Bike Swap for Low-income Youth

Bob Sanders had careers in journalism and public relations before retiring to the Pacific Northwest. He worked for the Chicago Tribune, Field Enterprises (Chicago Sun-Times/Daily News), public television, Playboy and TV Guide plus other newspapers. His weekly blog, Sidebars, may be found at http://sidebars.typepad.com

Andi DeKoster, a sophomore at Squalicum High School, couldn’t make up his mind. It was either a Cannondale at $775 or a Bridgestone 282 at $200.

First in line with parents Dean and Renate at the May 12 Bike Swap, DeKoster had originally raced to the Cannondale when the 10 a.m. alarm sounded the start of the biking community’s twice-yearly event.

Bicycling is important to young DeKoster, who chanced upon the wreckage of a road bike on a street corner. Attached was a note offering the bike free to any mechanically inclined finder. That was three years ago, and DeKoster, having met the challenge, today rides the bike to and from school.

Now looking to compete in such events as Ski to Sea and Tour de Whatcom, he needs a bicycle of greater capability.

Held at the Bellingham Sportsplex, the Bike Swap benefits The Bike Shop, a nonprofit cycling project run by former educator Matt Velguth for children and youth from low-income Whatcom County homes.

While DeKoster has become aware of the responsibilities of bicycle ownership through his own initiative, Velguth daily introduces participants to the character building gained from ownership and care of a bicycle. Now in its third year, The Bike Shop is committed to enriching the lives of at-risk youngsters.

The most recent Bike Swap produced the capital needed to keep the project running for nearly four months in the Sterling Neighborhood, immediately northwest of Bellis Fair in the Meridian Neighborhood.

“This is an idea that children do not need to be sold on; they already love bicycles,” said Velguth. “The bike is enjoyed by every child. What else is so universally attractive to young people?”

Bellingham’s Bike Swap is greatly dependent upon its volunteers, including Tamary Baz and Henry Thoreen, students at Whatcom Community College; Abe Packard, a Sehome High School student; Ray Dellecker and Bob Schmidt, riders from the same cycling club; Tommy Lingbloom, a Shuksan Middle School teacher and track coach; Randy Kaui, a youth counselor at the Lummi Nation; Don Kurtis, a radio executive; David O’Conner, a bike mechanic with Kulshan Cycles; and Michael Storm, a mechanic sent by Fairhaven Bike & Ski. Many of these same volunteers will return Sept. 1 for the next Bike Swap, to be joined by others old and new.

Back at the May 12 Bike Swap at the Sportsplex, Andi Koster was still having a difficult time choosing between the Cannondale and the Bridgestone. The bikes were among about 200 for sale when the event began, with about 40 sold during the first 30 minutes. Lined up in five rows, the great variety of bikes included a sleek Fuji Opus ($75), a Mongoose Switchback ($65), a bicycle built for two ($410) and a number of wheels for tiny tots, including one number, Girl Power, whose visual effects were decidedly psychedelic.

Having tried out both bikes in a roped-off test area, DeKoster’s indecision had caught the attention of volunteer Lingbloom, who offered experienced advice to DeKoster, including the challenges of handling the Cannondale in a group. The Cannondale was chosen 34 minutes into the event, and he rolled the bike over to a chatty checkout line of pleased buyers.

While bikes rolled out under new ownership, enthusiasts kept arriving for an event that would continue until 4 p.m. Midway through the morning sale, Daryl Madill of Edgemoor hit the arrival line with a 10-speed bike she described as “old style.” A daughter is off to Stanford University this fall, and something better than a $50 antique is needed.

Immediately adjacent to the arrival line was an odds-and-ends department consisting of everything associated with bikes, among them tires, including Bontrager Carbon Race Wheels that went for $500. More pedestrian models were $70, with all manner of bike racks costing $7.50 each.

Earlier that morning and on the previous evening the volunteer crew worked in a synchronized fashion. Dellecker and Schmidt managed a crew that took in entries. Bikes come in one at a time and in small flocks and herds. Jeff Sokolik, son Cole, 11, and daughter Talin, 9, brought in three.

Once the event was under way, team mechanics Kaui, O’Connor and Storm answered questions and offered advice on the condition and fit of bikes while the other volunteers encouraged buyers to test ride.

More and more the Bellingham Bike Swaps are raising awareness about The Bike Shop, as evidenced by highly positive comments. People like knowing their purchases are doing good in this community.

The shop’s commitment is to any school-age Whatcom County child who needs it. The shop is there when a child’s bike has a flat tire or has been stolen, or when a child needs a safe place to go and feel secure or valued. To date, participants number more than 300.

Civic organizations also contribute to keep this unique endeavor afloat. The Bellingham Bay Rotary recently awarded the shop $1,600, money that, together with a $1,000 grant from The Dudley Foundation, will fund physical improvements to the shop’s building. Whatcom North Rotary made a $1,500 grant in November that enabled the shop to add two road bikes to the ride corral and purchase 100 helmets. In addition, a Fairhaven Bike & Ski fundraiser contributed $292 toward operating costs.

Remember that Cannondale that DeKoster purchased? At the Swap, sellers’ information is kept from the public, and the youngster had no way of knowing that the bike he chose was being sold by a professional cyclist who had a 20-year racing career behind him. Bellingham’s Giovanni Isaksen was trimming his herd of bikes from nine to four, and the Cannondale, built for time trials, had very low mileage while benefiting from excellent maintenance.

A resident of the Lettered Streets Neighborhood, Isaksen raced mostly on the West Coast, with the competitive spirit also taking him to places like Mexico and Italy, where memories of Tuscany’s rolling countryside and good times continue.

Isaksen’s words to DeKoster about the bike are sound and reverential: “Enjoy that bike, Andi. It’s a great machine, and it’s a great way to stay out of trouble.”