Important advice for someone wanting to start a bike program
You should join the Think Tank email list, look for other programs near you and check in for advice! Good luck!~

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* Tools for Life is a manual covering many of the issues (getting a space, structuring programs, funding, community relations, etc.) involved in starting a youth bike program. The manual was written by Recycle-A-Bicycle in New York City, and is available for download at: Transportation Alternatives

* See the website for Recycle-A-Bicycle in NYC. Also, One Revolution at at Time: A Guide to Starting and Running Youth Bike Ride Clubs is a 48 page illustrated manual, filled with Recycle-A-Bicycle's valuable lessons gleaned from many years of organizing bike trips for young people. It will help readers set up a club, staff and prepare for rides, raise money in support of these activities, deal with safety and liability issues, as well as provide useful supporting forms and checklists. Pick up a free copy at Recycle-A-Bicycle in NYC, or mail a $5 check to Recycle-A-Bicycle, 55 Washington Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201.

* Bikes Not Bombs publishes the Earn-A-Bike Instructor Manual, used to train adults and prepare them to teach young people in our Earn-A-Bike programs. These mechanics training and lesson plans are available for free download from the Bikes Not Bombs website.

* The Girls-In-Action group at Bikes Not Bombs has created a video to teach safe-riding skills to groups of youth bikers. This video is a standard part of the BNB Earn-A-Bike curriculum, and is in use by other Earn-A-Bike programs around the country. Eric Hermann of “Kids and Transportation Program” in Portland has this to say about the video, “I already had a good bike safety video, made by kids, for kids. But the response I get from kids watching the BNB video is 10 times better. This video reaches today’s kids, especially girls, shows diversity in the kids, the situations, the skill levels… Way to go BNB.” This video is available from Bikes Not Bombs for a fee. Contact Diana Boro at


* More specific questions about shipping bikes to development projects in other countries can be directed to David Branigan. Email

* More specific questions about Bikes Not Bombs’ youth bike programs can be directed to Diana Boro. Email