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BIKES

Yellow Bikes

On January 25, 1997, the original YBP volunteers released the first 24 yellow bikes with the aid of the Bikes Not Bombs shop. A yellow bike is a recycled bike that was destined for the landfill. We redirect these bikes out of the refuse stream, recondition them, and release them to function as free community bikes. To date, the Yellow Bike Collective has released hundreds of free community bikes. Yellow Bike volunteers fix donated bikes up into simple, one-speed machines and then paint them yellow and release them to the streets. The volunteer gets a free education in bike mechanics, and the community gets another free bike to ride but not to own. Yellow bikes are for everyone, and aren't to be locked up. Read more about Yellow Bikes on the projects page.


Photo by Blake Gordon
  

Earn-a-Bike - We have made earning your own bike even easier!

Earn you very own bike by volunteering only 12 hours to Yellow Bike (it used to be 24 hours). After your volunteer hours are complete you can fix-up or build your own custom bike from our warehouse of donated bikes, frames, and parts completely for free. You also get to store your own bike at the 51st Street Shop for 6 weeks from the date that you start working on your own bike.

This is a great way to learn bike repair and maintenance from volunteer mechanics and build your own free bike in the process. During your time at the shop, experienced shop coordinators will guide you through bike repair projects. No bike repair experience is necessary. After 12 hours of volunteering, working on project bikes, you will be able to confidently start work on your own bike. Simply stop by during any of our open hours and talk to a Coordinator to get started building the bike of your dreams.

Build-a-Bike

This is similar to Earn-a-Bike, but involves a cash donation instead of volunteer time in exchange for a bike. This program allows you to pick out an incomplete bike from our warehouse and build it up with our help. Just visit our main 51st street shop during open hours and take a look around at what's available. Pick out a bike you'd like to build up, then talk to a coordinator to arrange an acceptable donation amount. We have just about all the used parts you'll need to build any incomplete bike in our warehouse into a fully-functioning machine. You can use our tools and instruction to work on your bike during any open shop.

Ready to Ride Bikes

If you don't have time to volunteer or build your own bike, we have a limited supply of ready-to-ride bikes available at both of our shop locations. YBP volunteers have fixed up these bikes and prepared them for you to ride away. We ask for cash donations in exchange for ready-to-ride bikes. Proceeds are used to support our project and maintain our shop.