Watching a child learn to ride a bike is one of Wayne Smith’s standout memories of the Squamish Nation’s annual Bike Maintenance Day.
It was a big step for the young rider, who was previously too afraid to get on a bike, said Smith, who works as the Squamish Nation’s senior recreation co-ordinator.
“He was scared to do it outside, so we pulled him inside into the gym and we taught him how to ride his bike,” he said. “It opened up the whole town for him.”
That young cyclist has since been hopping onto a saddle for the last two to three years.
It’s memories like this that stand out for Smith, who, along with Armand Hurford of Republic Bicycles, have been organizing the annual bike maintenance day for the Squamish Nation.
This year’s event has been the fifth time members of the Nation will have brought their bikes to technicians, who teach them how to perform basic routine repairs.
Smith, who’s been cycling for 35 years, thought of the idea after seeing a number of riders stop using their bikes when they ran into minor problems.
“When I first started here, I noticed that a lot of kids when they ride a bike, they would generally toss it aside if it had a flat tire or some fairly minor issue with it,” said Smith. “They didn’t really know what to do for maintenance.”
He figured giving young riders a little bit of cycling know-how could go a long way, and from there on, Bike Maintenance Day was born.
“This way we give the community kind of a focus on their bikes,” said Smith. “It’s been working really quite well.”
“Getting the group together and the fun on the kids’ faces is always great to see,” he said.
One of the results of the program is that it’s opened up a lot of the Squamish area to younger members of the Nation.
“Really now with all the trails connecting everywhere, you can get anywhere you want on a bike,” he said.
Smith added that the effort is fuelled by volunteers and grant contributions, so anyone willing to lend a hand is welcome to do so.
Back to the story of the young cyclist who learned to ride on Bike Maintenance Day, there’s lately been a new twist to the tale.
The boy’s mother has been inspired to get a set of wheels of her own and also pursue an active lifestyle, Smith said.
“She actually just got a bike about a month ago here,” said Smith. “She’s been looking at pictures like BC Bike Race and stuff and going like, ‘Oh I want to do that,’ and I said, ‘You can do that — absolutely.’”
