An Earn-A-Bike program enables students to earn a bike of their own via sweat equity as part of a Build-A-Bike, Ride-to-Earn, or Learn-to-Earn program format. In both Ride-to-Earn and Learn-to-Earn students earn their bike through participation and skills achievement.
For the Build-A-Bike format students participate in rebuilding, repairing, and completing a set of maintenance tasks so that they have the knowledge and experience to maintain it once it is theirs. The class aims to enable youth of all ages to ride bicycles more often not just by providing access to a bicycle of their own, but by teaching the maintenance skills needed to keep their bicycle in proper working order. If a student does not have a bike, they can choose one of the donated bikes and work with an instructor to fix and refurbish it. Participants are also provided with safety equipment and bike safety instruction.
This bike mechanics based program enables students to earn a bike of their own by rebuilding, repairing, and completing a set of maintenance tasks so that they have the knowledge and experience to maintain it once it is theirs. This program builds sweat equity, which creates a sense of ownership beyond what a bike giveaway would create as well as a sense of accomplishment due to having created a working bicycle.
Typically, a session would require 12-15 hours, with classes lasting 1.5 to 2.5 hours each. If it takes fewer classes for a bike to pass safety checks, students are expected to continue to come to class and assist other students with finishing their bikes prior to being able to take their own bike home. Classes can take the form of a full Build-A-Bike class or a hybrid class where some students are earning bikes and others are repairing and rebuilding the bikes they already own. It can also be a service-based class where a set of students repair and rebuild bikes to gift to other kids in need. We provide the bikes (typically used), stands, tools, and instructors.