Tag Archives: Events

Bike Works Closure in Response to COVID-19

Community is the most important thing to us here at Bike Works. We feel that we have a responsibility to take care of each other, and we try to embody that in our work.

In light of recent public health concerns surrounding COVID-19, and with developing recommendations from Seattle King County Public Health about minimizing your contact with groups of people and working from home if you can for the time being, we have decided to cancel our programming, volunteering, warehouse, and bike shop hours here at Bike Works through the end of March.

Currently, our bike shop plans to reopen on Sunday, March 29th pending public health recommendations. We do ask that you refrain from bringing bike donations by the shop during this closure. Check out this page on our website for a complete list of bike donation sites around the county – or feel free to bring your donation by on the 29th!

We’re currently selling parts on ebay! Check out our page to shop remotely, and stay tuned for more online sales coming soon.

Our offices and warehouse currently plan to reopen on Monday, March 30th, with bi-weekly Volunteer Repair Parties scheduled to resume on Thursday, April 2nd at 6:30 PM.

All youth programming has been canceled for the month of March. Our April Earn-A-Bike class is scheduled to begin on Tuesday, April 21st as planned, RIDES Training Club starts April 25th, and April Street Burner activities (open to any youth who have completed a Bike Works class) including bike repair community service drop-in sessions are a go!

Our adult Bike Repair 201 class begins on Thursday, April 23rd, and our new Bring Your Own Bike class begins on Tuesday, May 12th.

Bikecitement!, our annual fundraising dinner & auction, has been postponed to Sunday, October 11th. Get in touch with our Development team for questions about tickets, sponsorship opportunities, in-kind donations, and volunteering.

We are working remotely and are available by email to answer questions – please get in touch with one of our staff members with any questions or concerns! Not sure who to talk to? Email our general account to get redirected to the right person or department.

Thank you for being a part of the Bike Works community. Want to support us during this uncertain time? We always accept online donations through our website.

We hope you’re enjoying the fresh air, independence, and freedom that riding your bike still provides during this uncertain time.

Love,

The Bike Works Team

 

Bike Works Board Member Jess Kim on bands, SDOT, and her Bike Life Trifecta

By Ted Cox

Bike Works Board Member Jess Kim is a Bay Area transplant, a multi-modal engineer for the Seattle Department of Transportation, and plays in local pop-rock band Coach Phillips. Jess and her SDOT team are responsible for designing roadway infrastructure in the city’s Bicycle Master Plan and building connections to existing and future bicycling facilities in Seattle.

A bike ride led to Jess eventually joining the Bike Works Board. This Sunday, July 29, she’s bringing together bikes, bands, and (cold) brews for Bands for Bike Works at Conduit Coffee Company on Westlake Ave N, just south of the Fremont Bridge.

As she told a former coworker, “My bike life trifecta has finally come together: I work in bikes, I ride bikes, and I volunteer for bikes. Everything has somehow come together.”

Ted Cox (left), Jess Kim (center) and friend Lisa Choi (right) hanging out at Bike Works Eleven Winery event on July 22

How did you get involved with Bike Works?

I went on a bike ride — stopping at all the donut shops — for a friend’s birthday the first year I moved to Seattle. One of the people on that birthday ride works at Bike Works — Mike Buendia, he works at the warehouse — and so we got to talking. I was looking for opportunities to volunteer with an organization that worked in bicycle advocacy and education, similar to Bike East Bay in the Bay Area where I helped draft preliminary plan proposals.

I was immediately drawn to Bike Works and their mission to empower youth through bikes and foster strong communities.

My initial thought was to be a volunteer at Bike Works’ Volunteer Repair Parties and learn some grease monkey skills while helping a good cause, and found myself sitting among the Bike Works Board — a role I have no previous experience in, but figured why not give it a go. While I haven’t been able to make it out to a repair party just yet, I have been an active Board Member getting involved with different committees and organizing a cultivation event which is Bands for Bike Works!

 

Tell me about Bands for Bike Works.

I got the idea, I guess, because I’m in one of the bands that’s playing. We’re called Coach Philips. I love planning events and bringing people together. When I was in Oakland I helped organize a local festival down there and part of my role was to book and manage the entertainment.

And so an event like Bands for Bike Works seemed fitting. I just figured I’d bring in the music community with the bicycling community into this ultimate event.


And coffee on top of that.

And coffee! Exactly! Yeah, a lot of different communities coming together all for Bike Works.


What else should people know about this Sunday?

There’s going to a bike drive where you can bring us your old bikes as well. And a bike valet, too. Conduit Coffee Company is right on Westlake Ave N next to the Westlake Cycle Track, so we’re hoping to pull some Sunday strolling families in to learn all about the amazing programs at Bike Works and listen to some music. It’s a family-friendly event.

We’re getting donated beer from Flying Bike Cooperative Brewery, that’s up in Greenwood, cider from Seattle Cider Co. in Georgetown, bubblies from DRY Soda Company, and cold brew coffee from Conduit. Neema’s Comfort soul food truck will be on-site and there’s also going to be a raffle. And live music. And all the bikey people. There’s a lot happening that day.


Bands for Bike Works

Sunday, July 29

12 p.m. to 4pm.

Entry for $5, or $20 for entry and a bag of Conduit coffee beans.

Get tickets here

 

Lineup

12:30 – -1:10 PM: – Tina! (solo)

“Tina! is two inherently nice adults from Seattle, WA playing indie rock featuring powerful soaring vocals.”

1:30 – 2:10 PM – Coach Phillips

Coach Phillips is a Seattle-based indie pop/rock band playing hand-crafted jammers of “…an infectious sound oozing positivity.” – XuneMag (2018)

2:15 – 2:30 PM Musical interlude by Elise & Phil Hirschi

2:30 – 3:10 PM – Sour Notes

“Sour Notes is a pop punk band from Seattle, WA formed by four friends who realized they liked writing catchy songs about being bitter.”

3:20 – 3:45 PM – PUKE

PUKE is a punk ukulele duo. Enough said.

—

Coach Phillips’ song VHS Dating was voted one of NPR Music​’s top 10 Heavy Rotation songs in May! Check out the video below:

—

Ted Cox is a technical writer and Bike Works volunteer. He likes burritos and bikes and riding bikes to go eat burritos.

Join Bike Works for a Panel Discussion on Bicycle Theft

Have you ever had your bike stolen? Do you manage a bike shop?

Help fight back against bike theft! Join us for a panel discussion on bike theft and indexing on May 16 at Metier.  The region’s leading experts on addressing bike theft will discuss the current state of the problem and what we can do about it.

Panel Discussion on Bike Theft & Indexing
Tuesday, May 16
6:30 – 8 p.m.
Métier, 1017 E Union St, Seattle WA 98122

RSVP Now >>

Panelists:
Bryan Hance, Bike Index
Brock Howell, Bicycle Security Advocates
Kendra Borzio, UWPD
Seattle Police Department
More TBA		Co-Sponsors:
Commute Seattle, Bicycle Security Advocates, Bike Index, Bike Works, Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance, Métier, Seattle Bike Blog, Seattle Neighborhood Greenways, Sportworks Racks, TiGr Locks

Show-up before 6:30 p.m. to get your beers and food and settle down. Listen to the panelists’ presentations for about an hour. Participate in a moderated Q&A for the last 20 minutes. Then stick around after 8 p.m to continue the conversation over drinks.

Earlier in the day on May 16, Bryan Hance of Bike Index, Brock Howell of Bicycle Security Advocates, and the Seattle Police Department will make a special briefing to the Seattle City Council Sustainability & Transportation Committee on bike theft and indexing.

Would your organization/business like to also co-sponsor by telling your e-newsletter list or social media followers about the event? Email us at brock@bicyclesecurityadvocates.org.

RSVP not required but very appreciated.

RSVP Now >>

December is a Great Month to Donate… A Bicycle!

Bike Works is hosting two neighborhood bike drives in December. On December 5th at the ASUW Bike Shop on the UW Campus, and on Decmber 6th at Windermere Mercer Island. Bike drives are an important part of sustaining the work that we do. Why? you ask. Well, let me tell you.

Bike Works builds sustainable communities by educating youth and promoting bicycling. Through our programming and our bike shop, we empower people of all ages and abilities, from varied socioeconomic backgrounds, and from diverse cultures and communities. There are two tools for this empowerment: a bicycle and a community. Let’s start by talking about bicycles.

By the end of this year Bike Works will receive over 6,000 bicycle donations. That number is huge! To put that number in perspective: imagine a line of bicycles end to end, front tire to rear tire- that would stretch all the way across the I-90 bridge over Lake Washington… 5 times!

While that is a cool mental image, what’s more important is that 6,000 bicycles have had the opportunity to empower a youth, to get someone to work on time, to offer viable alternatives to car-centric transportation, to fund our growing programming at Bike Works, and simply to avoid landfills by being responsibly recycled. But where do these bicycles come from? That’s where community comes in.

A solid portion of our bike donations come directly from community members bringing bikes to our door in Columbia City. For many people, getting to Columbia City can be a difficult task. In order to cast a wider net, we rely heavily on partnerships and neighborhood bike drives. Neighborhood bike drives make it easy for people to donate a bike without having to drive it across town. Neighborhood bike drives allow you to do something fun and meaningful with your friends, family and coworkers. Neighborhood bike drives keep bicycles accessible and affordable to a diverse bicycling community. And we are all part of that community.

Continue reading →