Shoulder to the wheel — Program teaches kids how to build a bike and more

Alexa Hanson-Wagner, 10, always wanted to learn how to build a bike.

Thanks to a recent course she took at the Community Bike Shop, she not only built a bike from top to bottom, but also learned the rules of bicycle safety.

"You get to pick your bike, take it apart and put it back together again," she said. "Now I kind of know how it works and how to build a bike, so I'm happy. ... I learned that you have to keep a helmet on, and if your bike doesn't have brakes, that's very bad."

Hanson-Wagner was one of 78 youths who have participated in the Earn-a-Bike Program at the Community Bike Shop since it started four years ago.

The Community Bike Shop, run by volunteers in the Salt Lake City Bicycle Collective, is a resource many valley residents might not be aware of. In addition to bike education and safety classes, the shop also provides a place for community members to build and repair bikes for themselves or to donate to the shop.

"The bike education classes are free to everyone and geared for adults and kids," said Jonathan Morrison, a member of the collective who runs the shop. "We have classes for advanced and beginning cyclists. The main one is called Road I. It's about 50 percent in class and 50 percent on the road. It deals with safety and critical maintenance."

The Road I course is scheduled to run Saturdays, March 24 and 31, from 1-6 p.m. Anyone interested in participating is welcome to attend.

Every Monday from 5-9 p.m., the shop holds an open volunteer night where anyone can work on projects for the shop. During the other open night, Thursdays from 5-9 p.m., volunteers can work on personal projects. In the summertime, additional open nights are available.

Morrison said the shop also has programs to help provide bikes for youths in the community. The Earn-a-Bike Program that Hanson-Wagner participated in is geared for middle-school age youths. Participants learn to build a bike from top to bottom. Once they complete the program, they are given the bikes to take home.

Cydney Atkinson, 11, who participated in the program, said she enjoyed putting the tires on because it was the easiest part.

"I thought (the class) was cool, because it was for free," she said. "If (any of our bikes) broke down, our parents could buy stuff, and we could put it together ourselves, because we had to take it apart and put it together (during the class)."

Atkinson said she has enjoyed having a bike and rides it to the library every Wednesday. Hanson-Wagner agrees.

"I built a purple bike, and I like it a lot," she said. "I love bike riding, so that's pretty much why I signed up for that."