Fun With Bikes…by CJ Speelman
I used to ride my bike like I owned the neighborhood. I left no stone unturned and had daily adventures that have long since turned into muddy memories and afterthoughts. To me, it was just a way to have fun and show-off my limited skills to the neighborhood kids. A few years ago, I discovered that the bicycle is so much more than a toy; it is a vehicle for change.
We live in a pretty complex society to say the least, and transportation is one of the biggest nightmares we face everyday. Whether it is hopping on the ol’ congested freeway, maneuvering the crowded streets of our cities, or just waiting at the bus stop for hours. The nice thing about bicycles is that they transcend space (busy, clogged streets) and time (in Portland especially, bicycles always seem to be one step ahead of cars and buses), yet they provide a very practical solution for many people to transport themselves. For many of the folks in our community, bicycles are the only way they can get around and often provide a means to gather some form of income.
A few weeks ago, I unassumingly set out to fix as many people’s bikes for free as I could. It came from an idea that I had experimented with before through my non-profit/ministry: a free mobile bicycle repair shop. It can provide many different services, from truing wheels to replacing brake cables and all the tools and equipment fit in the back of a car. It’s been a beautiful adventure so far and some weeks we are so busy we can’t keep up.
But the thing that is even more beautiful than fixing people’s bikes and even engaging in the bicycle culture in Portland is the community that is forming around our little set up. Every Sunday, I can count on two of our friends who live outside to help out with the growing number of people using our service. We are starting to learn names and hear stories. It is a huge honor to be trusted with someone’s transportation and an even greater honor to become a friend.
LeeAnn 08/31/10 7:32 PM |
really love this! -creating community/making the city and world a little smaller.
who’s writing here: Jessica or Ken?