Kids

November 20th, 2008 Posted in General

Right as autumn begins to creep up, a bunch of kids just started riding their bikes.

One of us Sprockettes lives across the street from a house that seems to be inhabited only by kids and a lot of them. It’s kids year round, outside, playing and running around until the sun sets, no matter what time that is. This summer, I painted my Sprockettes bike in an empty lot next to the house, and one of the kids spent the afternoon watching the process. Never having seen a grown woman spray paint a kids’ bike before, he asked rapid-fire investigative journalist-style questions about Sprockettes. The interview went on so long, I thought he was looking to bring us in for show and tell.

Last weekend, the boy stopped by to show off his new bike, helmet, and cable lock. He regularly walks over to my place to ask me about Sprockettes, but this was the first time he’d pedaled over. The boy (whose name is still a mystery, after 2 ½ years on this street) had earned his bike and gear by attending a Community Cycling Center after-school Bike Club. The club is for 9-12 year olds from low-income families. They learn, they work, they earn a bike. He told me all about it. This kid was so proud of his bike, especially because his wheels were bigger than my Sprockettes bike 20 inches. He marched into my garage, pulled out some tools and started making adjustments to his ride. The next day, he and his 4 year old sibling showed up looking for air for the younger one’s 12-inch wheels. The older boy and I took apart the bike, cleaned and lubed the chain, filled the tires, and had a heated debate about training wheels while a horde of other young family members pedaled over and messed around with their bikes using as many of my tools as they could get their hands on. I’d never even seen these kids on bikes before.

A rare occasion, practice was cancelled this evening. The older boy saw me in the front yard just after dark and came tearing across the street to find out why I wasn’t at practice. I didn’t even know the kid liked bikes that much, and he’s never seen us perform (he thinks we do BMX tricks, but how do I explain bike dancing to a kid who hardly even rides?), and I’ve certainly never told him I had practice on Wednesday nights. But suddenly he has become Sprockettes’ biggest fan, even to the point of memorizing our practice schedule, and he is now the proud owner of a beautiful, rebuilt bicycle that he earned by becoming a knowledgeable and capable rider.

Sprockettes support anyone interested in pursuing bicycling whether for sport, commuting, fun, zoobombing, ridiculousness, or just because it makes you look and feel fantastic. If you’re not a bicyclist yourself, there are a lot of locally-owned and cooperative shops around Portland to get you started. You can also access some very handy Oregon Revised Statutes on bicyclists’ and motorists’ legal rights and responsibilities in “Pedal Power: A Legal Guide for Oregon Cyclists” at http://www.stc-law.com/bikepower.html.

Enjoy your ride.