In September the 2026 regional Chicago Youth Bike Summit took place. We are please to share and announce the details post-event that came out of the quiet planning between Blackstone Bicycle Works, the National Youth Bike Council, and local partners.

Details: September 19th-20th, 2026 at Experimental Station through Blackstone Bicycle Works.

The summit was scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, but due to rain, the Sunday ride was cancelled and the indoor activities commenced.

The summit was scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, but due to rain, the Sunday ride was cancelled and the indoor activities commenced.

How did they do it?

We got a chance to talk with the Blackstone Bicycle Works staff on how they pulled it all together.

Question: How much did it cost to run the Youth Bike Summit?
Answer: $10,000 plus all the in-kind donations we received. These were the These were our main costs: Breakfast and lunch, youth stipends, travel expenses, materials, supplies, graphics, printing, signage, swag, entertainment performance
Additionally: Youth attendees received a $50 stipend and a Divvy Bike rental for one (1) year.

Question: How many days was the event and what happened each day?
Answer: The 19th and the 20th but the 20th, an outdoor ride got cancelled due to rain. Saturday, September 19, 2026 we had:

• 10:00 AM — Registration + Breakfast
• 10:30 AM — Official Welcome + Community Building
• 10:50 AM — Connie Spreen Welcome / Zion Introduction
• 11:00 AM — Zion Opening Performance
• 11:20 AM — Keynote Introduction
• 11:30 AM — Opening Keynote: Transportation
• 11:50 AM — Youth-Led Breakout I
• 12:35 PM — Lunch + Networking
• 12:35–1:35 PM — Lunch Service / Networking / Food Reset
• 1:35 PM — Youth-Led Breakout II
• 2:20 PM — Return / Transition
• 2:25 PM — Afternoon Keynote: Cycling Advocacy
• 3:10 PM — Advocacy in Action: Open Letter Workshop
• 4:00 PM — Closing / Call to Action
• 4:15 PM — Attendee Departure / Teardown Begins

Question: How did you keep it youth-centered or youth-led?
Answer: Youth planned all of the breakout sessions and engaged participants through two dynamic youth MCs. They also planned and decorated event spaces and led day-of-event registration, photo documentation, breakfast and lunch coordination, and teardown.

Question: Did you work with any partners?
Answers: Sponsors: SRAM, Lyft, Lime – Community Partners: Ride Illinois, The Recyclery, CDOT, Illinois NICA, Active Transportation
Alliance, and various high schools.

Question: 51 attendees, 84 registered

Question: How did you determine the right venue?
Answer: Cost, availability, and space size (our parent company helped provide a venue).

Question: How did you plan the bicycle ride?
Answer: One of our youth leaders, Pablo, planned the route and rode it with Alex, our staff member, several times. We provided a route map to attendees.

Pablo speaking at the Chicago Youth Bike Summit

Youth attendee watches the keynote speakers

Question: How did you plan around insurance and liability?
Answer: Experimental Station, Blackstone Bicycle Work’s parent company has event and liability insurance.

Question: Did you have any swag bags?
Answer: Yes, we also created a Chicago Youth Bike Summit logo/identity to tie in with the City of Chicago colors and branding. We produced custom backpacks, buttons, water bottles, attendee badges/lanyards, pocket folders containing writing paper, pen, Chicagoland Roadmap, and bicycle advocacy information and resources. We also made (heat transfer) custom t-shirts for the summit staff and volunteers.

Question: What was the most challenging thing about planning the Chicago Youth Bike Summit?
Answer: Obtaining buy-in from other youth-driven bicycle organizations and bike shops.

Question: What are some big wishes for next time?
Answer: Key priorities for the next Chicago Youth Bike Summit include strengthening advance planning and coordination with youth leaders and partner organizations, beginning keynote speaker and sponsor outreach earlier, and securing a larger, centrally located venue to increase accessibility and youth participation. Most importantly, we hope to deepen collaboration with local bike shops and community organizations to expand partnerships, leverage shared resources, and create more opportunities for youth engagement and collective impact.

In September the 2026 regional Chicago Youth Bike Summit took place. We are please to share and announce the details post-event that came out of the quiet planning between Blackstone Bicycle Works, the National Youth Bike Council, and local partners.

Details: September 19th-20th, 2026 at Experimental Station through Blackstone Bicycle Works.

The summit was scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, but due to rain, the Sunday ride was cancelled and the indoor activities commenced.

The summit was scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, but due to rain, the Sunday ride was cancelled and the indoor activities commenced.

How did they do it?

We got a chance to talk with the Blackstone Bicycle Works staff on how they pulled it all together.

Question: How much did it cost to run the Youth Bike Summit?
Answer: $10,000 plus all the in-kind donations we received. These were the These were our main costs: Breakfast and lunch, youth stipends, travel expenses, materials, supplies, graphics, printing, signage, swag, entertainment performance
Additionally: Youth attendees received a $50 stipend and a Divvy Bike rental for one (1) year.

Question: How many days was the event and what happened each day?
Answer: The 19th and the 20th but the 20th, an outdoor ride got cancelled due to rain. Saturday, September 19, 2026 we had:

• 10:00 AM — Registration + Breakfast
• 10:30 AM — Official Welcome + Community Building
• 10:50 AM — Connie Spreen Welcome / Zion Introduction
• 11:00 AM — Zion Opening Performance
• 11:20 AM — Keynote Introduction
• 11:30 AM — Opening Keynote: Transportation
• 11:50 AM — Youth-Led Breakout I
• 12:35 PM — Lunch + Networking
• 12:35–1:35 PM — Lunch Service / Networking / Food Reset
• 1:35 PM — Youth-Led Breakout II
• 2:20 PM — Return / Transition
• 2:25 PM — Afternoon Keynote: Cycling Advocacy
• 3:10 PM — Advocacy in Action: Open Letter Workshop
• 4:00 PM — Closing / Call to Action
• 4:15 PM — Attendee Departure / Teardown Begins

Question: How did you keep it youth-centered or youth-led?
Answer: Youth planned all of the breakout sessions and engaged participants through two dynamic youth MCs. They also planned and decorated event spaces and led day-of-event registration, photo documentation, breakfast and lunch coordination, and teardown.

Question: Did you work with any partners?
Answers: Sponsors: SRAM, Lyft, Lime – Community Partners: Ride Illinois, The Recyclery, CDOT, Illinois NICA, Active Transportation
Alliance, and various high schools.

Question: 51 attendees, 84 registered

Question: How did you determine the right venue?
Answer: Cost, availability, and space size (our parent company helped provide a venue).

Question: How did you plan the bicycle ride?
Answer: One of our youth leaders, Pablo, planned the route and rode it with Alex, our staff member, several times. We provided a route map to attendees.

Pablo speaking at the Chicago Youth Bike Summit

Youth attendee watches the keynote speakers

Question: How did you plan around insurance and liability?
Answer: Experimental Station, Blackstone Bicycle Work’s parent company has event and liability insurance.

Question: Did you have any swag bags?
Answer: Yes, we also created a Chicago Youth Bike Summit logo/identity to tie in with the City of Chicago colors and branding. We produced custom backpacks, buttons, water bottles, attendee badges/lanyards, pocket folders containing writing paper, pen, Chicagoland Roadmap, and bicycle advocacy information and resources. We also made (heat transfer) custom t-shirts for the summit staff and volunteers.

Question: What was the most challenging thing about planning the Chicago Youth Bike Summit?
Answer: Obtaining buy-in from other youth-driven bicycle organizations and bike shops.

Question: What are some big wishes for next time?
Answer: Key priorities for the next Chicago Youth Bike Summit include strengthening advance planning and coordination with youth leaders and partner organizations, beginning keynote speaker and sponsor outreach earlier, and securing a larger, centrally located venue to increase accessibility and youth participation. Most importantly, we hope to deepen collaboration with local bike shops and community organizations to expand partnerships, leverage shared resources, and create more opportunities for youth engagement and collective impact.