Our Mission Statement
"The Recyclery, a non-profit collective, seeks to build community through the restoration of donated and discarded bicycles. With these bikes we offer a sustainable form of transportation at little to no cost. We wish to further open ourselves and our resources to the community at large with programs that teach bicycle maintenance, safety, and ecological sustainability."
Our Programs
Earn-a-Bike:
An educational program for youth that teaches bicycle maintenance, bike safety, environmental awareness, work ethics along with constructive communication skills. The participants put in a certain number of hours into education, bike rides, and hands-on work with bikes. At the end of the program they receive the bike they worked on. Earn-a-Bike is currently operated only through partner organizations, particularly Youth Organizations Umbrella and the Broadway Youth Center.
Build-a-Bike
The Recyclery teaches bicycle maintenance to adults through its eight-week Build-a-Bike program. This course is available for people looking to gain knowledge and hands-on experience with their own bicycles and their functions. Participants cover everything from headsets, bottom brackets, hubs, and wheel truing to brakes, shifters, and derailleurs. Contact us to enroll in our next course.
FreeCyclery:
By connecting with social services organizations in our area, we build relationships and donate bicycles to those in need. From low-income families to those with mental illness, free bikes provide needed self-sufficiency and practical transportation.
Open Shop:
Use our tools to fix your own bike or volunteer and fix Recyclery bikes. We strive to provide an open, respectful and collaborative atmosphere free of mechanical elitism; if you are just getting started one of our volunteers will be happy to help you out--many of today's regular volunteers patched their first tires at Open Shop! For those working on their own bicycles we request a 10$/hr (sliding-scale) donation. The Recyclery also offers extremely affordable, assorted used parts and a shared stereo system, so bring your own CDs or MP3 player!
Women and Trans Night:
An open shop time only for women and transgender people. We provide free training and a welcoming, comfortable space in the male-dominated field of bicycle mechanics. Occasional group rides around North Chicago and mini-classes on specific parts also help create more confident and independent cyclists.
Used Bicycle Sales:
We can't give all our bikes away for free, but we do our best to keep the prices affordable. Providing inexpensive bikes means neighbors have more access to bikes; the community as a whole gets more exercise, reduces oil use, cuts back on congestion and is more open to friendly waves! Check the News and Events section to find out when and where our next big sale will be.
Our Structure
The management of the Recyclery is open to anyone willing to put forth the time and effort. A group of core volunteers handles the daily running of the shop and business, but other volunteers contribute to almost every aspect of the Recyclery. Decisions are made democratically, so all volunteers are able to offer ideas and contribute to the discussions. Because all core volunteers can affect the Recyclery's future, it is a more empowering environment than normal hierarchical work situations. Our decision to be organized as a collective is deeply connected to our mission, as it fosters mutual respect and values diverse opinions and talents.
Our Support
The Recyclery is grateful for all the support we receive from the wider community. Please read our support section for a list of some organizations that have contributed.
Get Involved
If you would like to join us in our mission, we invite you to volunteer or donate.
Newsletter Archive
The quarterly Recyclery Newsletter not only updates a wide network of people about our projects and events, but serves as a forum for dialogue on the purpose and scope of the Recyclery's programs. All files are in PDF format.
