Brad Cluberhouse has spent the past three decades trying to change how Fort Worth residents see bikers.
He’s been around motorcycles practically his whole life — on the road since age 9, wearing Harley-Davidson shirts and heavy rings on each finger.
Now 69, the motorcyclist has seen Tarrant County’s motorcycle culture evolve over the decades, watching gang wars and cultural stigmas come and go. Since 1990, he’s been trying to steer it in a new direction.
Welcome to 52 Faces
52 Faces of Community is a Fort Worth Report weekly series spotlighting local unsung heroes. It is sponsored by Central Market, H-E-B and JPS Health Network.
At the end of the year, these rarely recognized heroes will gather for a luncheon where the Report will announce one honoree to represent Tarrant County at the Jefferson Awards in Washington, D.C.
Cluberhouse is the leader of Chula Chasers, a biking club of around 100 active members, wholly devoted to raising money for charity and spreading positivity.
By hosting raffles and affordable barbecues, the club raised about $2 million for local charities focused on improving children’s lives.
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In recent years, the club has given checks of over $100,000 to My Health My Resources of Tarrant County, or MHMR, a nonprofit providing services for youth and adults with mental health conditions, intellectual and developmental disabilities, and substance use disorders.
Cluberhouse’s decadeslong devotion to leading his club of big-hearted bandanaed bikers, and his constant emphasis on doing charity work, earned him recognition in 52 Faces of Community, Fort Worth Report’s weekly series highlighting unsung heroes.
“A lot of bikers that I grew up around were punks, not bikers,” he said. “They were just redneck punks posing as bikers, because a real biker will help you change your tire when you have a flat in the parking lot. He’ll take his shirt off his back for you, and that’s what we do.”
A now-retired self-employed plumber, Cluberhouse has seen his share of trouble. He’s been to jail. He’s been in bar fights. He’s been shot and stabbed. And he’s dealt with the repercussions of decades of cigarettes and heavy drinking.
He started Chula Chasers in the early 1990s with his friend, Johnny Ortez, who died in 2019. At first, the club started more as a joke so they could bike without being affiliated with any gangs. The name itself is meant as a joke, Cluberhouse said, as chula is Spanish for cute or pretty, and can be slang for an attractive woman.
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The club soon participated in North Texas’ biggest toy run, a holiday charity event where motorcyclists gather to collect toys and resources for families in need.
Chula Chasers grew to become the toy run’s largest donor and, eventually, started raising funds for children on its own means.
Now, the group hosts two annual, massive multiday barbecues. Up to 700 people, mostly motorcyclists, show up, pay the $20 admission fee and buy raffles, which in turn go to MHMR.
“We’ll come pulling in (to MHMR) with a group of bikes, and the kids will come running out like you’re a freaking rock star,” Cluberhouse said. “It’s just crazy. It’s a killer feeling, man. It almost brings you to cry.”
Catherine Carlton, chief of staff for MHMR, who nominated Cluberhouse for 52 Faces, called Chula Chasers integral to the agency and the people it serves. She’s known Cluberhouse over her 12 years with MHMR, and she said he’s always believed, demonstrated and lived out commitment to his motto: “It’s for the kids.”
“(Chula Chasers) really is our partner and we couldn’t do some extras we do for people without them,” Carlton said. “Birthday parties, the dance party, going to a sporting event, going to a theater event, just having arts and crafts — they provide the funding for those extras that we don’t have funding for as an agency.”
Cluberhouse said Chula Chasers is picky about who sports the club’s vest, and potential members have to prove they will stay out of trouble.
He leads, he demonstrates, he volunteers. I see that as the recipient of his generosity and volunteerism.
Catherine Carlton, nominator
“We don’t have any rules. We don’t have bylaws. We don’t have any of that crap,” he said. “We don’t have monthly dues, nothing like that. Everything is volunteer, and you’re expected to carry yourself a certain way. It’s just kind of given.”
Through Chula Chasers, Cluberhouse also tries to put club members on better paths by giving them an outlet for good.
“In my opinion, everybody is inherently good, but you have to take a fishing pole sometimes and get it out of them,” he said.
Drew Shaw is a government accountability reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at drew.shaw@fortworthreport.org or @shawlings601.
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