Making Some “Wheely” Memorable Moments with Kids Building Bikes

As a child most of us remember what it is like to learn to ride a bike, but the question is how many of us actually know how to build one. These students formed a “chain” of memorable experiences from their four days at Kids Building Bikes Camp. Thanks to the team at Nine13sports and their partnership with Genesis: Pathways to Success, six students took life by the handlebars during the second session at Liberty Park in Batesville. Most people have owned a bike at some point in their lives, but these students can proudly proclaim that they actually built their own bike.

Kids Building Bikes Camp takes place over the course of four days as an intensive version of the Kids Building Bikes course that Nine13sports teaches in their Depot out of Indianapolis. A typical day consists of the content from two sessions. In these sessions, students learn valuable skills of how to maintain a bike to start. As students learned through the camp, safety isn’t only about the rules of the road, it is also about your own safety including how to properly wear a helmet and how to determine if your bike is safe for the road.

Part of maintaining your bike is learning the tools of the trade. Some of the typical tools make an appearance throughout camp like flat-head and Phillips screwdrivers, but there are also tools that students have never used before like third-hand cable pullers and side cuts. These tools become part of the biker’s arsenal as students learn when and how to use them properly.

Throughout the final two days of the camp and after learning all the ins and outs of bike maintenance, students get to unpack their own bike and put all their new knowledge to the test. By the end of the camp, students have a brand new Giant bike that was assembled by their own two hands. Watching the gears grinding and wheels turning in the minds of these students as they attach parts, cut cables, and make final adjustments all with the help of the talented Matty Bennett, Kevin Duitsman, and Aryn Coomes from Nine13sports, is a true joy to watch.

“I really liked building my bike and learning all the different parts,” Will Hountz, a 7th grade homeschool student, said. “It taught me some cool things about bike maintenance.” Will and his younger brother Keegan plan to utilize the skills that they learned in camp through a bike project in their 4H club.

Genesis: Pathways to Success would like to thank Nine13sports for another great summer camp and for all of the programs that they help to implement in Southeastern Indiana. Next summer will be just as “spoketacular!”