This year marks an incredible milestone: 20 years of growth, gears, and community impact at Blackstone Bicycle Works! As a program of Experimental Station, BBW has proudly served Woodlawn and Chicago’s South Side as a vibrant, youth-focused bike workshop for the past two decades.
Blackstone Bicycle Works’ Roots
What began as a retail shop and youth education program in 2006, quickly became something more powerful. Young people didn’t just learn to fix bikes, they gained experience in the operations of running a bikeshop. From sales and service to full mechanical overhauls, youth supported Blackstone Bicycle Works program managers, building their confidence, responsibility, and real-world skills while keeping neighbors biking.
Did You Know?
Long before it was Blackstone Bicycle Works, the Resource Center—Chicago’s very first recycling center—operated a bike shop in this same space during the 1990s. Following a fire, the Resource Center was incorporated into the Experimental Station, and shortly after, Blackstone Bicycle Works was (re)born. Our mission of sustainability and community renewal is baked into the very foundation of this building.
Shifting Gears
Five years ago, Blackstone Bicycle Works shifted gears to focus solely on youth education, closing our retail shop. At the heart of our youth education is the Apron System, a leveled framework designed to guide youth through progressive mechanical skill-building and personal leadership growth. Youth ages 9–18 advance through these levels as they master new mechanical competencies, gaining both technical expertise and the pride of earning an apron that displays their hard-earned skills.
We remain committed to keeping our community riding safely through 'Open Shop,' a dedicated space where youth participants and program managers apply their mechanical skills to teach neighbors how to maintain and repair their own bicycles.
Beyond the shop walls, Blackstone Bicycle Works advocates for safer pedestrian and cycling infrastructure through its active role on the Governor’s Zero Traffic Fatalities Task Force.
Blackstone Bicycle Works’ today
Today, Blackstone Bicycle Works offers diverse youth programming—including in-school bicycle and traffic safety lessons, after-school programs, seasonal camps, and a Cyclocross Race Team—none of which would be possible without our community.
We are powered by the volunteers who mentor our youth, the neighbors who donate bikes, and the parents who partner with us to support their children’s growth. Together, we are building a foundation of confidence and responsibility on two wheels, where every shared effort builds a culture of cycling and belonging that extends far beyond our shop walls
We are deeply grateful to our past and present program managers, whose leadership and care have shaped generations of young mechanics, and to the youth and families who have called Blackstone Bicycle Works home.
For two decades, Blackstone Bicycle Works has been more than a bike workshop; it’s been a community in motion. Here’s to the next 20 years of impact!
Stay Tuned
celebrate 20 years of Blackstone Bicycle Works, we will be hosting a fundraising party in September! Stay tuned for more information.
