At the moment I am house sitting for a couple who own a high performance bike shop called cycletherapy in Queen Charlotte City, Haida Gwaii. Part of this house sit means working at their store. I love bikes and have derived great distances, excercise and joy, especially from bikes that fit me and worked well. Being here in the store has made me think about the times when I have fixed me own bike and the satisfaction and empowerment that came from those experiences.
The people I am house sitting for will be moving off the island in the next year or so, leaving a hole where parts, repairs and skookum gear are concerned.
The other night at a party I started talking about this impending void with a group of teachers, there happened to be representatives from elementary, highschool and alternative school present. We discussed the possibilities of incorporating bike maintenace and bike riding into curricula. All were excited.
In highschool I took a class in car mechanics, learning how to change brake pads, oil etc. Only this year (10 years later) did I actually end up owning a car though (thanks dad!) and sadly most of that knowledge has been lost to the ether. I have, however owned many bicycles, which have needed many repairs. Thanks to Our Commuinity Bikes, and the Bike Kitchen in UBC I have been able to at least assist in many of these repairs. These places make bike repair approachable and practical by supplying you with all the parts, tools and assistance you need. Sadly, Here in small town Haida Gwaii there is simply not the volume to support something like this, however the idea of a bike club, which could evolve into a bike class seems totally feasible. It has been tried in Montreal as a way of keeping at risk kids from dropping out of school. I feel it would also be a great way of promoting physical education (the kind you don't need a team for, even better) and reduced carbon emmisions. Yet another tangent for me to send myself on.
I am just starting to read Zinn & the art of Road Bike Maintenance which was reccomended to me by one of the teachers at that party. We happened to have it at the bike store, It includes tons of illustrations and great instructions. Hopefully it can help me start a bike school. I have been in touch with the Haida Gwaii Semester Abroad program, which is run through UBC to see if any fot their spring students feel like taking this on as a student project. Time will tell.
