Wheels for Winners

06/04/2026

Wow, 42 Bikes Repaired with Students at Marquette & O'Keefe Schools
4 Wheels volunteers, 4 East High students & teacher, and Madison pedestrian & bicycle outreach and WI Bike Fed work a free bike repair event for students at Marquette and O’Keefe schools.

This tremendous collaboration repaired a whopping 42 bikes at this fun event on May 27th!

06/02/2026

Every Week is Bike Week at Wheels for Winners
In 2025, 497 refurbished bikes, new helmets and locks provided to “earners” who do 10+ hours of volunteer work in their community. Plus, 678 bikes were repaired at no charge through our April to September Free Bike Repair Events!

Keeping bikes out of landfills since 1992, 100% Volunteer & non-profit. We are hard at work refurbishing bikes in our shop Mon. - Fri. all year long, plus free repair events in spring and summer.

Bike Week congratulations to all of Madison and Dane County!

06/02/2026

Bayview Youth Earn 31 Bikes
Bayview youth sign up to do 10+ hours of volunteer work around the Bayview community to earn bikes. We provided 31 bikes, new helmets and locks to excited kids on May 15th.

16 youth donated bikes back to Wheels that they outgrew so we could refurbish them anew and provide them to other bike earners.

So much fun to see happy bike riders. Special thanks to Chong at Bayview for coordinating the bike applications and volunteer work of the kids!

05/27/2026

New Bike Earners - Volunteers in the Community

In 2025 we provided 497 refurbished bikes to people who did 10 or more hours of volunteer service in our communities! Types of volunteer service included Food Pantries, Tutoring, Gardening or Yard Work, Social Justice/Community Activism.

Wheels was founded in 1992, to refurbish used bikes to keep them out of landfills and encourage giving back to the community. We provide these bikes to people who do 10 or more hours of volunteer service.

Below are a few or our recent bike earners. Operation Fresh Start, family of bike earners, Open Doors for Refugees.

05/24/2026

We have been partnering with Neighborhood Police Officer Andre Lewis and Ms. Laura at the Allied Learning Center to provide bikes to kids the past few years. Wednesday’s event was filled with excitement, enthusiasm and a little trepidation. 3 of our 4 earners did not know how to ride a bike but we try not to offer training wheels. Nivali was super helpful, both as a native Spanish speaker and also as a Bike Fed representative who loves teaching kids how to ride without training wheels. Allied staff and a handful of neighborhood officers were also there to help with adjusting helmets and providing encouragement and support. Always a fun and meaningful event. Thanks everyone! 🚴‍♀️

05/21/2026

New Volunteer Wrenchers - First Bikes
They increase our inventory of refurbished bikes for our busy season.

We train all our volunteer mechanics how to refurbish a bike from bottom to top, starting with smaller bikes. We want every bike refurbished correctly. And our most experienced mechanics do a quality control check on the entire bike to make sure it is done right and is safe!

05/20/2026

Free Bike Repair Events in Full Swing
Schedule at: https://wheelsforwinners.org/free-repair-events
Does your bike need repair? Don’t know how to fix it? Can’t afford to pay for repairs?

Don’t ride an unsafe bike! Bring it to one of our 23 free bike repair events between now and August 31st. Events are scheduled throughout the Madison area, including many Madison city parks.

04/15/2026

Special thanks to Budget Bicycle Center and Planet Bike for their financial support!

We very much appreciate your support of youth cycling and our mission to provide quality refurbished bikes to those who perform 10 hours of volunteer service.

04/14/2026

Thank you Madison Area Sports Commission for your support! 🚴‍♀️

Here’s something to feel great about: The Madison Area Sports Commission has awarded $38,335 in youth grants to 20 amazing organizations serving youth in Dane County!

In the coming weeks, we'll be sharing stories from some of these grant winners—the kind of stories that show what's possible when young people get the support and access they need to thrive in sports and beyond.

Congrats to all the winners! 👏

🔗 to view the winners and more info on the youth grant: https://visitmadison.pulse.ly/uf5njklqlo

03/03/2026

You Can Perform Magic!
Help create Magic Smiles and Joy by donating at https://www.thebigshare.org/organizations/wheels-for-winners
Only $1,400 in match left on the last day of our Big Share 2026 Fundraiser.

I've been a volunteer mechanic at Wheels for Winners for 5 years and I've learned how to perform magic And You can too, by helping us put a Big Smile on the face of a child getting a bike.

It starts with the child doing 10 hours of volunteer work at school, their neighborhood, community center, place of worship, a park…

Then a parent, relative, teacher, social worker, community center employee brings the child to Wheels for Winners, and they pick out a great refurbished bike, complete with new helmet and lock.

This is magic for the child who receives a fun-damental possession they will remember for their lifetime! This is magic for you and I, knowing we helped put a Big Smile on their face as they experience the joy of bike riding!

You can help us create magic. $60 provides a refurbished bike, new helmet and lock and your donation will be matched by our volunteers creating two feats of magic.

Please donate now at https://www.thebigshare.org/organizations/wheels-for-winners.