Why it Matters

STEM skills are critical for the future—Only about 30% of Colorado students in large districts currently have access to formal STEM programs—leaving many kids without hands-on learning or exposure to these critical skills. Kids of color and girls have been historically underrepresented in both STEM classes and careers, making early exposure and confidence-building especially important.

At the same time, many families cannot afford a quality bike. For those who do have one, the cost of repairs and upkeep can still be out of reach. A bike can mean freedom, independence, and better health—but inequitable access keeps too many kids from riding.

Earn a Bike addresses both challenges: introducing kids to STEM concepts through hands-on bike mechanics while giving them reliable transportation of their own—completely free to them and their families.

How it Works

Earn a Bike is a multi-session, hands-on STEM program offered in partnership with schools and youth-serving organizations. It is not open for individual sign-up; instead, groups bring us in to deliver the program at their site.

• Who can participate: Middle and high school students
  
• Where: At schools, youth agencies, or community sites across Denver
  
• Program focus: Bicycle mechanics, safety, and STEM-based problem-solving
  
• Skills taught: Tool use, teamwork, persistence, leadership, and responsibility
  
• What we provide: Bikes, tools, helmets, locks, and expert instructors
  
• Program outcome: Every graduate earns their own bike—plus a helmet, lock, and tool kit
  

Kids don’t just receive a bike—they build it, understand how it works, and ride away with the knowledge (and confidence) to maintain it.

Impact

Short-term outcomes

• Gain STEM knowledge through hands-on, applied learning
  
• Learn how to safely ride and maintain a bike
  
• Build teamwork, problem-solving, and persistence
  
• Experience pride in earning a bike through their own effort
  
• Access reliable, no-cost transportation
  

Long-term outcomes

• Increased interest and confidence in STEM learning and careers
  
• Improved wellbeing and resilience through perseverance and accomplishment
  
• Greater independence and mobility with their own bike
  
• Lifelong association of biking with fun, health, and empowerment
  

Through Earn a Bike, kids discover not only how to ride, but also how to believe in themselves—one turn of the wrench and one pedal stroke at a time.