BIKES N' ROSES
How it Started
Formed by Communities United youth leaders envisioning a space for a positive outlet in their communities, Bikes N’ Roses (BNR) is a youth-driven bicycle cooperative providing job training and employment opportunities to young people. BNR uses bicycles as both a medium to drive social change and a foundation from which young people can learn and practice skills applicable to college and career, build their self-confidence, develop and strengthen peer and community relationships, and become agents of positive change in their communities.
Our Coordinator
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Hey, y'all! My name is Francisco, or "Paco." I'm from Chicago, born and raised in the Pilsen neighborhood. I love biking in all forms; I own and ride eight bikes in different styles. I also love food— any chance I get, a ride will end at a new spot to eat or have café. I've worked at Big Marsh and Working Bikes, and volunteered with many community projects. I'm also an artist. My last showcase was with René Amado at Wisconsin's Racine Art Museum, where my 26' lowchopper La Trucha was displayed for a year. I'm very happy to join the team and work with youth and this awesome community we have! Ride safe and clean them chains.
Past Events
Alebrije Night
In Mexican culture, alebrijes are whimsical, brightly colored sculpture of creatures who are meant to serve as protective spirit guides. Alebrije Night was an end-of-year celebration that featured an art gallery of bikes that our youth mechanics painted, inspired by this concept. The celebration was a cozy night of community, featuring limited edition shirts designed and printed by your youth, Goldsprints where people could cheer on their friends, a spoke card crafts station, and drinks provided by Right Bee Cider.
Gathering of Communities
As a part of Communities United's annual Gathering of Communities, our teens built a blender bike, on which people had fun making smoothies. The project was a creative way to show how cycling fuels both mental and physical well-being. For our collective, riding isn't just transportation— it's a source of stress relief, confidence, connection, and strength. By engineering a bike-powered blender, they turned that message into something hands-on and joyful, demonstrating how movement can literally and figuratively nourish our communities.
"Pedal to Wellness" Campaign
This 2025 summer campaign aimed to support physical and mental wellness and healing in Austin. In this initiative, we hosted eight free bike repair clinics over the past four months, to help our neighbors and community members get back on their bikes. Together, our youth and adult mechanics repaired 130 bikes and gave away 16 brand new ones, all at no cost, saving residents an estimated $14,550 total. The campaign concluded with a culminating neighborhood bike ride and barbecue.
SRAM HQ Tour and Career Panel
According to Pew Research, 86% of teens say it’s extremely or very important to them to have a job or career they enjoy when they’re an adult. That’s one reason we’re grateful for the opportunity our youth had when they headed to the award-winning, global headquarters of SRAM with Chicago United. There, they heard from professionals of color who found their niches in the cycling industry, including IT, marketing, engineering, and more. A special thank you to SRAM staff, who also gave a behind-the-scenes tour of product development. As we explored a product’s journey from the moment the idea is born, to its final manufacturing, we enjoyed seeing what it takes to be one of the most prominent companies in cycling.
Track Cats Programming
We’re happy to share our shop and equipment with Track Cats, a track cycling team for youth riders in Chicago between the ages 12 and 22. Track Cats’ mission is to introduce youth who are already drawn to track bikes to the velodrome, increase the diversity of track cycling—particularly by uplifting Black youth and girls—and grow ridership at the velodrome.
Annual Ride to Springfield
For three years in a row, we hosted an annual “Shift Gears” tour. A team of 15 youth riders would bike 70 miles a day, for 3 days, and meet with clergy, elected officials, and community leaders along the way to elevate the need for youth investment. These incredible youth would begin with a press conference and call on policymakers to “shift gears” by reinvesting in education, youth jobs, and after school programs. Among these policymakers was the City of Normal’s Mayor Chris Koos, who hosted our team and shared breakfast with us in a hotel!