Strength in our community starts here

Events centered around community partnerships has always been a cornerstone of our business. It all started with Cranksgiving over a decade ago. Rebecca and I had a vision to bring riders together to benefit a local food bank. At the time, all the Cranksgiving rides we’d read about required riders to carry all the food they purchased with them. While it made from hilarious photos and innovative bicycle trailer ideas, it also limited the ride’s impact. We made a decision to haul the food for the riders and our tiny little Lancaster County ride became one of the country’s most successful Cranksgivings. As years passed, our ride grew and evolved. In 2024, our single-day ride provided essentials to three local food banks, distributing much needed food to local families, just in time for the holidays.

But we haven’t stopped there.

This year, we introduced another community-minded idea to help others – BicycleRecycle!  This program collects donor bikes that may otherwise be headed for the landfill, fixes them up, and finds new homes with people who need transportation. The staff at Lititz Bikeworks donates their time and whatever parts the bikes may need to get them in good working order, and together with the help of organizations like the Warwick Community Hub and Lancaster County Chooses Love, they fill a need that has historically been difficult to find a match for. So far this year, we have matched 7 folks who needed a means of transportation, but could not afford to purchase a bike.  Our goal for next year is to find 25 donor bikes, fix them up, and get them to people who need them.

And our community building doesn’t stop there. This spring, for the 4th straight year, Lititz Bikeworks hosted free kids clinics, helping young riders shed their training wheels and experience the joy of bike riding. This is our 5th year teaching kids how to ride bikes, and while Mark always stresses about getting it just right, he will admit that this is one of the most rewarding experiences he has all year. Over 40 kids were signed up this year, and thanks to the help of some wonderful volunteers, these kiddos got to experience the freedom of pedaling a bike without training wheels for the first time. Seeing their faces and watching as their parents clapped and cheered them on gave us all the goosebumps.

Bikeworks is here to support the Lititz community, and each and everyday we are thankful to be doing business in Lititz. If you know someone who could benefit from a bicycle but doesn’t have the means to purchase one, please let us know.