In this episode of Curiosity at Work, Dr. Julie Pham interviews Ed Ewing, Executive Director of Bike Works, a Seattle-based nonprofit that empowers youth and builds community through bicycles. With over 30 years of leadership experience in marketing, nonprofit strategy, and community building, Ed shares how his deep passion for social justice, racial equity, and cycling fuels the mission at Bike Works. From selling refurbished bikes to funding youth programs, Ed explains how Bike Works operates as a nonprofit bike shop, reinvesting all revenue into the community. His visionary leadership focuses on creating access for underserved communities, especially in Seattle’s South End, while using the bike as a powerful tool for connection and transformation. Read the rest of the article here.

by Antonio Zebedeo-Abad

I love my bicycle, but that’s not the same as saying I’m in love with my bicycle. I use things and love people, not the other way around. Now that I’ve mentioned that noun to clarify what it means, I can say bike here, which implies a bicycle, not a motorcycle. I don’t baby it, wiping every dirt that comes upon it, or adjusting the mechanisms to the nth degree. I have also only had one bike at a time, not several. Having a bicycle frees me from many travel constraints, although it can also present travel challenges with multi-modal transportation.

My Bikes Through My Life

I’ve biked practically all my life, starting with a toddler tricycle. Then, I had a kid’s single-speed bike that I learned to balance in the late ’60s. It had a spring-loaded leather saddle, which was standard at that time, and a handlebar basket, handy for all the things I needed to carry. 

In my teens, I had a stylish teen bike with raised handlebars. After graduating from college, I bought a 12-speed road bike with drop handlebars for commuting when I started working. With a young family, I had a tandem bike to take Jim along behind me.

I was saving up for a new Bike Friday when my son Jim brought the reconditioned Bike Friday Pocket Llama at Bike Works to my attention, and I saved over $1,000 over the price of a new model. It was a slightly bigger frame for both of us, but he compensated with a Surly Moloko handlebar that raked further back. While I was still working, I rode it around town. Later, I wanted to add a pedal-assist motor for touring on hilly terrain. I sent it to Bike Friday for the motor conversion. They changed the gearing to suit the pedal-assist, and I ordered the touring package, a Samsonite suitcase that converted to a trailer. Bike Friday doesn’t have a fold that is as convenient and elegant as Brompton, but they build bikes with larger 20” wheels for touring and have the only travel system suitcase and the only traveling e-bike batteries..

Cycling Lifestyle

We’re a cycling family. Jim’s older brother Gus cycled self-supported from Washington State to Maine in 110 days, solo for half the trip. Jim had entered a 24-hour race alone and continues to race regularly on the gravel circuits. They had cycled multiple times from Seattle to San Diego and led groups from Seattle to Portland. I said that when I go cycle touring, it will be Dad-style. Ride around town, put the bike on a train, ride around the next city, and repeat. Seriously, I save my energy for choice activities. It’s a personal choice. I see no point in biking endless stretches of road or hills for miles just to get from one place to another.

Bicycle use has grown tremendously, especially during the COVID-19 Pandemic, when public transportation was shut down. People get healthier with activity, less noise, and less pollution from less motorized vehicle use, lessening our need for fossil fuels. As much as possible, I plan my life around getting around on the bike, placing myself within biking distance of where I regularly go, and using multi-modal transport as needed.

In 2015, after our two-week group pilgrimage to Saint Teresa sites in Spain, I made my own eight-day pilgrimage and rented a car. Even in the smaller cities, parking was horrendously difficult to find, one time taking an hour and a half! The next day, I left the car parked and rented a bike to get around town. So, I learned that a good way to travel around Europe is to use extensive and efficient public transport and connect the transport lines with a bike.

I also lived in many places in the USA for forty years. When I lived full-time in a motorhome, I had my Bike Friday folded in the cargo compartment. I park the rig in a campsite close to town, then use the bike for local transportation and carrying groceries in pannier bags. That way, I don’t have to drive the rig around and keep on disconnecting and connecting the electric, water, and sewer lines. Many senior RVers opt instead for electric scooters. But I like to stay active in my ‘60s and beyond. I still swim long-distance in open water, being a Red Cross Certified Lifeguard and an active sailor. Biking and hiking around the Arizona-Utah deserts, I have well-developed leg muscles and a gorgeous, desert golden tan that even young guys envy.

Planning the Pilgrimage to Spain

I was born and raised in the Philippines, which was under Spanish rule for 330 years, then under the USA for 48 years. I really wanted to visit Spain to experience the roots of our culture, seek our ancestry, and trace the Medieval Period paths of the Carmelite Saints Teresa of Jesus STJ and John of the Cross SJC. 

We planned a lot of enhancements to the bike for the tour, such as bags, a spring-loaded seatpost, a bike computer, rear-facing radar, etc. I worked with the local bike shop to determine what spare parts I should bring, just to get me to the nearest bike shop if I’m stuck in a remote area. I secured spare parts for my trailer from the hardware store. Finally, I only had recreational apparel. I needed apparel to protect me in 3-season weather conditions, including storms.

As a landscape photographer, I really wanted to photograph the northern coast. But that is also part of the Camino del Norte to Santiago, so I made that part of my itinerary. My paternal heritage is from the Basque Country in the north, so I started that section from San Sebastián, where there is a concentration of ancestral family. My maternal heritage is from the historic town of Lugo (Luke) in Galicia, so I switched from the Camino del Norte at Vilalba to the Primitivo route at Lugo, staying for three nights to savor the cuisine, culture, museums, and just being there.

My knees are certainly not up to doing a pilgrimage on foot. Being on foot also gets you acquainted with all kinds of people whom you may or may not like. This was intended to be a 90-day extended pilgrimage and silent retreat. Riding solo on the bike gives me that solitude. The provincial buses will take me through the highway routes in air-conditioned comfort. Being on a bike takes me through ancient rural roads where SJC actually traveled through and savor the scent of the olive plantations just as SJC experienced. And having a bike makes interesting side-trips much more convenient.

I inquired about renting a bike, but they had a two-week limit for the Camino, and they did not allow switching routes. That means I had to do 80-120 km (50-75 m) per day. I wasn’t physically capable of covering that distance in very hilly terrain, and besides, I wanted to take my time taking photos. I found that my comfortable distance in very hilly terrain is 30 km (20 m), and flat terrain is about 80-100 km (50-60 m). I find that the time estimate of RideWithGPS is very accurate, and for me, I multiply the time estimate by 2 to account for catching my breath and taking pictures.

I used RideWithGPS for route planning on my phone and downloaded the route to my Wahoo computer. RideWithGPS, when set to bike mode, can take you through mountain bike routes that can be very muddy, so I learned to switch between automobile and bike mode to find my best route. I also had to specify highways, or it would take me through extremely hilly rural roads that required pushing the bike with a trailer. I only went through the rural roads if something was interesting there. There is an official bike route for the popular route Camino Francés, but not for the other routes. The hiking route is unsuitable, as there are places where you would have to carry the bike over some rocky passes, or the route enters a one-way street.

I was in Spain for three months, following the spring weather from south to north. In late March, I started in the Andalucía region in the south through Granada, Córdoba, Sevilla, and other small cities. I then went to Málaga to follow the Mediterranean coast through Murcia, Valencia, and Barcelona. I went inland to Zaragoza in Aragón and Pamplona in Navarra. I stayed in San Sebastián on the northern coast for a week of beautiful weather to prepare for the Camino del Norte and Primitivo and visit our ancestral family. I started the Camino in cold, stormy weather on May 9th, traveling through the Basque Country, Cantábria, Asturias, and Galicia, finishing at the shores of Muxía on June 2nd. I then took an 8-hour bus ride to Castile, visited various cities there, and finally went to Madrid. I departed in late June as the hot weather was settling in.

Future Plans

Taking a bike by air is a significant and expensive undertaking. Now that I’m in the Philippines, I’m limiting myself to places I can reach by land and sea. Next time, I would consider renting a bike in each city on the tour, especially in several countries in South America. I ride my bike daily. It keeps my large leg muscles pumping and burning calories. With my all-weather apparel, I no longer have any excuse for foul weather, except winter. I’ll keep riding my bike until I am no longer physically capable. Thanks to my son Jim for all his support and encouragement for my tour, and for him and Rod encouraging me to share a part of my cycling story with Bike Works.

Please open the link to the pictures: My Cycling Romance

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies are under attack nationwide. We see a need to support the development of the leaders of tomorrow, today. In our last newsletter, we released a statement about our commitment to DEI and our investment in Youth Leadership. Now, we want to share precisely what that means. 

Young people have been central to our mission at Bike Works since our inception back in 1996. We’ve been active in summer camps and youth riding clubs, and now we partner with several public schools and non-profits in our neighborhood. We have always had something to offer kids, but have we ever truly given them space to lead?  

What does it mean to step back and listen? What is youth leadership, and how do we create opportunities for individuals who are not typical leaders? And what does it look like when youth are able to exercise individual and collective power? These are a few of the questions Bike Works’ program staff have been mulling over the past few years, until Youth Program Coordinator Cornell Green recognized a pattern in the requests he was getting from youth. They didn’t just want to go on bike rides, they wanted to plan the routes. They didn’t just want to attend programming; they wanted to help design curriculum. 

It is in this spirit that Bike Works is investing $450,000 in the Youth Leadership Collective with intention and sureness of heart. We are working towards the future we want today by ensuring youth have space to be kids, to explore, to be curious, to flourish, and to enact self-determination upon the spaces and places they choose. 

This new approach is the result of years of dreaming, reflection, and listening. As Green says, “This is something I’ve always wanted. It’s something I needed as a youth, and now we’re bringing it to life—together.” 

That belief has taken new shape with the launch of our Youth Leadership Collective—an intentional space where youth are not only invited to lead but supported in building the tools and confidence to do so. 

The path to Collective Power 

The term “collective” is deliberate. “Collective” speaks to inclusion, growth, and transformation. It says: you belong here. And further, says Youth Programs Manager  iea tov, “We are seeing a lot of youth who have technically aged out of programming still showing up. Some of these kids have been in Bike Works programming for years, though they don’t all feel ready to move on to the adult programs we offer.” 

This leadership opportunity is also a powerful way to keep youth involved after they’ve completed traditional programming. Many young people have expressed a desire for more responsibility, more connection, more growth—but until now, there hasn’t always been a clear path forward.  

In response, we’ve been developing a volunteer program alongside the Youth Leadership Collective to create meaningful steppingstones for these alumni—especially those who don’t yet feel connected to the adult-facing side of Bike Works. By rooting these opportunities in the relationships and community they already know and trust, we’re creating a space where former participants can continue showing up, contributing, and growing in ways that feel good, grounded, like they belong, and in community with peers and mentors aligned with who they are becoming. 

That spirit of belonging is woven throughout the design of the Youth Leadership Collective. It was born from a need to create more opportunities for youth to go deeper—to move from participating in programs to shaping them. There are youth who consistently show up and ask, “What else can I do?” inspired this effort. They don’t just want to attend programs; they want a seat at the table. 

“As a teacher,” says tov, “one of my favorite things to tell students is that every social movement which has enacted positive change has been led by youth. Youth really are the change makers, and it’s our job to leverage our experience and resources in a way that fosters the next generation.” 

Leadership, Redefined 

The Youth Leadership Collective recognizes that leadership isn’t one-size-fits-all. It’s not just about being the loudest voice or taking charge in the traditional sense. As one team member put it: “Leadership might look like doing the dishes, or it might look like leading a protest. It’s about identifying your strengths and stepping into your own power.” 

Through a structured eight-week pilot program launching May 4, youth participants will explore leadership through self-assessment, project design, and community engagement. Each week will build on the last, helping participants identify their skills, collaborate with peers, and develop a project that reflects their values and vision. Weekly sessions will be paired with independent work, encouraging ongoing reflection and application. 

Creating On-Ramps, Not Roadblocks 

One key goal of the program is to make leadership accessible. Too often, youth development opportunities are limited to those who already see themselves as leaders or those who have been identified as leaders by others. At Bike Works, we’re flipping the script—building “on-ramps” so that any young person can find their way into leadership. 

This isn’t about creating a separate program; it’s about embedding leadership into everything we do. From Saturday drop-ins to summer camps, from mechanic classes to group rides—every interaction becomes a chance for growth. 

Beyond the Bike 

While the bicycle is our tool, it’s never been the whole story. “It’s not really about the bike,” staff member tov says. “It’s about what the bike allows us to do—how it helps us address injustice, build community, and explore who we are.” 

That’s why the Youth Leadership Collective also serves as a bridge to broader opportunities: career pathways, internships, volunteer leadership roles, and future summits—like the Youth Bike Summit, which Bike Works hopes to reintegrate into. The long-term vision includes creating sustainable relationships with outside organizations to offer real-world experiences beyond the walls of our shop. 

What’s Next? 

Perhaps the most powerful question guiding this initiative is a simple one: Now what? 

It’s what we ask our youth after a program ends. It’s what they ask us in return. It’s a call to action, a challenge to keep dreaming, building, and growing. It keeps us all moving forward—together. 

As Rich Brown, the Youth Programs Director puts it: “When young people start asking ‘now what?’ that’s when you know you’ve lit a fire. And it’s up to us to keep feeding that spark.” 

Want to support the Youth Leadership Collective? 
We’re looking for collaborators, partners, and anyone who believes in youth power. Reach out if you want to help build the next generation of community leaders. 

​In the April 7th, 2025 episode of “The Day With Trae,” host Trae Holiday interviews Ed Ewing, focusing on his contributions to the cycling community and his initiatives promoting diversity and inclusion within the sport. Ewing shares insights into his journey, the challenges faced in advocating for equitable access to cycling, and the impact of his work on underrepresented communities. The conversation also touches upon upcoming projects like the Youth Leadership Collective and events like Bikecitement!, aimed at fostering a more inclusive environment internally and externally at Bike Works. Check it out!

On an average day, Bike Works receives seventeen bicycles from individual donations and through partnerships with the City of Seattle and King County. Bikes from the city are almost always from walk-in dumpsters specifically for donating bikes. The origins of bikes from King County Surplus are not always apparent. 

Seth, from Bike Works’ Recycle & Reuse (R&R) department, says it’s clear which bikes were meant for donation—they have dry rotted tires, some rust, or a thick dose of garage dust. But some of the bikes we get look like they were loved, and recently. Inflated tires, drivetrain in good order, and utilitarian features like baskets and racks are a good indication that the bicycle in question is an important part of somebody’s life. Rebekah from R&R agrees that these and other details make a potentially stolen bike stand out. “Nicer bikes that have a bad paint job ring the alarms, so we set those aside.” 

Whenever a bike does stand out, staff look for the bike’s serial number on Bike Index, a non-profit database of bikes used globally. All told, R&R folks spend an hour or two cross referencing each week. And once or twice a month, they reconnect a bike with its owner. Bike Index users submit photos, serial numbers, and if their bike is stolen, details about the theft.

After a recent pickup from King County Surplus, Seth noticed a green 1990s Kona with fenders, a front basket, and non-stock parts—it stood out to him. Someone had spent a lot of time and energy building up this bike. He put the bike aside and looked it up on Bike Index. 

The bike was reported stolen from the Central District in August while it was u-locked outside a friend’s place. Seth contacted the owner of the bike through Bike Index and after a while was able to reach them on the phone. While nobody knows exactly how the bike ended up at King County Surplus, it would be fair to conclude that it was left on a bus or somewhere on King County property before it ended up there.

The bike’s owner, Alan. He says he recognized Seth’s voice almost immediately, and though he had already replaced the bike, he was really glad to get it back. “It meant a lot to me that Seth saw the bike and recognized how much care and thought I’d put into it. I felt seen.” So in the span of about four hours, Alan was reunited with a bike he’d lost to theft six months ago.

Alan got the bike through a friend at The Bikery. “It was caked in mud, it was one of the most disgusting bikes he’s ever seen,” he says. But it cleaned up nice, and looks like a can of Sprite. He’s not sure what he’ll do with the bike next, whether he’ll keep it or pass it along to a friend. “But it means a lot to me that I got my bike back, I just have so much gratitude for Bike Works.”

Rebekah says locking your bike securely is a best practice, “However the big message is to register your bikes.” Locks aren’t failsafe, but a digital record of your bicycle will definitely help with insurance, and it may even help Bike Works get your bike back to you.

Through individual donations and community partnerships, Bike Works processes around 6,000 bicycle donations each year. Reuse & Recycle Director Steve Gadingan works with staff refurbishing the usable bicycles. He says the new pricing model is an easy lever to pull for folks who want to know how they can help Bike Works. “But more importantly,” he says, “it’s an easy lever to pull for folks who need help – but they won’t need to ask for it.”

Recycle & Reuse Operations Manager Allie Sarfaty says they want to live in a world where those who want access to bikes can have it with as few barriers as possible. “And those who already have access to bikes should feel okay paying more if they can.”

Shop Director Kellen Rack says the pricing model brings into the conversation our endeavor to make bikes more accessible for everyone. 

Executive Director Ed Ewing says folks are free to choose the price point that best matches their economic situation. “This new model makes the actual value of our bikes more transparent, and invites customers who can afford to “pay it forward” to do so, while offering an affordable price below market value for those who need it. This approach to retail aligns with our commitment to racial equity and social justice.”

Bike Works’ community bike shop is open 12 PM to 6PM Monday through Tuesday, 12 PM – 6 PM Thursday through Friday, and 11 AM – 5 PM Saturday and Sunday. The shop is closed Wednesdays.

Last month, Program Director Rich Brown was honored as a Hero of the Deep at a Seattle Kraken home game by the Kraken Unity Fund. The Fund honors inspiring individuals who are doing outstanding work to transform lives, enable resiliency, and uplift and unite communities across the Pacific Northwest. As part of this honor, the Seattle Kraken and OneRoof Foundation donated $32,000 to support Bike Works programs.

At Bike Works

At Bike Works, Rich has designed and led biking, mechanic, and advocacy programs to engage youth in the community with a focus on racial equity. These programs are held at public schools in South Seattle like Rainier Beach and South Shore K-8, onsite at Bike Works in Columbia City, and across the county and state for longer distance rides. They also provide unique and creative opportunities for young people to build skills, connect with adult mentors who look like them, get to know their neighborhoods, practice environmental stewardship, and organize around issues that are important to them.

Port Community Action Committee (PCAT)

Rich is also a founding member of the Port Community Action Committee (PCAT), a community group that partners with the Port of Seattle to address local concerns, health issues, and disparities in neighborhoods that are affected by pollution of the Duwamish River such as South Park and Georgetown. Their goals are to work towards a healthy environment, economic prosperity & place (for example, creating jobs and resources so that BIPOC folks are not priced out of their communities due to gentrification), and community resiliency and capacity building.

the beginnings

Initially, Rich first started his career in the private sector, earning a business degree and working in tech. He ultimately found this career unfulfilling, and ended up teaching tech and media at the University of Washington School of Social Work, pairing his vocational expertise with his passion for community. After that, he moved from the university to the nonprofit sector, teaching tech to youth in South Seattle (some of these students also went through Bike Works programs!) He took time off to travel and focus on music (Rich is an accomplished trumpet player and DJ) and through a series of connections, took a job in the biking department at REI.

“Biking offers so many intersections like accessibility, mobility, and equitable access to infrastructure (we have a huge lack of that in South Seattle).”

growing up with bikes

As a kid, Rich had loved cycling and racing BMX, but had stopped due to a lack of diversity, representation, and overt racism he experienced in the scene. It was enough to make him decide to quit biking at the time. The job at REI resparked his passion for biking, and he was able to find a more organic and supportive community of cyclists. Rich reflects on what drew him to cycling, “Biking offers so many intersections like accessibility, mobility, and equitable access to infrastructure (we have a huge lack of that in South Seattle).” This circuitous path led Rich to center the bicycle in his youth development, advocacy, and community-building efforts, which he has now been engaged in for nearly a decade.

Rich had been a team leader in what was then Seattle’s “Bike to Work Day” challenge for several years. During that time, he met Ed Ewing, who is today Bike Works’ Executive Director. Ed was leading the Major Taylor Project at Cascade Bicycle Club, a school-based cycling program designed to engage Black and Brown students in bike desert neighborhoods in South Seattle. Ed and Rich exchanged numbers.

bicycle safety and taking action

Shortly after that, a young person in Rich’s community was hit by a car biking on Airport Way. He survived, but the incident sparked community conversations about safety, and Rich’s neighbors turned to him for leadership as an outspoken cyclist. Rich reached out to Ed for advice and decided to take action by bringing the community together and raising awareness in a positive way.

“If I see an opportunity, or I can help somebody or I have access to something, I plug people in!”

Rich and his community hosted a helmet giveaway and bike safety rodeo to focus on safety skills. Rich reflects on the event, “If I see an opportunity, or I can help somebody or I have access to something, I plug people in!”

the major taylor project

This event was a huge success, and Rich thanked Ed for his council. Sometime later, Ed reached out to Rich to ask if he would be interested in joining the Major Taylor Project as a ride leader. He eventually joined full-time and ended up managing the program for a couple of years. Now, years later, Rich and Ed are still working together to promote cycling in South Seattle, engage community members, and address racial and other types of disparities.

Over the last decade, Rich’s work has addressed intersections of race, transit, recreation, safety, and environmentalism through an organic network of relationships. If you see Rich around, please give him a huge congratulations as a prominent community leader paving the way for future generations to come!