Donating Bicycles
Archived Q&A and Reviews
Dec 2009
We are interested in finding a local charity (Oakland preferably) to donate our son's bicycle. It's in great shape and we would like to be able to bring it to someplace local. Thanks. melissa
You might consider Cycles of Change, a nonprofit at Alameda Point that offers education programs (like training to repair and refurbish bikes) to low-income youth in the East Bay. www.cyclesofchangeapc.org anon
Cycles of Change (http://www.cyclesofchange.org/) is an organization that meets your requirements. I haven't had any experience with them, but found them a while back while surfing the net.
Another possibility is the Oakland Museum's White Elephant Sale. They are a great place to donate just about everything to, and the $$ supports one of our best regional museums. http://www.whiteelephantsale.org/ WES fan
Jan 2007
We were given a mountain bike by a friend who moved. It was kept outside on his boat and is a bit rusty and needs a bit more work than we are interested in. We would love to donate it to a group that refurbishes bikes for teens but haven't found any. The bike club at my child's school doesn't do this. Anyone know someplace that could make good use of this. anonymous
Try pedal revolution in San Francisco: http://www.pedalrevolution.com/index.html bikermom
I donated my bike to this organization a year ago and it's exactly what you're looking for. The East Bay Bicycle Coalition's Cycles of Change Youth Bike Program teaches kids to work on bikes, and encourages bike riding for all the right reasons. I took my bike directly to the Middle School in North Berkeley -- I believe King Middle School (the one with the edible schoolyard) -- to their bicycle workshop. They accepted it with much gratitude, gave me a tour of the shop, and gave me a receipt for tax purposes. I no longer have the specific contact information but if you look up Cycles of Change, I'm sure you won't have a problem Rachael
You could contact the NorCal Mountain Bike league to see if they'd be interested. This is an association of high school mountain biking teams and I know there are kids that always need donated gear. Contact is: fritz [at] norcalmtb.org. Rust though is pretty bad for a mountain bike. anon
Alameda Point Collaborative (the non-profit agency I work for) is partnering with an Oakland group called ''Cycles of Change'' and has started a community bike shop. Please consider donating your bikes to the APC Community Bike Shop! They accept donated bikes which are then fixed up by the formerly homeless youth and adults living in APC housing; the residents can ''earn'' a bike by working in the bike shop. The community bike shop also holds bikes sales for the general public (income helps to help sustain the project), so please keep us in mind if you are ever in the market for a refurbished bike! For more info: http://www.apcollaborative.org/cycles.htm or call the Alameda Point Collaborative main office number (510)898-7800 and ask for Barry, Donna, or Joseph. Thanks for your support! Rachel
Have you tried The Tinkers Workshop in Berkeley at Aquatic Park? anon
A great place to donate your mountain bike is Trips for Kids in Marin. It's a wonderful organization that takes disadvantaged kids from the Bay area out on mountain bike trips. I'm sure they would love a bike donation to their Thrift shop, The Recyclery. Here's their website and info: http://www.tripsforkids.org/thrift.htm anon
The Tinkers Workshop in Berkeley will probably take your rusty mountain bike. They have a bike refurbishing program. www.tinkersworkshop.org -- A tinker's friend
Sept 2004
Is there a non-profit that takes old bikes and fixes them up for kids (or adults) in need? We have 2 bikes we'd like to donate to a worthy cause. Robbie
Check out Trips for kids. Their website is: http://www.webcom.com/tfk/home.htm
Their website says:
''Trips for Kids Marin was started by avid mountain biker and environmentalist Marilyn Price in 1988. She knew that there were kids who lived in the inner-city of San Francisco and had never experienced the beauty of open space to the north in Marin County. We have seen the benefits that result from exposing kids to the environment through a mountain bike ride. On Trips for Kids rides across North America, kids come from different backgrounds and have different challenges in life. They might live in the inner city and be tempted to join a gang; or live on a reservation where options for activities after school are very limited. Maybe they come from a single-parent home where there's just not enough money to buy something like a bicycle. But these kids have one thing in common. They are kids and kids love bikes. There is a sense of freedom on a bicycle. It's a vehicle for exploring new environments. And there is a physical challenge inherent in mountain biking. With 15 years of experience in taking disadvantaged youth on mountain bike rides, we feel that we have a unique ability to help others begin similar programs in their area. ''
elizabeth
You could probably donate them to Berkeley Boosters. http://berkeleyboosters.org/ To make a donation contact their Administrative Director at: (510) 843-6542. Jessica
The Tinkers Workshop at 1336 Channing (Corner of Channing & Valley)takes bicycles and bicycle parts to be given to children and adults who want to make, fix or add to a bike. Workshops, help building and fixing a bike, and using their tools are free and the child can then keep the bike they make. It is a great organization. For more information you can call Nick at 644- 2577. They also offer sewing classes and other types of classes. Julianna
I think you should call the Tinkers Workshop in Berkeley--I'm pretty sure this is exactly what they do. They're in the phone book. lm
May 2003
Does anyone know what charitable organization will take two very old bicycles...and by ''very old,'' I mean 20-25 years old! I'm pretty sure they don't have any exchange value, but they probably have some use value (both, to my knowledge, are still in working condition). I tried Goodwill, but they won't take them, alas. Thanks. Katie
Trips for Kids in San Rafael is a wonderful non-profit serving low income youth. You may want to check with them as they often take donated bikes, which are then fixed up and sold as a way to raise $ -- (415) 458-2986 Christine
Try donating old bikes to Berkeley's Tinker's Workshop, try calling my son the bike mechanic at 548-5622 (he's been known to rehab old ones or can give you more ideas), or try putting an ad on craigslist if the first two don't work! Christine V
There is a great organization called Cycles of Change in Oakland. They work with the kids to learn bike mechanics and take them riding, camping, leadership training and more. Call Maya at: 510.693.3763 You can also call me and I can help get in touch with them. We work together on projects. Arden