The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the cycling world in all sorts of ways. You've probably noticed more people on bikes during the past year and a half. And, if you wanted to buy or fix a bike, you probably found it more difficult, or even impossible, to find the bikes, parts or accessories you need--and that, if you can find them, they're more expensive.
That last factor--scarcity and expense--has been particularly difficult for programs that distribute bikes during the holidays. Some, such as the Boise Bicycle Project, have, in years past, relied on bikes refurbished in local jails and prisons. Those programs, which typically trained volunteer detainees, have been suspended or stopped altogether due to distancing requirements. Also, the businesses--whether bike shops or big-box stores like Wal-Mart--that donated bikes or sold them at significant discounts (sometimes at wholesale prices or not much more) just don't have bikes or even helmets or other accessories to donate. And, individuals who donate bikes often do so after buying new bikes for themselves or their kids: the old bike is the one that gets donated.
That last fact relates to another of the problems I mentioned. Donated bikes are usually fixed by volunteers in the distribution programs before being passed on to a needy kid or adult. Just as the Idaho prison program mentioned in the article has been put on hold, so have other programs in which volunteers refurbish bikes, such as those in Recycle-a-Bicycle type operations, local bike clubs, schools or other organizations. It's pretty hard to show someone how to true wheels or replace brake cables while maintaining social distance.
And, while some volunteers in distribution programs have the skills and tools to fix the bikes, they may not have the necessary parts, or any way of getting them.
So, the program in the article--and, I am sure, others--are urging people not only to donate bikes, but also to fix them, if necessary, before giving them.
If you donate or fix bikes in a program like BBP, you deserve special kudos this year. And, whether or not we receive one of those bikes, we should be grateful for the extra effort they're surely expending this year!
