizing Community Bicycle Rides as Vehicles for Social Justice & Equity.” The discussion brings up bikes as a means to transform communities and improve lives, which correlate to addressing bicycle equity and social justice. Uniting community members and raising awareness of these issues can be done by organizing neighborhood rides.

One such ride in Winnipeg is Meet Me at the Bell Tower. Bike!Bike! attendees were invited to join the weekly ride, leaving many transformed and humbled. Co-founded by Michael Redhead Champagne, Meet Me at the Bell Tower is intended to bring the largely indigenous neighborhood of North End together, despite hardships of suicide and drug use that are all too common in this community.

The ride began with Michael speaking to the crowd, megaphone in hand, while a community member passed a tray of smoking sage to cleanse participants. A banner spelling “HOPE” is hung on the bell tower and bikes rolled out to the street. The group snaked through the neighborhood, ringing bells and waving at the curious onlookers sitting on their porches and peeking through their windows. We circled back to the bell tower and were invited to break bread in the community center across the street. Meet Me at the Bell Tower was an experience we will forever cherish.

Bike!Bike! 2017 proved to be a great event that brought together familiar faces, colleagues, and new friends. The workshops, rides, and connections that Working Bikes were exposed to over the weekend was an invaluable experience and we cannot wait for Bike!Bike! 2018 in Los Angeles. Our very own Brian Vargas and Chicago bike ally Robert Grossman have plans for hosting B!B! in Chicago within the next few years.

Volunteer Coordinator Andrew Bermudez instructed our first After School Matters program during the summer. With the pilot program’s success Working Bikes intends to apply for the fall term. Andrew writes and shares his experience in ASM.

Working Bikes received funding by After School Matters to recruit 14 teenagers for a six-week paid apprenticeship. Our program’s objectives were to generate excitement about bicycles by learning how to salvage, repair, and navigate our city with them. Students helped unload and efficiently organize secondhand bikes. They received demonstrations on how to use tools and lubricants to restore bikes for donation to local charities. The students removed functioning equipment from damaged frames for shipment to international relief organizations. Finally, they studied urban cycling rules and applied this knowledge during group rides.

ASM participants work together to fix a bike. Photo courtesy of Andrew Bermudez

The checklist used by volunteers to repair bikes was expanded into a curriculum. Before lessons the students were divided into pairs. They observed while I demonstrated the steps required to restore a bicycle. The students had two days to practice each step before I introduced new information. While the students worked, I circulated around the shop to answer questions and help. The lessons were supplemented by handouts that displayed the names of tools and bike anatomy. The participants were expected to keep orderly work benches and to clean up after themselves.

One challenge is that the condition of the bicycles we repair varies. Some are damaged, clean, dirty, or missing parts. This made instructing difficult, because the students all encounter slightly different problems. Therefore the amount of time I spend with each student was inconsistent.

In preparation for riding as a group, each student was assigned a page from the Safe Cycling in Chicago guidebook. They delivered short presentations covering Illinois Bike Laws, types of lanes, and locking technique. The participants were provided helmets which they learned how to properly fit and adjust. On our quiet side-street, they practiced weaving through cones to simulate debris in the road and learned to signal turns with their arms. Together we road to the Eleanor Boathouse in Bridgeport, iconic murals in Pilsen, the Garfield Park Conservatory, and Northerly Island. Mikela Pinkney co-lead these trips.

Posing for a quick picture during a ride. Photo courtesy of Andrew Bermudez

A highlight was watching a student quickly change a flat tire during a group bicycle ride. Our group had visited the Garfield Park Conservatory and was riding back to Working Bikes. After turning from Lake Street onto California Avenue the students began yelling to stop. Tyreese had a flat tire. This could have been caused by glass or other sharp debris. The group pulled over on the sidewalk. Several of Tyreese’s peers offered to help. They steadied the bike and helped him remember the mechanical steps. In twenty minutes we were back on the road! It was fulfilling to watch Tyreese apply what he learned at the shop and receive support.

Working Bikes is constantly looking for more ways to connect with likeminded, neighboring organizations to further the goal of recycling bicycles and giving them to those in need. Esperanza Health Centers, with locations in South Lawndale, Little Village, and Chicago Lawn, is one such organization. On top of our established Prescription To Ride partnership, in which we provide Esperanza clients bicycles for health and overall wellness, we have established a series of events this summer. Our apprentices in the One Summer Chicago program are repairing bicycles to provide to three of Esperanza’s health groups within the community.

We kicked off the series with participants of Esperanza’s Little Village Breastfeeding Group on June 29th at the outdoor pavilion of the fairly new La Villita Park. After the adults and children of the group excitedly picked out bicycles, Working Bikes general manager, Paul Fitzgerald, discussed bike safety.  We ended the day with a group ride around the park’s soccer field.

Photo credit: Rhonda Bausley

On the morning of July 8th our apprentices were back at La Villita Park, presenting 10 bikes, locks, and helmets to participants of the “Be Me, Be Healthy” program. The program is geared toward teenage girls and assists with self esteem and relationships. The girls listened to our One Summer apprentices explain how to check their bike for safety as well as how to figure out how to choose the right bike. And once bicycles were picked out, we once again took a leisure group ride.  

Photo credit: Rhonda Bausley

We will finish the summer series with Esperanza’s Girls on the Run group on July 27th. The group focuses on self-esteem and health as the girls train for a 5k race. This certainly won’t be the last collaboration with Esperanza Health Center; stay tuned for more.  

Working Bikes has expanded programming for individuals with intellectual disabilities. The following is a description of Vaughn Occupational High School’s experience at Working Bikes written by Amanda Neuman, their teacher and chaperone:

“Vaughn has been collaborating with Working Bikes for two years on a biweekly basis. The collaboration has created invaluable experiences for the students and Working Bikes. While at Working Bikes, students are exposed to authentic vocational and volunteer experiences where they can learn skills necessary for team-work, basic bike maintenance, and the importance of giving back to the community- all while lending a helping hand to the organization. Aside from the skills learned it helps build the student’s confidence and motivation for post-secondary goals. Working Bikes has opened their arms to the young adults at Vaughn Occupational School and the results have been incredible. It is a relationship we hope to keep for many years to come.

Photo credit: Amanda Neuman

“Vaughn Occupational High School serves students with mild-moderate intellectual disabilities, autism, social and emotional needs, and physical disabilities. Vaughn’s mission is to teach its students individualized, functional academics, emphasizing occupational development and independence. A focus on social and emotional growth is a key part of Vaughn’s philosophy. Vaughn is one of the a few schools recognized for its excellence in providing integrated programs that include students and adults with non-disabled peers from other schools and within the community. Students are also integrated through strong community and business partnerships.”

The Vaughn students have learned how to operate a bike stand, grease stems, and prep bikes for shipment. They help clean bikes and inflate tires. Working Bikes volunteer Paul Konkoly co-instructed this year’s program, sharing his enthusiasm and knowledge with the students and occasionally bakes treats to share with everyone. Working Bikes would like to thank Paul Konkoly for assisting and sometimes leading the Vaughn School group, recognize Volunteer Coordinator Andrew Bermudez for his patience and excellent instruction, and wish the Vaughn School students and staff a wonderful summer.

In April, Working Bikes staff members Cesar Meza, Brian Vargas, and veteran volunteer Waymond Smith attended the 6th Annual World Bike Forum in Mexico City, also known as Foro Mundial De La Bicicleta 6. Brian has shared a few words from his experience:

First and foremost, a huge thank you to all of the Working Bikes staff and volunteers whose hard work and dedication allow us to extend a helping hand to our friends abroad and here at home.

Foro Mundial De La Bicicleta 6 was a fantastic event that provided a place for pedestrians, motorists and cyclists alike to share ideas about cycling culture and its future around the world. We were fortunate to hear from so many great speakers about how we as people have a right & responsibility to reclaim the streets instead of investing more money into infrastructure for cars that in turn pollute our air.

It was truly heartwarming to learn about the impact bicycles had in countries dealing with harsh traffic and rough roads, leading them into a future with cleaner air, safer car and bike lanes, and healthier, more active people. A bicycle is a true tool of empowerment that brings its user nearly endless possibilities from simply getting to work to powering a concert with a few other people. It was a true honor to ride alongside hundreds of cyclists while riding on a twelve-person bike, courtesy of our friends at Bicicom from around the world, through the beautiful streets of Mexico City.

Cycling is changing the world in a very positive way, more and more organizations are now working to provide cyclists with free or low cost assistance in case of emergencies and even mechanical assistance. As programs like these continue to grow and expand, being a cyclist will definitely get easier and better.

– Brian Vargas

Working Bikes successfully applied for a grant from the Evanston Bicycle Club (EBC). As stated in our grant application to EBC, Working Bikes will use these funds to help enhance our local donation program to get bikes in the hands of children, refugees, veterans, the homeless and others who need bikes in the Chicago area for healthy transportation.

Funds from the North Shore Century enable the EBC to provide grants and donations to not-for-profit organizations for biking-related programs and activities. Roughly 80% of the net proceeds of the 2017 North Shore Century will benefit similar organizations and programs.

We are very grateful for EBC’s support and strongly encourage cyclists to register for the 33rd Annual North Shore Century held on Sunday September 17, 2017 on their website.

Working Bikes has grown tremendously since we were founded in 1999, which is reflected in our 2016 Annual Report. Learn more about our most groundbreaking year yet and the faces behind our organizational growth.

Paul Fitzgerald, general manager at Working Bikes, was accepted as a fellow at the Civic Leadership Academy, a leadership development program at the University of Chicago. Paul was 1 of 30 people chosen out of 150 applicants.

We’d like to congratulate Paul and wish him luck throughout his 6-month fellowship!

Working Bikes is always excited to see our staff members grow within their roles and take on new challenges. We are pleased to announce the following promotions, effective January 1, 2017. Please join us in wishing them well in their new positions!

Service & Retail Manager

Cesar Meza-Duron has assumed the role of managing our service department and retail operations. He initially came to Working Bikes as a Curie High School volunteer and went on to participate in our first ONE Summer Chicago program before being hired as service department staff in 2014. When not at Working Bikes, Cesar can be found in class at Chicago City Colleges or racing with the West Town Bikes Cyclocross program.

Warehouse Manager

BK Elmore was first employed by Working Bikes as an instructor for our 2013 summer program with Growing Power at Iron Street Farm in Chicago’s Bridgeport neighborhood. Since that time, BK has worked as volunteer coordinator, mechanic, driver, and even composer of the Working Bikes’ anthem callers hear when on hold. His new position as warehouse manager gives him responsibility for the overall organization of the warehouse including the movement of bikes within the warehouse, prepping/staging of bikes for container shipments, and bike pick-ups.

Volunteer Shop Manager

Maja Perez is charged with managing and developing all programming in Working Bikes’ volunteer space, Brandon’s Bike Shop. A native of Bakersfield, California, Maja worked for Bike Bakersfield Bike Co-Op before moving to Chicago. She has taught an After School Matters program with West Town Bikes and served as volunteer coordinator with Working Bikes. Maja is a League of American Bicyclists Certified Instructor and the founder of Working Bikes’ Thursday WTF! Night, a volunteer session exclusively for women, transgendered, femme, and gender non-conforming people.