It’s Not Actually About Bikes

We have a common expression in our programs at Boise Bicycle Project - “It’s not actually about bikes.” 

The idea behind the statement is simple. Yes, bicycles are a wonderful tool for transportation, but they are a tool for much more than that. Through our shop we have watched bikes help connect individuals to their community, build new and diverse communities around our programs, and empower people to take on new and big challenges including advocating for safe streets in their neighborhoods, going on their first bike-camping trips, or developing the confidence to go mountain biking alone knowing they have worked to learn the mechanical skills needed to feel comfortable in their ability to get back off the mountain.

Despite knowing all of those reasons for our little unofficial motto, its utterance still occasionally makes me roll my eyes - anytime you are trying to untangle 50+ bikes triple stacked from a trailer, it can be hard to remember this work isn’t just about bikes… 

Loading bikes to be delivered to Duck Valley Reservation.

Luckily, we never seem to go too long before a powerful reminder comes along to remind us what is actually at stake and why we always seem to be untangling bicycles…

~

A couple of weeks ago, a community school coordinator reached out on behalf of a second grader who was new to their school with a heart-wrenching story. The child and his family had recently arrived in Boise through a refugee resettlement program, and several members of the household were in need of transportation so they could get to school, work, and all of their other needed services. But to further add to that family’s challenges, the second grader has terminal cancer and has been undergoing chemotherapy and major surgeries to a lower limb that has limited his ability to participate in the same activities his peers are enjoying, like playing soccer and riding bikes. 

The school coordinator’s request from the shop when she reached out was clear. Dad needed a bike so he could get to work, brother needed a bike to get to jr. high classes, and damn-it if her student wasn’t going to get a bike too because there was no way she was going to let this be yet another thing the child didn’t get to experience. 

That appeal on this family’s behalf is obviously stirring, but by the next week, the story began to become uplifting. 

The same week this school coordinator wrote to our shop, we were contacted by a mental health clinic working with the family about the possibility of getting bikes donated to them. The week after that, a case worker from a resettlement agency contacted us about this same family. 

This family is being forced to muster more resilience this year than has been asked of me in a lifetime, and it is hard to imagine how one would even set about trying to navigate it all. I am, however, heartened that they don’t appear to be navigating it entirely alone. 

Not only did three separate individuals reach out in order to advocate for this family, but the child’s school began working with his doctor to find a safe solution so he could ride around with friends and his brother. The school then lined out a donor to purchase an adaptive specialty item - a child’s child-sized tricycle- that our shop was able to build up and send along with refurbished bikes for the other family members. 

Delivering the tricycle to a school in our community.

The school did a small unveiling of the trike for this student and allowed him to do hot laps through the cafeteria. They have plans to slightly modify the tricycle to help make the ride even more comfortable for the student because of the effect his surgeries have had on one of his legs, but watching the video of this boy’s first ride that the school shared with our shop, you wouldn’t guess it was even needed. It was hard to notice anything apart from his giggling and giant smile! 

While we know some of what the future holds for this family and that it won’t be all giggles and smiles from here, it is hard not to take some comfort from this interaction. I consider myself lucky to live in a community where it is possible to find helpers when you need them, and when things feel the most difficult, there are individuals who will work to help you be resilient. 

I am also thankful for the community partners our shop works with, who connect us to individuals experiencing those difficult moments, so that Boise Bicycle Project can be one of those helpers. 

I am thankful for the reminders that it isn't actually just about the bikes.