On April 3, I had the privilege of participating in the Evanston Pop-Up Bike Shop held at the Evanston Recreation Center. It was here I met wonderful volunteers and a welcoming community.
Upon volunteering to represent UC Sustainability, there was naturally a bit of anxiety and nervousness. The majority of my bike repair experience has been secluded to a shop away from the eye of a customer. Knowing that I and my fellow mechanics were to perform repairs mere inches from the customers in open air created a bit of pressure.
Fortunately, I found relief when meeting my fellow volunteers. These amazing people were all from various local organizations including Mobo Bicycle Co-op, Tri-State Trails and Red Bike. Everyone was passionate about bikes and more than pleased to help a newer mechanic, such as myself, with his repairs.
Additionally, the people who brought their bikes from all across town and were all so excited by our presence and willingness to help. Even in scenarios where bikes were beyond repair given our limited toolsets and staffing, we were always given a smile and a sincere “thank you.” The reactions of the Evanston community gave me a sense of joy and fulfillment. To know that even the smallest repair, or even an attempt at a repair, warranted such appreciation makes my journey in becoming a better bike mechanic feel all the more rewarding.
There was always a wonderful conversation with each person who brought their bike to my stand. It was interesting to see how experiences and interests differed from person to person. Among these people were engineers, teachers, and youth directors. All of whom showed an overwhelming amount of kindness, respect, and thankfulness for even the most simple of fixes.
Before I knew it, 3 hours had passed and it was time to close up shop.
Overall, this experience demonstrated the awesome sense of community possessed by Evanston. It reaffirmed my love for learning to fix bikes to help out those in the surrounding community. Before becoming involved in the bike mechanic world, I never quite grasped how something as simple as setting up a bike stand in the middle of a parking lot would bring so many people together.
If you wish to learn more about the mentioned partners in the event, please check out the information below:
Mobo Bicycle Co-op: https://welcometonorthside.com/listing/mobo-bicycle-co-op/
Tri-State Trails: https://tristatetrails.org/
Red Bike: https://www.cincyredbike.org/
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