Recycle Bicycle Harrisburg participates in many community events throughout the year. We love being out in the community to let people know about our mission for residents of the greater Harrisburg area – especially those of limited means – with access to safe, reliable, affordable, and environmentally friendly transportation in the form of bicycles. Events we participate in include:

• Earth & Arts Fest / New Cumberland
  
• Bike Roundup / Temple Ohev Shalom Harrisburg
  
• Arts Fest / Riverfront Park Harrisburg
  
• Ride of Silence & Ghost Bike Set Up / The Capitol
  
• CAGA Tour de Belt
  
• Juneteenth Jubilee / Harrisburg
  
• 3rd in the Burg Bike Fix It / Broad Street Market Harrisburg
  
• 4th of July Food Truck Event / Riverfront Park Harrisburg
  

Our community outreach volunteers handle:
Responding to RBH inquiries about outreach
Coordinating city-wide and smaller community events
Maintaining and building new community partnerships
Securing volunteers for community events
Coordination of event display set-up and transport of trailer to and from events

Interested individuals should send an email to: contact@rbhburg.org.

The post Community Outreach Volunteer Coordinators Needed appeared first on Recycle Bicycle Harrisburg.

What are your goals for serving on the RBH board?

John – I have followed the evolution of RBH in its various locations over the years to its current and substantial home on Chestnut Street. I love the story of helping all kinds of people with bike repairs, building community around bicycle repairs and bicycle safety, and the goodwill that RBH has in the greater Harrisburg area. I want to help serve this community.

Jonathan – I have two goals. Number 1 to  get bikes into the hands of as many people in the community as possible and number 2 to help grow the organization so it can better accomplish goal number one.

What skills, experiences, and connections do you bring to RBH?

John – In addition to running the HBG Bike Crew (a source of volunteers) and being good friends with the folks at The Common Wheel in Lancaster (a source of bikes), I’m decent enough with a wrench to pretend to be a mechanic every now and then.

Jonathan – I am a retired mechanical and energy engineer. I worked for a consulting engineering firm in Harrisburg, ran Frey-Lutz’s design-build department and then worked for energy service companies developing energy conservation projects. Most recently, I have worked on facility needs assessments, which look at all property issues (parking lots to roof systems), with the end goal of helping customers plan their facility maintenance and capital projects into the future. I have also served as treasurer of several non-profit organizations.

What’s something about yourself you’d like RBH readers/supporters to know?

John – I enjoy advocacy work on a variety of issues. I call on our elected representatives and ask them to support legislation for positive change in our community. I have learned and continue to learn about our various levels of government (local, state, and federal) and how important it is to ask our elected representatives to help meet our collective needs. I have performed as a percussionist with the New Cumberland Town Band for nearly 40 years.

Jonathan – I’ve got two young boys who I take for bike rides as often as I can!

The post Getting To Know Our Board Members appeared first on Recycle Bicycle Harrisburg.

On a beautiful day in October, RBH joined Sprocket Mural Works and  HBG Bike Crew  for a ride through Harrisburg to track down these artistic celebrations of culture and community. About 45 riders pedaled through the streets to learn about the artists, themes, techniques, and power of art in our community. As many may know, the exterior wall of RBH features one of Sprocket Mural Works murals created during the 2021 Mural Fest. Look for more rides with Sprocket Mural Works and the HBG Bike Crew in the 2025 Mural Fest.

To learn more about our mural, visit https://sprocketmuralworks.org/mural/recycle-bicycle/

The post Much More Than A Mural appeared first on Recycle Bicycle Harrisburg.

Per Pennsylvania law, bikes must have a white light at night. A simple way is by
attaching a flashlight to the handlebars, which RBH supplies to our guests. While old
bike tubes are our standard to attach these flashlights, a clever board member figured
out an innovative solution.

With a 3D printer, he printed small, plastic flashlight mounts for the bike handlebars.
The mounts are attached with a Velcro strap for ease of use.

Since RBH is committed to safety, we also offer helmets and reflective vests at no cost
to individuals who use their bicycle to travel for work.

Below is the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania law from Title 75 regarding lights.
If you use your bike between sunset and sunrise, it must be equipped with a front lamp
and rear and side reflectors that are visible from at least 500 feet. This is both to help
other motorists see you and also to illuminate your path.

Source: 75 Pa. Cons. Stat. §3507 (2016)

The post Bike Light Mount 3D Printer Style appeared first on Recycle Bicycle Harrisburg.

Recycle Bicycle Harrisburg’s (RBH) End of Year Fundraiser is underway. We are excited to raise money to help restock highly used parts, finance building maintenance, and grow new programs. Next year we hope to introduce mountain biking to local youth, continue our Youth Mechanic Program with The Joshua Group and Yellow Breeches Educational Center, and offer opportunities to college students through internships.

Your generous donations will help us continue serving the community and expand our potential. Please consider donating before the end of 2024. Mail checks payable to Recycle Bicycle Harrisburg, to PO Box 5264, Harrisburg, PA 17110 or donate online at https://rbhburg.org/help/donate/

The post Donations at Work appeared first on Recycle Bicycle Harrisburg.

Jonathan Dunkleberger

Jonathan moved to the Harrisburg area in 2014 to continue his career in healthcare IT at Pinnaclehealth. He started the social group ‘HBG Bike Crew’ in 2022, spending the last couple years building up bike culture in the Harrisburg area with the group’s weekly social rides. Since entering the bike scene, Jonathan has been eagerly helping others repair, upgrade, and maintain their own bikes, donating spare bikes to folks who need them, collecting cheap and free bikes from online marketplaces and friends in order to donate them to Recycle Bicycle. He’s also participated in outreach events on RBH’s behalf including the Capitol Police Bike Safety Day and a bicycle repair and safety event in Lower Allen. Jonathan will make a great addition to the RBH team.

Want To Help? RBH is looking for new board members, specifically a treasurer. If you are interested please contact us.

The post Welcome Our New Board Members: Bob Sutton & Jonathan Dunkleberger appeared first on Recycle Bicycle Harrisburg.

Ross Willard approached Harrisburg Police to ask about their policy regarding bicycles and theft. Harrisburg had a code that required bicycles be registered, but enforcement was difficult.

After this consult, Ross agreed to register our bicycles. It was a manual process, and somewhat
tedious, but proved helpful when reuniting bicycles with their owners. We want to thank
Harrisburg Police, who purchased the first set of registration tags for RBH, but since then, we’ve
been responsible for that expense.

In 2021, we started using an online registration system, which helps us retrieve vital
information about a bike’s owner quickly.

Fun Fact – So far in 2024, we have registered 1,640 bicycles!

The post Milestone for Bicycle Registration appeared first on Recycle Bicycle Harrisburg.

RBH will deeply miss our volunteer and friend, George Hing (Ng George L. Hing), who died unexpectedly earlier this year. We will always remember George rushing around the Chestnut Street Shop, diagnosing bike issues, and working diligently to maximize the potential of every bike. George resided in the Carlisle area and generously gave his time to LifeCycle (a New Life Community Church program) since its inception, as well as RBH.

A former educator, George was known to be humble, introspective, and student-focused. No matter the situation, he was constantly seeking to improve himself and those around him. He carried that growth mindset with him to RBH. A dependable, loyal person, George traveled weekly from Carlisle to Harrisburg’s Allison Hill to volunteer in our shop.

RBH founder, Ross Willard, recalls that his first experience with George was working with him to obtain donated bikes from the bike share program at Dickinson College. Ross remembers him as cool, calm, and collected — always wanting to “fix bikes right.” Over time, George became RBH’s ambassador to bicycle co-ops outside South Central PA, taking RBH trinkets as gifts when traveling. After visiting other bike shops, George reported to RBH leadership what they were doing and recommended ways in which our operations could improve.

Additionally, George was instrumental in establishing Carlisle’s Northside Ride — a community ride starting at New Life Community Church and continuing for 3.4 miles to Memorial Park/Hope Station. He convinced borough officials that this ride should be held because it would benefit families with its different bike drills and skills courses for children. Before commencing each Northside Ride event, George and RBH volunteers would check bikes and make any last-minute repairs. The Northside Ride has now existed for many years, and riders sorely miss George’s presence.

George’s enthusiasm and knowledge of bicycles has left a positive impact on the people and organizations he helped. His presence is greatly missed at RBH.

The post Remembering Volunteer George Hing appeared first on Recycle Bicycle Harrisburg.

You may have any of them for FREE (donations appreciated). Check out the options below, then stop by to get yours.

These bikes are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Stop by during shop hours and select your favorite (while supplies last)!

RECYCLE BICYCLE SHOP HOURS:
Monday 12pm-4pm * Tuesday 5pm-8pm * Saturday 9am-12pm

RECYCLE BICYCLE SHOP HOURS:
Monday 12pm-4pm Tuesday 5pm-8pm Saturday 9am-12pm

The post Vintage Bikes Available – Great For Decorating appeared first on Recycle Bicycle Harrisburg.

PLAY BIKE BINGO!
Play Bike Bingo! Download a playing card, then bike your way to complete a row of 5 activities and win a prize. Prizes include a Recycle Bicycle Harrisburg baseball cap or mini bike tool (while supplies last).
DOWNLOAD THE BIKE BINGO CARD
Send your May Bike Month photos to contact@rbhburg.org so we can share them on our social media.

The post May 2024 Bike Bingo & Events appeared first on Recycle Bicycle Harrisburg.