FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 9, 2026
Bikes for All Opens 2026 Nominations After Getting More Than 110 Bikes Rolling Last Year
Elevation Outdoors and Smith Creek Cycle aim to place 100 bikes with Central Okanagan families before the holidays. Nominations close December 1.
Kelowna, BC – Bikes for All is back for its sixth year, and nominations are open until December 1st. Run by Elevation Outdoors and Smith Creek Cycle, the program gives free, tuned-up bikes to people in the Central Okanagan who face financial, social or situational barriers to owning one. Since 2021 it has put more than 450 bikes into the community, and the goal for 2026 is 100 more.
Last year made the need clear. Bikes for All received more than 160 applications in 2025 and matched more than 110 bikes with newcomer families, kids and adults before the holidays. Volunteer mechanics put in almost 100 hours over four mechanic nights so every bike left safe and ready to ride, and every recipient went home with a helmet.
For many recipients, a bike is how they get to work or school without waiting on a bus. Others just want their kids riding with friends. One grandparent wrote on the day of pickup: “My grandson is already in love with it. He’s out riding around the neighbourhood on it already.”
Every recipient will again get a helmet this year, thanks to support from ICBC. Bikes will be matched and handed out through November and December from three pickup spots: Smith Creek Cycle in West Kelowna, Cyclepath Kelowna, and the Elevation Outdoors office in Kelowna. Where transportation is a barrier, the team can arrange delivery in limited cases.
“Every year the applications tell us the same thing. There are a lot of people in our community who would benefit from having a bike, whether that’s getting to work, getting to school or getting outside with their kids,” says Mike Greer, Executive Director of Elevation Outdoors. “More than 160 people applied last year. We can only meet that because of Smith Creek Cycle, Bikeways, Cyclepath and the mechanics who give up their Thursday nights.”
Smith Creek Cycle has led the mechanical side of Bikes for All since day one, hosting mechanic nights and serving as a donation and pickup location.
“Watching a kid ride away on a bike that actually fits them is one of the best parts of our year. If your family has a kids bike that’s been outgrown, bring it by the shop and let us find it a new home,” says Brian McClelland, owner of Smith Creek Cycle.
How to get involved
Nominate someone (by December 1). Families, community agencies and individuals can nominate anyone in the Central Okanagan who would benefit from a bike, including themselves. The team matches each person with the right size from what’s available, so a nomination doesn’t guarantee a bike. Nominate at form.jotform.com/262806872141256.
Donate a bike. Thanks to Bikeways, which is donating many of this year’s bikes, the program is seeking donations of a few specific sizes:
- Kids bikes with 16″, 20″ or 24″ wheels
- Adult bikes in a size extra small or small frame with 26″ or 27.5″ wheels
Drop bikes off at Smith Creek Cycle in West Kelowna during business hours. Kelowna donors can arrange a drop-off at the Elevation Outdoors office through the contact on the Bikes for All page.
Bikes for All is made possible in 2026 by Smith Creek Cycle, Cyclepath Kelowna, Bikeways, the Traine Charitable Foundation, financial support from the Colin and Lois Pritchard Foundation, and helmet funding from ICBC. Donations to the program cover repairs, replacement parts and tune-ups, and can be made at elevationoutdoors.ca/donate.
About Elevation Outdoors
Founded in 2007, Elevation Outdoors is a Kelowna-based charity that offers outdoor sports programs, mentorship and life skills coaching to youth ages 12 to 18 across the Central Okanagan who face barriers to participation. Eligible youth take part at no cost, with all equipment and transportation provided. Learn more at elevationoutdoors.ca.
Media contact
Mike Greer, Executive Director, Elevation Outdoors [email protected] 250-870-9094 ext 2.