Bike Program
The Crucible’s Bike Program is a free year-round community outreach program that addresses personal transportation needs. The Bike Program promotes an alternative, sustainable mode of transportation, while providing essential bike repair services to our community, diverting useable/salvageable waste from landfills, and reinforcing reuse of materials. Since 2005, over 7,000 youth have participated in The Crucible’s Bike Program, and thousands of bicycles have been repaired to nearly-new status.
We know what a safe bike can do for our neighbors, and studies show that extends beyond individual impact. Communities that bike are safer, healthier, and happier. We are dedicated to getting Oakland back on bikes.
The Bike Shop Expansion
The Crucible Bike Shop has long been the community outreach arm of The Crucible. It serves West Oakland youth through our Earn-A-Bike program and supports the West Oakland community at large with free bike maintenance during our Bike Fix-A-Thons. Regular classes and camps allow adults and youth students to learn skills in welding and mechanics with opportunities for creative exploration in their designs.
The new expanded Shop provides more students with a larger and better-organized space to work, with personal workstations available and easier access to needed tools and supplies. With support, The Crucible plans to build deeper entrepreneurship programs, encourage the reuse and refurbishing of discarded objects, and empower community members with greater access to personal transportation.
Open Shop Hours
Every Thursday from 4-8pm, youth and adults are welcome to drop in for free instruction on maintaining their own bikes. Open hours are perfect for tackling flats and tune-ups where the individual wishes to learn about and be involved in the process. No previous mechanics experience is necessary.
We also have a limited number of slots per week for bike repair drop-offs on a first-come, first-serve basis. Drop-off repairs may take 1-2 weeks to complete.
Bike Fix-A-Thons
Throughout the year, bicycles are repaired for free by a fleet of dedicated volunteers and Crucible staff members during regular Bike Fix-A-Thons. At these quarterly events, West Oaklanders and neighboring community residents are invited to drop off their bikes for repairs on things like flat tires, breaks, chains, seats, and more. Repairs are completed and bikes returned over the next week, getting Oakland residents back on the road with safe, functioning bikes.
Earn-A-Bike
The Earn-A-Bike Program provides West Oakland youth ages 10-18 with hands-on experience in welding and bike mechanics. In this four-week program, youth work with Crucible faculty and volunteer bike mechanics to fix donated bikes, repairing two and keeping one. The other bike is sold to raise money to support our Bike Program.
Applications for this free program are accepted on a rolling basis with sessions running throughout the year.
We Put The Pedal To The Metal
20 youth participated in Earn-A-Bike programing
Building and Maintaining Bikes
Class offerings for youth and adults
The Crucible offers a wide variety of adult classes teaching bike mechanics and bike building. Whether you want to learn the basics of a tune-up or tig weld your own bike from the ground up, The Crucible has you covered. See the complete list of bike mechanic and bike building classes in our Bike Shop Department.
Your Guide to The Bike Shop
Online resources for bike maintenance and repair
In The Crucible’s online guides, we collect the expertise of our 150+ faculty and master craftspeople to share with anyone interested in learning how to make their own objects by hand. We break down our studio areas and focus on sharing the knowledge of our instructors with you.
Have A Bike You Aren’t Using?
Donate it and support our Bike program
Have a good condition bike you’re looking to get rid of? Drop a line to inkind@thecrucible.