COMMUNITY HAVE SPENT YEARS GIVING BACK TO OTHERS, AND WE’RE HIGHLIGHTING THAT WORK AS WE CELEBRATE OUR OWN ANNIVERSARY. 70 YEARS NOW, THE KCRA HAS SERVED THIS REGION. MICHAEL TUBBS SACRAMENTO STARTED OUT CONNECTING AT-RISK KIDS WITH BIKES OF THEIR OWN, BUT OVER THE YEARS HAS GROWN TO HELPING ANYONE WHO WANTS TO BE ON TWO WHEELS AND SAFELY. HERE’S LEE ANNE DENYER. SOMETIMES ALL A BIKE NEEDS IS A LITTLE TLC. I DON’T THINK THIS BREAK IN THE BACK IS WORKING AT ALL TO GET IT, AND ITS RIDER ON THE ROAD. IT’S ALWAYS GOOD TO BE OUT ON THE STREET WITH A WITH YOUR BIKE. I MEAN, I REMEMBER AS A LITTLE KID I LOVED RIDING MY BIKE EVERYWHERE. ERIC NEMER HAS FIXED HUNDREDS OF BIKES. AS A LONGTIME VOLUNTEER WITH BIKE LAB SACRAMENTO. THIS BIKE HAS TWO TYPES OF BRAKES. THE NONPROFIT PUTS ON THESE BIKE LABS THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY, FIXING UP BIG BIKES AND SMALL BIKES ALIKE. BIKE SHOPS ARE WONDERFUL, BUT A LOT OF FOLKS CAN’T AFFORD THAT, SO WE FIX THEM FOR FREE. CHRIS AGUIRRE FOUNDED BIKE LAB TEN YEARS AGO. I’VE BEEN IN THE PRIVATE AND NONPROFIT INDUSTRY FOR SACRAMENTO REGION FOR YEARS, AND I CURRENTLY TEACH AT SAC STATE, AND I WORK AT AN ENGINEERING FIRM AS WELL. BUT I’VE ALWAYS HAD A PASSION FOR BIKES, A PASSION FOR FIXING BIKES, AND FOR TEACHING OTHERS HOW TO DO IT TOO. IT’S JUST TRIAL AND ERROR, THE SAME WAY I LEARNED, YOU KNOW? SO IT’S REALLY EMPOWERING FOR THE KIDS AND ADULTS TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT. AND IT’S MUCH MORE THAN JUST FIXING THE BIKE. WE CAUGHT UP WITH AGUIRRE AT A RANCHO CORDOVA GOOD NEIGHBOR DAY. IT’S PARTNERSHIPS WITH LOCAL AGENCIES AND PRIVATE DONATIONS. HE SAYS, THAT KEEP THE ORGANIZATION PEDALING ON, ALLOWING IT TO EXPAND ITS IMPACT. WE REALLY WORK WITH, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES. AND SO IT’S A REQUIREMENT SOMETIMES FOR, YOU KNOW, HIGH SCHOOL TO HAVE SOME SORT OF SERVICE HOURS, BUT THEY CAN’T AFFORD TO GO OUT THERE AND WORK AND VOLUNTEER FOR FREE. SO WE’RE REALLY PROUD THAT WE’RE ABLE TO PAY THOSE KIDS. BIKE IS PERFECT NOW. OKAY. THIS YEAR, BIKE LAB HAS ALREADY FIXED MORE THAN 600 BIKES, BRINGING THE SHOP TO COMMUNITIES AND KEEPING WHEELS SPINNING WITHIN THEM. IN RANCHO CORDOVA, LEE ANNE DENYER KCRA THREE NEWS. AND GARY ENCOURAGES ANYONE INTERESTED IN GETTING INVOLVED JUST TO REACH OUT. AND THEY’RE ALSO LOOKING FOR DONATIONS, BOTH FINANCIAL AND
Bike Lab Sacramento empowers communities through free bike repairs
Bike Lab Sacramento, founded by Chris Aguirre, offers free bike repairs to community members, fostering empowerment and encouraging health through cycling.
Updated: 11:34 PM PDT Oct 29, 2025
In a matter of a couple of hours, Chris Aguirre and his team of Bike Lab volunteers can often have some two dozen bicycles checked out, tuned up, and back on the road with their riders. The group offers a variety of community services, including free bike repairs to those who need them, as part of its greater commitment to helping more people get outside.”Bike shops are wonderful, but a lot of folks can’t afford that, so we fix them for free,” said Chris Aguirre, Bike Lab’s founder. Aguirre founded the nonprofit 10 years ago. The group started out providing bikes to foster youth and kids who had been previously incarcerated. Over the years, he said, they expanded their services out to teaching kids how to fix bikes and then expanding further, offering bike repairs to anyone in the community. This year, Bike Lab has already held more than 30 Bike Labs and fixed more than 600 bikes.Aguirre, who has been involved in both private and nonprofit sectors in the Sacramento region for years, currently teaches at Sacramento State and works at an engineering firm. “I’ve always had a passion for bikes,” he said.Aguirre said he’s found a real joy teaching others how to fix their bikes, noting how it helps strengthen problem solving skills and can be a skill used for life. “It’s really empowering for the kids and adults to be able to do that,” he said. The organization is supported by donations and regional partnerships; KCRA 3 caught up with Bike Lab at a Rancho Cordova Good Neighbor Day. Aguirre said he is particularly proud of the organization for launching an internship program for high school students who need credit for school but can’t afford to work unpaid.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
SACRAMENTO, Calif. —
In a matter of a couple of hours, Chris Aguirre and his team of Bike Lab volunteers can often have some two dozen bicycles checked out, tuned up, and back on the road with their riders. The group offers a variety of community services, including free bike repairs to those who need them, as part of its greater commitment to helping more people get outside.
“Bike shops are wonderful, but a lot of folks can’t afford that, so we fix them for free,” said Chris Aguirre, Bike Lab’s founder.
Aguirre founded the nonprofit 10 years ago. The group started out providing bikes to foster youth and kids who had been previously incarcerated. Over the years, he said, they expanded their services out to teaching kids how to fix bikes and then expanding further, offering bike repairs to anyone in the community.
This year, Bike Lab has already held more than 30 Bike Labs and fixed more than 600 bikes.
Aguirre, who has been involved in both private and nonprofit sectors in the Sacramento region for years, currently teaches at Sacramento State and works at an engineering firm.
“I’ve always had a passion for bikes,” he said.
Aguirre said he’s found a real joy teaching others how to fix their bikes, noting how it helps strengthen problem solving skills and can be a skill used for life.
“It’s really empowering for the kids and adults to be able to do that,” he said.
The organization is supported by donations and regional partnerships; KCRA 3 caught up with Bike Lab at a Rancho Cordova Good Neighbor Day.
Aguirre said he is particularly proud of the organization for launching an internship program for high school students who need credit for school but can’t afford to work unpaid.
See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel