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Upcoming Class at The Recyclery

Howdy! We’ve just scheduled our January Tune Up Class!!!

Sign up for a class here!

Tune Up Class
Sunday, January 6th, 6:00-9:00 PM
Sunday, January 13th, 6:00-9:00 PM

This two-part bicycle Tune-Up Class will be taught by Katie and will introduce you to basic bicycle maintenance. We’ll cover tool and component terminology, fixing a flat, chain maintenance, brake pad replacement, and basic shifting adjustments.

Bring your own bike to the class and tune it up as we go along. We do not have storage, but we try to make sure it’s ridable by the end of each session. Geared bicycles are recommended over single speeds or fixed gears. We will provide hand-outs to help with learning.

Cost for this two session class is $75 (more if you can, or contact us to negotiate less, if you can’t), or $95 when you add on The Recyclery t-shirt and Jay Ryan poster. Attendance is limited, so please use the ticket link below to register, today!

4th Annual Tailwind for Tools Fun-draiser!

Last year we surpassed our fundraising goal, coming in at $5,345.00 and making it our most successful fundraising campaign yet! Thanks to the generosity of our friends, we were able to sponsor more youth rides, train more young adults, give away more bikes, inaugurate new programming, and continue serving the Howard area community in Rogers Park. Please consider financially supporting our educational and Freecyclery programs this holiday season. When you donate to The Recyclery, you are helping to share cycling with our community. Give us a push!

Tailwind For Tools is our annual winter fundraiser. Every year it ends with an Open House party! Our 2019 Tailwind for Tools Open House is on February 10th. Can you help us reach our $10,000 goal and have a true celebration? We will be posting a schedule of activities and events when we get closer to the date. Follow this link to learn more about last year’s finale celebration.  It was a blast!

Please consider financially supporting The Recyclery’s educational programs this holiday season. Your gifts go a long way in helping The Recyclery share cycling with our community.

Donate Here!

We love you & we need you! Your support is needed more than ever:

  • $5 donation buys a flat tire repair kit for 1 youth
  • $10 donation covers an hour of Open Shop time for the many in our community who can’t donate
  • $25 donation buys lock and a helmet for 1 youth
  • $75 donation provides 1  Tune-Up Class scholarship
  • $180 donation provides 1 Overhaul Class scholarship
  • $500 fully funds one Earn-a-Bike program for local youth

Any amount – small or large – is very appreciated and helpful 

Some workplaces offer to match your donation. Check to see if your employer has such a program. You could encourage your colleagues to donate as well!

The FUN part

The Tailwind For Tools campaign finale is on Valentine’s Day weekend (‘cause we love our Recyclery friends) . You won’t want to miss this year’s Open House party at the shop. This year we are bringing back the funky bike photo booth, bike-part-upcycling crafts, DIY screen printing, food, live music, and adding more fun activities to our all day event.

Check out event sponsorship opportunities!

Join Our Upcoming Overhaul Class!

We’ve already sold a few spots for our upcoming Overhaul Class! Don’t miss your chance to learn to overhaul your own bike during the changing of the seasons!!!

This six-session Winter Overhaul Class will taught by Matt and Martin. We will be meeting Sundays from 2:00 to 5:00 PM, November 4th through December 9th.

You’ll learn how to disassemble, reassemble, and adjust each major mechanical system of your bicycle, week-by-week. We recommend taking our Tune Up Class before this if you are not used to basic tool use and repairs like fixing a flat. Registration is required, and space is limited, so please use the below ticket link to register, today!

We ask you to bring your own bike to the class. We do not have storage, but we try to make sure it’s ridable by the end of each session. Geared bicycles are recommended over single speeds or fixed gears. We will provide hand-outs to help with learning. We’ll also provide new cables and housing for the overhaul class.

The Overhaul Class is somewhat cumulative; each week the topics build on knowledge gained in the previous week. If you have to miss a session we will make an effort to catch you up in the free hour before class the following week, but if you miss several classes in a row you risk falling behind.

Sign up for class at the regular price, here!

With this purchase, you may add The Recyclery t-shirt and Jay Ryan poster for only $20 – half the regular price!

November Tune Up Class Scheduled!

Join us for our upcoming two-part bicycle Tune Up Class, taught by Katie, an experienced Recyclery crew mechanic. This class will introduce you to basic bicycle maintenance. We’ll cover tool and component terminology, fixing a flat, chain maintenance, brake pad replacement, and basic shifting adjustments.

This class will be held on the Sunday evenings of November 4th & 11th, 6-9PM. This 2 session course is only $75!

Please bring your own bike to the class to work/practice on. The Recyclery does not have storage, but we try to make sure it’s ridable by the end of each session. We recommend geared bicycles over single speeds or fixed gears. Students will be provided with hand-outs to help with learning.

Reserve your spot here, today!



Our Mission

The Recyclery Collective is an educational bike shop that promotes sustainability by giving access to tools, skills, and opportunities for collaboration.

Our Vision

We envision a diverse, resilient neighborhood filled with knowledgeable, self-reliant cyclists.

Our Values

  • Collaboration: We create opportunities for people of all backgrounds to work, share, and learn together to support a practical form of transportation.
  • Social Justice: We provide tools and resources to empower underserved populations and nurture community leaders.
  • Ecological Sustainability: We encourage the mindful use of resources and promote cycling as a part of building more resilient communities.
  • Celebrating Everything We Do: We like to have fun while working hard to make bicycles and mechanics accessible.


Our Structure

The Recyclery is a 501c3 non-profit run primarily by volunteers. All major decisions are made by a quorum of collective members at a twice-a-month meeting. The Collective follows a consensus decision making model and is open to anyone willing to put in the time and effort to fulfill collective entry requirements. A few staff members are paid for administrative tasks, fixing bikes for sale, and teaching classes. Meet our collective and staff members here.

Our Support

The Recyclery is grateful for all the support we receive from the wider community.