Two Wheels. Endless Possibilities.
Today, as with most days, we are reflecting on the importance of youth leadership and community. The Youth Advisory Committee (YAC) at Bike Works recently voted in 4 new members, including Anna who drew this powerful image as part of her application.
The YAC is a group of dedicated youth who participate more fully in the vision and governance of the organization.
Bike Works was featured in this awesome video by School’s Out Washington.
We are so proud of these articulate, engaged, and empowered youth. It is the continued support from our donors and volunteers that make it all possible – thank you.
Bike Works had so much fun participating in Park(ing) Day this year! Your creativity, energy, and humor captured the spirit of Park(ing) Day, a national day dedicated to community driven parklets.
This year, Bike Works raised awareness for one of the many ways the community gives new life to bikes parts that would otherwise end up in the waste stream – bike art!
A portion of the 6,000 bikes donated to Bike Works each year have seen their best riding days. However, our expert Recycle & Reuse mechanics give these bikes new life in many different ways. PARK(ing) Day was one of those ways. We took different gears, rotors, reflectors, and all kinds of other shiny bits that would otherwise be recycled and YOU made them into art. 
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What attracted you to Bike Works?
I’m an engineer so I like transportation: airplanes, cars, and bicycles. Anything that is a mechanism, I like it. When I moved to Seattle from Mexico I was introduced to a whole culture around bicycles; I started to build my own bike. As I met people in the bicycle community, I was directed to Bike Works. At first I thought Bike Works was just a store and that was where I could find a bicycle frame but when I read about Bike Works on the website I thought, “It’s awesome.” I have never volunteered in my life. In Mexico we don’t really grow up with that concept but I figured it would be a good time to try it out which is how I got involved.
What has kept you involved with Bike Works?
I stayed involved because I like learning. I came to the Volunteer Repair Parties on Thursday a couple of times and learned the basics of bicycle repair while fixing kid’s bikes for Kids Bike-o-Rama. Then I enrolled in Bike Repair 101 where I could learn more complex mechanics like derailleurs. I like that the bikes in each class are given back to the community. I also met people. That is big for me. I like bicycles and my social circles are not very interested in bikes…yet. Continue reading
Hello, Columbia City! You may have noticed a bit of construction on the corner of Rainier Avenue and S Ferdinand Street. We wanted to let you know that the bike shop is still open regular business hours during construction. Please don’t let the hard hats deter you, if you squint the hard hats even look like bicycle helmets.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call 206.725.8867.
CONCERT TOUR POWERED BY BICYCLES!
This summer, a collective of musicians, artists and cyclists known as the Pleasant Revolution will embark on a tour through the Pacific Northwest, with a mission to produce exhilarating and inspiring concerts completely off the grid. Why is this important? As global warming effects more and more communities across the planet with droughts, melting glaciers, and other drastic ecological shifts, there is a need for educational empowerment and a growing demand for cooperative self-sufficiency that this tour aspires to address.
The events on this tour are called Biketopia Music Festivals; all of the sound
amplification is powered by stationary bicycles. The Pleasant Revolution collective works with local musicians, bike enthusiasts and environmental groups to co-create these grassroots, community empowered festivals.
The Pleasant Revolution is currently scheduled to land in Vancouver, Salt Spring Island, Victoria, Seattle, Bellingham, Olympia, Astoria, Portland, Eureka, Arcata, Santa Rosa, Petaluma and a grand Bay Area return. They will also be putting on impromptu concerts in unexpected locations along the way. The music on the tour will be performed by Latin circus funk band Bicicletas por la paz ( Bicycles for Peace), neofolksoul artist Heather Normandale and various other artists both on the tour and from the towns they will be visiting. The mission of the Pleasant Revolution is to inspire cooperative community effort through music and through the collective effort of the audience producing the show’s electricity on bikes! This tour will be hauling all of their gear on bike, no “sag wagon” required. The impact of this project is not just about showcasing good music and sustainable technology; it is to inspire and empower creative minds to think outside the box and realize the power that exists in community.
Thank you to everyone who joined Bike Works at Peddler Brewing for Beer-for-Bikes last week. It was marvelous to spend the evening with so
many Bike Works friends and supporters to help celebrate Bike Works’ 20th birthday!
Together, you raised over $900 to support youth education, environmental stewardship, and access to bicycles.
THANK YOU!
The Seattle Channel featured Bike Works! In their own words, “There are a number of Seattleites who use a bicycle as a mode of transportation, but gaining access to one isn’t always easy. For the last 20 years, the Seattle non-profit Bike Works has been helping to connect riders and bikes through low- or no-cost ownership programs. Plus, they teach youth and adults to build and repair bikes for themselves and others. And they’ve picked up some pretty dedicated volunteers along the way.”
On Wednesday, June 29th from 4-10 pm, Peddler Brewing Company will be donating $1 of every beer sold to Bike Works to help support our youth and adult programs and environmental sustainability efforts.
There will be:
Come celebrate Bike Works’ 20th anniversary and raise a glass (or three!) to 20 years of youth empowerment, bicycle liberation, and healthy communities. Get your bike repaired and support your favorite cycling organization all in one place. Who could ask for a better evening?
Plan your route to Peddler Brewing! Peddler Brewing Company is in Ballard, 1514 NW Leary Way, Seattle, WA 98107. Questions? Call 206.695.2522
Two Bike Works youth partook in a bike ride hosted by the Cascade Bicycle Club. The Emerald City Bike Ride provided these two an opportunity to expand their bicycling community by riding new terrain with new people. Inspired by their experience at Bike Works, they wanted to share this awesome adventure by sending along a photo from the ride. How cool is that?
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