Free Bikes 4 Kidz (FB4K) is an established national organization that collects, fixes, and donates bikes in 15 cities (https://fb4k.org). FB4K is one of ten partner organizations part of Morgantown’s Youth Cycling Coalition (YCC) pilot city program (https://youthcyclingcoalition.org/pilot-program/). Morgantown is the national pilot for the Youth Cycling Coalition, which seeks to benefit underserve
d groups especially. We expect to collect and re-distribute bicycles from all the other local YCC groups, including BMX bikes, mountain bikes, and commuter bikes. Over time, we anticipate the Morgantown community will donate enough gently used bikes to allow us to re-distribute bikes around the state. FB4K Morgantown will enable even the youngest children to learn to balance before they can pedal using Strider Bikes (https://striderbikes.com), provided at no cost, shipped by the palette load from Amazon returns (see attachment). We already take in gently used bikes from local community members and Youth Cycling Coalition organization partner groups. The cost of repairing/refurbishing each bike and providing a helmet averages $25 (per FB4K national). Then, we will donate bikes to community partners (NICA, Little Bellas, and others) who get them to families who need them. This model has been self-sustaining in other cities: FB4K has given away almost 100,000 bicycles nationally (https://fb4k.org), and chapters have been successful in obtaining corporate sponsorship for ongoing operating expenses. With West Virginia’s growing emphasis on outdoor recreation as an economic driver, it is important to get children attached to outdoor activities like bicycling. Physical activity not only offers health benefits, but improves self-esteem, increases mental well-being, and reduces depression. People who bike together build social bonds through shared interests. Volunteering with FB4K will let interested youth learn skills in bike repair/maintenance; if interested, they can continue to develop vocational skills through Youth Cycling Coalition partner Project Bike Tech, which will offer a 2-year training program in bike repair and maintenance for juniors/seniors in Morgantown. COMMUNITY NEXT STEPS
We can organize to offer free bike pickup and drop-off services for any member of the community that doesn’t have easy access to transportation. While Morgantown has public transportation, it can be slow and is not suitable for donating bikes and parts. We can partner with local police to create and maintain a central database of bike registration numbers and associated owners, using metallic stickers and discreet Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags. Syncing this with either of the two national bike registries will increase the chances of recovery when there are bike thefts. This registration system will be important to pilot with FB4K Morgantown to ensure donated bikes stay in the hands of the kids they are intended for. While we have bike programming for ages 7-13 (Little Bellas) and ages 11-18 (NICA), the community will need to plan in the future for “littles” rides. Bike playgrounds are part of the trail plan in preparation. Local recycling programs, like Jeremy Blizard’s Nerd Rage, can help facilitate recycling metal and plastic parts of donated bikes that cannot be re-used. West Virginia was recently selected for the site of a major scrap-fed steel mill (https://www.recyclingtoday.com/article/nucor-steel-recycling-mill-west-virginia-investment/). Sustainability
To summarize, FB4K Morgantown, as part of the Youth Cycling Coalition pilot, has strong community support and is key to ensuring equity to bike access as Morgantown expands its trail networks and bike programming. The durability of the FB4K model has been proven in 15 other markets.
