MECfest

Dave Robinson, the nicest person you would ever want to meet, called and asked if I wanted to be involved with Bikefest. Bikefest is a Mountain Equipment Coop idea that would bring a whole bunch of like minded people to the same location and we could all have fun with bikes, or learn about bikes, watch people do tricks on bikes...you get the idea.

Bikefest was held on Saturday July 3rd of this week-end. The area effected was a lone strip that ran between King and Liberty on Fraser street. The street was lined with booths of bike paraphernalia like modrobes, Ride for Life Bike rally and The Bike Train
I was there to teach a bunch of people the basics fixing a bike. Fifteen people showed up. I was told that all of the people attending had to pay $5 and the money was being donated to TCAT. I took them through the basic parts of a bicycle, how to adjust brakes, gears and other starter maintenance that you can do on your bike. Some of the most important things you can do to make your bike riding experience that much better are the simple things like pumping up your tires and oiling your chain.

My lesson was constantly interrupted by the cheering coming from the bar at the end of the street. Germany was in the midst of trouncing Argentina. It was fun and we knew what the score was without watching the game.

I was booked in for another time for passing on the knowledge, this time it was flats and tires. Basically what kind of tires you would need, depending on what kind of riding you do and how to fix a flat when you get there. Three people showed up, two of them a couple. I ended up truing one couple people's wheels cause the spokes were like spaghetti. I taught the other guy how to change a tire.

I saw Dave Robinson on the way out and asked him how things had turned out. He was very positive and happy about the amount of people who turned up on a long week-end. This was the first of what would be an annual event.

I rode home the long way and ended up on St. Clair at Lansdowne and found myself in the midst of another street festival. This one was about latin culture, shoes and cheap carnival rides. People were milling around the street and things were just starting to get going.

I personally love when the streets are closed and people are on them having fun. It fills me with hope that we can reclaim these streets from the automobile once and for all.

Originally published in "Caught In the Headlights