Brad Appel

Brad is the brain behind the bike — the one who makes it all happen — the visionary. He founded Wish for Wheels in 2004 and works tirelessly toward our mission of bringing kids’ dreams a new set of wheels. According to Brad, Wish for Wheels is special because it allows kids to experience the freedom, independence and success of riding a bike. He enjoys mountain and road biking, and bike rides with his two daughters and son. Brad’s favorite movie is Breaking Away – he loves it when the Italians come to town.

“My dad and I rebuilt an old chopper style single speed bike. We took the whole bike apart and repainted the frame, added a glitter banana seat, chopper bars, the whole nine yards. That was one of my favorite bikes. In elementary school we used to hang out after school, eat Good Humor Ice Cream, and jump our bikes on dirt jumps we would build. The banana seat chopper bike my dad and I built was an awesome jumping bike.”