The Major Taylor Cycling Club
By Tracy L. Corral
On any given first and third Saturday of each month, curious motorists who get caught at the stop light watch a phenomenon take place at the corner of University Avenue and Bay Road in East Palo Alto. First a van drives up to a boarded-up gas station and unloads several battered suitcases.
Then someone sets up barricades around the perimeter of the lot, sets up boards across the barricades and set out small tubs of water. Next, bike tools, (wrenches, and so on), attached to square boards, are tossed at various intervals on the ground. These are workstations for the simple bike repairs.
Meantime, a tall, slender man rides up on a home-made workman-type bike, with a trailer of bicycles in various stages of repair. Sometimes he's trailed (like a latter-day Pied Piper) by a group of kids of all different ages, also in pedaled transport. More children appear; some with parents and guardians, some with friends, and little brothers or sisters. All have a purpose. They're at the corner of University Avenue and Bay Road to participate in the bi-monthly Major Taylor Cycling Club bike repair clinics.
Founded in 1994, MTCC offers children the opportunity to learn about taking care of their bikes, earn a bike, and meet people who have a passion for bikes. The club is named after Marshall "Major" Taylor, one of America's greatest bicycle racers, who became world champion at the beginning of the 20th century. He set world speed records, and was the first African-American to become a world class athlete in what was at the time a very popular major American sport.
The club offers adults the opportunity to volunteer and share their love of cycling with kids who live in a very car-oriented culture. One such adult is Roger Strawn, who, in his day job is a research scientist with Nasa/Ames. Another is the aforementioned Pied Piper, Frank Stitt, who transports bikes on his homeÐmade cart. During this repair clinic, Stitt was at a nearby house, organizing the day's donations of frames, wheels, components, and full bikes. During the course of a bike repair clinic, people will drive up with bikes and partial bikes to donate to the program. A man and woman arrived with their pickÐup truck full of old bikes and components; Strawn offered to guide them to the house where Stitt was working, so the items could be logged in.
A small group of adults arrived 10 minutes later at the house, (it was obviously the right place: There were bikes everywhere, a pile of handlebars and several kids and their mom waiting for bikes). The couple in the truck pulled up and unloaded their cache.
Stitt looked everything over with approval as everyone helped unload. He picked up a wheel, spun it to gauge its truing; then everyone trooped into the backyard carrying the equipment.
Stitt's involvement came about four years ago, when one of the club's founders, Anne O'Neill, saw him using his bicycle cart to haul scrap lumber. She explained what she was trying to start a bicycle club for children in East Palo Alto, and he joined up, helping haul bikes and equipment to the repair clinics; and picking up abandoned bikes when the need arose.
Strawn enjoys working with the kids in the group because, "It's different from my job," as a research scientist. He has raced bikes and enjoys long lunchÐtime rides. Through his volunteering with MTCC, he has the opportunity to teach and instill his knowledge in the kids who come to participate in the repair clinics.
Back at the repair clinic, a makeshift table was created out of a couple of sawhorses and a piece of plywood. This serves as a barrier to the work area where the really tough repair cases could be taken care of. A volunteer set up a work stand to facilitate the repairs. The suitcases were set up and opened; each one contained like equipment: gears, cables, cranks, and so on. People with bikes to be repaired sign up at the table, and wait for their turn. The bikes with the easier repairs, such as flat tires, are taken care of at the various "tool stations" on the ground. The kids, sometimes with the help of their friends or one of the adults, use the wrenches to take the tire off, pull the tube out and take it over to one of the tubs of water. They will test the tube in the water to find out where the leak is, then ask one of the adults for a piece of sandpaper to rough up the surface of the tube. They attach the patch with glue, (also supplied by one of the adults), and pump the tire up enough to put it back into the tire. Then it goes into the rim, and gets pumped up. Sometimes the process takes longer than others. The more experienced "wrenchers" finish their bikes first, then usually hang out to help their friends do theirs. The atmosphere is relaxed and friendly.
As with most volunteer organizations, the Major Taylor Cycling Club always needs more volunteers and donations of bikes, parts, helmets, and money. People interested in volunteering at the bike repair clinics can come out to the East Palo Alto Municipal Services building parking lot at 2415 University Avenue, at Bay Road. They are also looking for people to lead occasional organized bike rides. If you're interested, they have a hotline telephone number (650) 493-4802, where you can get the latest information on the clinics and leave a message.
Or, if you're Internet savvy, point your browser to:
http://catalog.com/bayside/mtcc and you can learn more about the group.
©1997 Cycle California!™ Magazine
All rights reserved.
Old Favorites
.GIF)
Home page