4/14/2021 0 Comments Bike love and Shifting into springHey everyone!
This spring has accelerated right before my eyes! And maybe that's because Winter wasn't as sleepy as I anticipated? Well that's my reasoning to the lack of updates! The shop has been very busy for repairs and as I try to balance the gain in hectic work mode speed; more daylight, and general life hick ups, I find myself far from my computer and recent memories. But I am going to take a moment to reflect on the past two events carried out through the Park Fix It Series! Bike Love, and Shift into Spring! Bike Love was focused on cleaning and regular maintenance. We had the stands once again set up and open to teach and encourage people to care for their bikes after riding through the winter. We wiped down rims, and rotors, chains and frames. Keeping your bikes clean will help make it last! This event had the biggest turn out, out of the 4 events we've had so far. For early March it was a warmer afternoon than we were used too and everyone came through to hang out, say hi and share tips. That day there were 5 bike shops represented by employees hanging out or lending a hand with us. That is a huge take away for me, seeing our allies across shops come together for the community. At Shift into Spring, we focused on the drive train! One couple who was new to the Fix It Series, came after Emily my co-worker, had mentioned it to them. We had the opportunity to go over the drive train, how it works, what wear items are, and what adjustments you can make at home. It was encouraging to hear that after riding and racing their bike for years, they finally decided it was time to learn how it works and how to fix it. That particular morning was quite chilly and went quickly. There wasn't a very big turn out besides friends and volunteers so a few people set to work picking up trash in the nearby woods. All in all the series so far has been a wonderful growing experience. My close knit community of friends are very helpful and supportive, and they show up for each other. This safety net has been wonderful to rely on while planning and executing these events. It's encouraging to know there are people to answer a call. My hope is that the momentum of the series events can continue and evolve into what ever the community may need next. Right now, despite the support my efforts feel insignificant. When people of color are being murdered by the hands of the police, when a global pandemic has taken over 3 million lives, teaching someone how to lube their chain seems like that's the last thing that could help. But when I think about the bike as a tool, as a caveat to so many important social issues, my mind starts to spin again but this time with dreams of how to use them to liberate and bring justice to people around me. Christina from Cyclista Zine said "Bikes for us are tools to hold nuanced conversations across a variety of topics from fatphobia in active transit, police violence on BIPOC cyclists, bike lanes as gentrification, city planning as colonization, colonization of native land for recreation, homophobia and transphobia in sport, mental health and bikes not as a fix all, discrimination of immigrant bike deliverers, racism in environmentalism, racial biases in our bike spaces, sexism in cycling, erasure of trans and non-binary genders, abolishing hierarchies of bodies, and dismantling white supremacy, capitalism, and patriarchy." There's a lot of important work to be done! Our efforts are important and valid, but mindful consistency is what a movement needs to grow. Keep your eyes peeled for future news and the next events. In the mean time, remember to keep your feminism intersectional. We can't dismantle the system set in place by the oppressor, with the oppressors tools. Peace
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorLiz is a bike mechanic in Grand Rapids MI. She is one of two female mechanics in the city. She holds a Bachelors Degree in Drawing and has one dog and one hedgehog. Archives
March 2021
|