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

In addition to the Earn-a Bike Program, the collective also offers an apprenticeship and Youth Employment Program for high school age students. Youths come in and learn to build a bike, which they get to keep, and then begin making bikes for others, especially refugees in the International Rescue Committee, which provides resources to aid refugees.

"We get (these youths) practical skills, mechanical skills to help them discover (things) so they're more confident," Morrison said.

Erica Frumin, an instructor for the Youth Employment Program, said it has been neat to see the variety of people who utilize the shop to fix their bikes.

"I've seen a lot of people who come into the bike shop in order to get their bike fixed, because it's their only form of transportation," she said. "It's cool to see the people who are accessing it."

Last summer Frumin said their group of apprentices prepared more than 30 bikes to donate to the youth program of the IRC. The day after a press conference with Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson to display the bikes, Frumin said they saw the youths ride their bikes past the shop.

"This was the first time students saw people with bikes in the hands of someone who was enjoying them," she said.

Morrison said the shop is designed to help alleviate the concerns that stop people from riding their bike, whether it be a flat tire or something mechanically wrong with it. Safety is also a concern.

"A lot goes into riding a bike down the road," he said. "This is a good way to inform people of what (bike safety rules) are. The dangers are really half ownership of motorists and half cyclists. Cyclists have to act responsibly and so do motorists."

The shop has more than 200 bike helmets donated by the health department that they distribute every year. Helmets play a prominent role in protecting someone in the event of a bike crash, Morrison said, and if they're not being worn properly, they can't do that.

The bike education portion of the shop is funded by the Utah Department of Transportation while donations fund the remainder. Those who use the shop are not charged for the time they spend there but are asked to make a donation for the resources they use.

Working with youths has probably been the biggest highlight of his involvement with the shop, Morrison said.

"It's a fun thing and a tactile environment," he said. "The kids come in after school and their minds are just mush. They're tired. This uses more of their senses. They have to listen for certain things and feel for certain things. Visually you have to see what's going on. All those things come into play and engage these students."