At this point, it has been well-documented that I served in the Peace Corps in Madagascar. I’ve tried to limit the amount of stories I bring up around people, but sometimes I can’t help myself when something I hear makes me think “Oh, that reminds me of a time in Madagascar when…”
As I mentioned in my first blog post for Challenge Detroit, I like biking. Like everyone (except for a few people who will remain nameless in the interest of preventing endless ridicule) I learned to bike at a young age, but I really found a passion for it while living in Madagascar. When I got home, I decided I wanted to see how long I could make it work before buying a car. One thing that I have really been amazed by is how receptive the city has become to its biking residents. There are bike racks all over, events and organizations for bikers to get involved with (like Detroit Bike Polo which is polo on a bike in a roller rink), plenty of bike lanes with enough space to feel like your life is not in danger, and dozens of bike shops. However, there is only ONE bike shop in all of Southwest Detroit which is appropriately named, Southwest Rides.
Southwest Rides claims to be “more than just a bike and skateboard shop,” and it’s true. Aside from your typical bike retail and maintenance place, Southwest Rides does a few things different:
- You will rarely find a new set of wheels in the store. Most of their inventory is made up of used and donated bikes. They have had roughly 650 bikes (as of October) donated in the store’s one and a half year history.
- They have a kids program that teaches bike maintenance and entrepreneurial skills.
- Prices can range from $30 – $500 for a bike, while repairs will cost about $10 or more. (At some retailers, a new bike can run upwards of $1,500 while in-store repair costs could be $70-$100).
To me, the kids program is hands-down the most intriguing part of Southwest Rides. While it is very similar to a kids program that was started by The Hub, a bike shop in Midtown, it is definitely a great addition to the Southwest community.
The maintenance room where the kids program takes place is probably bigger than the retail side of the store
Over the course of six weeks, kids learn how to build a bike from scratch. They also learn about bike mechanics, repairs, and proper bike safety. Upon successful graduation from the program, each kid is allowed to ride home on the bike they built hopefully giving them a much greater appreciation for what they have done.
Kids who have completed the course at Southwest Rides have made their mark above their work space
We all hate traffic so do the world a favor and bring your kids to Southwest Rides. Maybe they’ll be inspired to bike Detroit, too.
1824 Springwells Street
Detroit, MI 48209