Your Impact - Bike New YorkBike New York

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How Does Riding A Bike Make You Feel? from Bike New York on Vimeo.

Our mission: We unlock the life-changing effects of cycling through education initiatives offered to the public at no cost. Here’s just a handful of the programs you’ll sustain when you ride in the TD Five Boro Bike Tour.

We believe that knowledge is power.

Bike New York provides a completely free, year-round curriculum of classes for children and adults at every stage of their cycling journeys, from first rides and fundamentals to commuting and touring. We pioneered the largest free bike education program of its kind and have inspired similar programs around the country. In 2020 alone, Bike New York’s programming reached over 30,000 people.

We’re dedicated to making cycling more inclusive and accessible, and that’s why we hold free classes in all five boroughs at our Community Bike Education Centers. Students are provided with bikes, helmets, and the insights and knowledge of experienced instructors, creating an encouraging environment for building core riding skills—and having a blast while learning!

We respond to the moment.

When COVID-19 brought the world to a standstill, Bike New York was forced to temporarily suspend its in-person programming. Though cycling events came to a halt, the need for bike resources swelled as a huge influx of people turned to cycling for transportation and recreation. We knew we couldn’t slow down.

To address the sudden surge in demand for accessible bike education, we pivoted from teaching in the streets to bringing our lessons to the virtual classroom. Since launching our digital education program and Virtual Bike Education Resource Hub in April, we’ve helped hundreds, if not thousands, of students build their bike skills, confidence, and knowhow—and with aspiring cyclists from across the country tuning in to our weekly classes, we’re making a difference far beyond the five boroughs.

We're keeping our neighborhoods green.

Recycle-A-Bicycle is our personal spin on a local bike shop. We’ve called Brooklyn home for well over a decade, so it’s no stretch to say we know the neighborhood.

In addition to providing New Yorkers with gear and hosting area service programs, RAB accepts donations of old, used, and broken bikes, which we completely restore, refurbish, and sell. What can’t be repaired is salvaged for parts. This means we’re not just giving thousands of well-loved bikes a second chance: In 2019, RAB reused or repurposed nearly 12 tons of material. That’s the same as saving 77.95 metric tons of CO₂e!

“The look of joy on his face when he took off for the first time is something I’ll never forget. I hope every NYC parent learns about this amazing resource and the supportive staff at Bike New York.”

— Robin, parent of a Learn to Ride student

Power First Rides & Breakthrough Moments

We know that learning to ride can be scary, so we do everything we can to keep things safe and fun.

Bike New York works with local communities and NYC DOT to host Bike Bonanzas, no-cost family activity days made to outfit children and their parents with all the tools they need to pedal proudly. We bring our ever-popular Learn to Ride Class for Kids, DOT’s Vision Zero helmet giveaways and fittings, and bike swaps (for kids to trade their old bikes in and upgrade to the next size) to parks and public spaces across the city. Consider it an all-ages block party with bikes.

We're making cycling accessible where it's needed most.

In July 2019, Bike New York celebrated the opening of Brooklyn’s Shirley Chisholm State Park by launching a free bike share pilot program designed to make exploring nature as easy as checking out a library book. The Bike Library hosts a fleet of 84 bikes (refurbished by graduates of Recycle-A-Bicycle’s Earn-A-Bike program) available for park visitors to “check out” for rides around the grounds in the summer and fall.

In the Library’s first three months, park-goers took 8,585 rides along 10 miles of car-free pathways by scenic Jamaica Bay. The cyclists we served came primarily from the surrounding neighborhoods, with 74% of bike share users hailing from Brooklyn. 34% of rides were taken by people under 18 years of age and, excitingly, riders reflected an even gender split. The Library reopened and expanded for the 2020 season, offering New Yorkers a meaningful way to enjoy the outdoors while social distancing and other pandemic restrictions were in place.

We go the extra mile for kids who love their bikes.

We know that one of the best ways to encourage healthy lifestyle choices and regular physical activity in children and young adults is to give them the freedom to explore on two wheels. We partner with Woodhull Hospital, Lincoln Hospital, and New York Cycle Club to produce our Kids’ Ride Club, a friendly, fun group ride program for youth cyclists in low-income neighborhoods. And to challenge kids to see what cycling life is like beyond city limits, we held our inaugural bike touring trip for teenage bike enthusiasts in 2019, a tristate adventure that pushed them out of their comfort zone to prove just what amazing things they could accomplish together.

We help our neighbors tap into their potential.

Last year, Bike New York partnered with One Community, a nonprofit dedicated to professional training and employment placement, to pilot an intensive, hands-on bike mechanic training program that helps formerly incarcerated New Yorkers continue down the path of rebuilding their lives through the power of stable employment. The program focuses on the particulars of repair and maintenance for Citi Bikes and prepares participants for a well-paying union job on Citi Bike’s mechanic team. Recycle-A-Bicycle provided 60 hours of instruction, as well as tools, materials, and support, to a cohort of students. Learn more about this program here.

We're working to build the path to a safer future for all street users.

In 2019, Bike New York began a concentrated effort to actively engage in and spearhead local-level advocacy initiatives. Within its first year, projects included:

Providing expertise and detail to the City Council’s Streets Master Plan Bill, which passed in October of last year. It commits the city to install 50 miles of protected bike lanes per year starting in 2022, and to measure bike network connectivity.
Supplying a broad set of ideas for Mayor de Blasio’s “Green Wave Plan,” issued in July 2019. It raises NYC DOT’s target for protected bike lanes from 20 to 30 miles per year in 2020 and 2021. It also calls for more attention to the quality of barriers along protected bike lanes, bike-speed signal timing, and bike parking.
Producing a Bike Network agenda to take advantage of congestion pricing.

And in the summer of 2020, Bike New York launched its new Street Action Now! program to instruct a cohort of students in how to analyze unsafe street conditions, perform a street audit, and work with community boards to provoke real change on their blocks.