Old bikes are getting a second chance on Chicago’s Southwest Side, and so are the people who ride them.
At Working Bikes, a nonprofit bicycle shop, thousands of donated bikes arrive every year. Some are rusty. Some are broken. Many have been forgotten in garages, basements and alleys across the city.
The shop repairs, restores and redistributes bicycles to people who need reliable transportation. The mission is simple: Turn unused bicycles into tools for opportunity.
The work is powered by volunteers, who spend hours tightening chains, adjusting brakes, replacing tires and bringing worn-out bicycles back to life. At Working Bikes, every bike represents an opportunity.
The bicycles help people get to work, attend school, access healthcare or move through their community with greater freedom and independence. In a city where transportation costs can be a burden, a bike can make the difference between missing an opportunity and reaching it.
Working Bikes describes itself as a community built on generosity, sustainability and service. Every donated bike becomes part of what it calls a larger story, with one person donating, another volunteering and someone in need gaining the freedom that comes with two wheels.
More information on donating an old bike is available at workingbikes.org.
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