Green Chile Bike Institute launching mid-February!

GCBB is excited to announce our newest project, the Green Chile Bike Institute!

We have been granted funding by the wonderful KRD Foundation (check them out!) to conduct a skills- and community-building educational program. Read on to find out more!

Ok, sounds interesting, what’s it all about?

Course participants will have the opportunity to build their own bike and receive a $200 stipend as well as a Certificate of Completion for the following 20 hour curriculum:

3 2-hour Bike Maintenance and Building Classes (taught by a professionally-trained mechanic/instructor)

3 3-hour Supervised Shop Nights, working with our volunteer mechanics on restorations, including a bike of their choice for themself or a loved one

5 hours of riding in the community, with 2 repairs completed out and around Pueblo and visits to a local bike shop as well as one of the community repair stations.

Eligibility criteria for the course are the same as for our bike recipients. Those can be found here.

Our hope is that anyone completing the course can use the skills, confidence, community and bike they’ve built to go on to whatever opportunity is next for them, with the whole support of the GCBB team behind them.

We are recruiting participants now, so please contact us if interested!

Above are some of our recent bike recipients.

This sounds great, but I’m not eligible. Is there a way I can participate?

Interested community members not eligible under those criteria can take the course series and receive a certificate (no stipend) on a space-available basis. At this time we are only able to accommodate participants ages 18+. Please contact us to find out more! greenchilebike@gmail.com

I don’t have the time to participate or volunteer, but is there a way I can help?

Yes! We can still use donations of partial or complete bikes as well as tools, components, and accessories. Financial support is also welcomed, as it helps us to focus on work directly with those in need rather than fundraising.

We are always looking especially for 80s, 90s and 2000s mountain bikes or cruisers with 26″ wheels, as these are great candidates for rebuilds. While we appreciate generosity in all its forms, we have limited volunteer energy, so please ensure donations are repairable – a bit of rust or dirt, missing pieces and parts, or worn tires are fine, but very old frames, road bikes, and bent or damaged bikes are not as useful.

Donations can be dropped off at Great Divide during business hours at 4th and Santa Fe.

Thank you! We can’t wait to update you on our first couple cohorts completing the GCBI!

-The GCBB volunteers