Pedal Power!
Bike Clinic planned for March 24
Cheyenne Geysen
Op-Ed Editor
Set your wheels in motion and attend the Bike Clinic on Mar. 24.
Campion College Students Union is putting on a Bike Clinic in the Multi-Purpose Room on Thursday. The goal, according to CCSU social justice and environment co-ordinator Matthew Dipple, is to “raise awareness about cycling as a sustainable alternative [mode of] transportation, [and to] increase bike literacy on campus.”
The clinic, brainchild of Dipple and co-CCSU member Andrea Nelson, was originally planned for the Fall 2010 semester. Dipple explained that difficulties came up around having the event too early in the semester.
“[During the fall], everyone’s putting their bikes away as opposed to getting them out, so we decided to postpone it to this spring.”
Spring has sprung (sort of), and the bike clinic is just around the corner. It is an event with many faces – Dipple said the event is “going to be: learn how to fix your own bike, learn some riding safety, and celebrate cycling.”
Planned for 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., the clinic will be a come-and-go event with mini-workshops occurring every half hour. The workshops will be presented by bike technicians from around the city and will be on topics such as tire changing 101, how to change gears on your bike, brakes, rider safety, and preventative maintenance.
Different cycling groups from around Regina will have tables set up throughout the Multi-Purpose Room, so interested participants can learn more about organizations like the Offroad Syndicate, the Saskatchewan Cycling Association and the MS Bike Tour Association.
It won’t all be educational though. CCSU has invited Jim Wright from Nature’s Best, who will be bringing his pedal-powered smoothie maker. Students will be able to make and take their own smoothie.
“You just provide the pedal power for [it] and then you get your smoothie,” said Dipple. There will also be bike-related prizes given throughout the day for anyone who attends.
Dipple recognizes the difficulty of keeping students engaged when they are coming off a few weeks of heavy events such as 5 Days for the Homeless and RPIRG’s Apathy into Action.
“There’s only so much time that a student can commit to extracurricular stuff,” he said. “So, it’s challenging if they’re already burnt out from planning other things or attending other things.”
But he hopes that students will at least pop in for one or two of the sessions.
Dipple looks at the clinic as a way of fostering the cycling community at the U of R, and getting the word out that cycling is a fun, cheap way to commute to and from school.
“People look at cycling as commuting. And then they say, ‘oh that’s a hassle’, right? But you know, it makes me get exercise every day. It’s cheaper than bussing. It’s cheaper than buying a parking pass. You always get a spot right by the door. And it’s actually really beautiful, to ride outside twice a day and to see the seasons change.”
