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“Bike mechanics has traditionally been a male-dominated trade. Let’s change that.
Women’s volunteer hours are designed to create a safe and inclusive space for learning bike mechanics. All bicycles repaired by volunteers are given away to people who couldn’t otherwise afford one, giving independent transportation to those who need it most. Our goal in creating this program will be reached if women feel included in our volunteer program.
We invite all women and other female-identifying people to join us during these volunteer hours to repair bikes for those in need. We need your help!
Provo Bicycle Collective gave away 408 bikes in 2017 and with your help, we will give away many more in the years to come.”
Current volunteer hours for this program are Mondays from 4pm to 7pm. Drop in anytime during those hours to join.
The Provo Bicycle Collective is hosting their second Basic Bicycle Maintenance Class of the year! Now’s a perfect time to pull your bike out of the garage and make sure it’s running before spring hits!
The details:
Basic Bicycle Maintenance Class
Thursday February 20th, 6pm
Provo Bicycle Collective: 1100 W 49 N Unit 2, Provo UT 84601
5$ gets you into the class. 2$ patch kits will also be available and hot chocolate is free!
The class will cover some of the basics, such as:
– Changing a flat
– How to lubricate a chain
– Basic brake adjustment
– Correct tire inflation tips
Check out the event on facebook or just show up! E-mail us at provobicyclecollective@gmail.com if you have questions.
It’s the time of year when many Provo-ites are desperately searching for summer housing and moving their stuff from one apartment to another. Take a break to check out this great streetfilms.org video. It might open up a few possibilities for your next move!
We are back up and running! There may be a hic-up or two along the way, but we are stoked to be back on again. As the title says our being back on is tempered with some sad sad news. Arielle Martin, the Olympic BMX racer from Utah Valley, has just had a serious crash during what was going to be her last practice lap before her Olympic debut. The crash lacerated her liver, and caused pneumothorax (collapsed lung) in her right lung. Her injuries were initially life threatening but she has since been moved to a trauma unit, and is expected to have a full recovery. We hope that Arielle has a speedy recovery, and are looking for a way to let her know we are all thinking of her. For now head over to her Facebook page, and add your thoughts/words of support.
(Arielle and Travis with the wheels Travis built and Arielle will race.)
Arielle Martin is not only an incredible athlete, and olympic racer she is also a local. Arielle grew up in Cedar Hills, attended BYU, and has family all over the Wasatch Front. In fact her dad is the one and only Travis Martin (MadDog Provo) who has been building wheels and running bike shops for 20+ years.
Arielle got her start in racing in 1990 at age five, and has been hooked ever since. Traveling all over the country and winning some national races made Arielle a pro at age 15 which at the time was unheard of for most young female racers. After a crash in 2008 which kept her from the Beijing Olympics Arielle came back full force to qualify for London this year, and qualifying is only the first step. Arielle has full intentions of a podium finish in August. With all the work, dedication, and focus that she has put into her sport over the last 21 years a podium finish is with out a doubt an option.
We have rounded up a few videos about Arielle which really highlight all of her hard work and intentions in her own words. Arielle will be racing August 8th and August 10th in London check her out on Twitter for updates and info @AMV15. Also, make sure to swing into MadDog Provo sometime before August and congratulate Travis.
While Provo has a big student population, we also have a giant family population, student or not. I know many families who integrate bicycles into their day to day routine. There is Heidi in Orem who bikes around with her vintage, and vintage inspired, town bikes who’s boys ride fixed, mountain, and BMX, there is Aaron in Provo who bought both of his boys new bikes last year with the agreement that they would ride to school every day, there is Nick and Betsy who recreationally pedal their twins around in a Chariot trailer, and scores of others out their every day going to the park, to the grocery store, or up the Provo River Trail. I myself ride my four year old around on our Xtracycle, or in the Box Bike I made, to get groceries, see friends, or whatever needs to be done. It seems however that once a family passes the two kid mark they start to decrease their biking, and as numbers of family members grow that biking almost disappears.
Seeing that we are in a family oriented place and the fact that BikeProvo loves biking as both a way of life, and as a way to make our great city even better, I could not look past this incredible article on BikePortland about a mom who does not own a car, and bikes her SIX kids around town.
Emily Finch is her name, and biking with kids is her game. No she does not have a DUI, and yes she is choosing to pedal instead of drive (she replaced her SUV with her Bakfiets). The Finch’s show that no matter the size of the family you can still ride around town to run errands, and go on outings. Is it always a party on the bike? No, it definitely is not, but is it always a party in the car? I have noticed that my little one actually does better when we are biking around because she gets to see everything, and we are able to talk about what is going on around us.
The article is chock full of wonderful anecdotes from the Finch families bicycle adventures my favorite of which involves a screaming kid and a bungee cord. Most importantly the article shows what can be done even if you do not live in some bicycling mecca like Portland (the Finch’s started biking while still living in Pennsylvania). Next time you need to grab groceries, or run to a family event remember Emily, and think about taking bikes (check this article we did a while back to get you going).
You can follow the Finch’s adventures through Twitter @1lessgmsuburban.
Don’t miss your chance to be a part of a national women’s ride in Provo this week:
HONOR THE PAST and the emancipation of our grandmothers and great-grandmothers, for the freedom to choose and the chance to wear pants. CELEBRATE THE PRESENT and the riders who keep it rolling, bringing women’s racing to the forefront, pushing the limits, breaking down barriers and sharing the love of the bike with everyone along the way. EMPOWER THE FUTURE of women in cycling and the opportunity for positive social change. Teach women to ride and they will change the world. MAY 13TH, 2012
Provo ladies unite in a ride around South Provo. Meet at Memorial Park on 800 East and Center Street at 6:30pm. For more information, visit the Cyclo Femme website.
