Series of June workshops gives Yellowknife’s bikes some love

Yellowknife’s Old Town Bikeworks is encouraging people to switch from driving to biking through bike repair workshops and second-hand bike sales.

Matthew Grogono says his goal is seeing more people ride their bicycles during this year’s Canada Day parade.

In a tire-filled dome loaded with old bicycles, bikeworks owner Grogono is hosting workshops that try to get people thinking about bikes. 

“The idea is to try to get more people more aware of their bicycle and how fun it is, and how good for the environment it is compared to other means of transportation,” Grogono told Cabin Radio. 

“We are accumulating bicycles by donation, or people are bringing them in. Someone has them and their families move somewhere else, or they bring the bike down.”

The Zen and the Art of Bicycle Recycling workshop, which runs every Saturday in June at Old Town Glassworks, focuses on teaching people about what Grogono terms the four Rs of recycling for bikes: reduce, reuse, recycle – and rethink.

By teaching people how to tune up their bikes through what he refers to as a bike “triage” – a checklist of steps concerning bike maintenance – Grogono hopes to reduce unnecessary bike waste by making sure bikes last longer.

Some of the skills taught in the workshops include performing your own safety check, fixing a flat tire and lubricating a chain.

Bikes beyond repair are salvaged for reusable parts, ensuring little goes to waste. 

“Rethink, reduce, reuse, recycle and start again,” said Grogono. “You can use it in recycling your waste containers. You can do it in recycling your own job, or what you did when you got out of bed. It’s just, you know, a methodology of being more aware of what’s going on.”

Arjun Gill, a diesel mechanic and avid cyclist, visited Saturday’s workshop with girlfriend Emi Hamel to repair a bike the couple bought earlier in the week. 

“I really liked Matthew’s whole thing about recycling, reusing,” said Gill. “I think there’s a lot of waste these days and it’s awesome that he’s doing this, so I wanted to come support it.” 

Hamel said she was impressed with the efficiency of the workshop. 

“Within the first 20 minutes of being here, it was triaged,” said Hamel, referring to her bike, which was purchased second-hand from Old Town Bikeworks.

“Matthew took the time to show me how all the bits and pieces work together,” said Hamel, “and we got it fixed up pretty fast. And you know, now we’ve been there half an hour, and it’s almost done.”

Gill said he was happy to see – in a “car-centric” city like Yellowknife – people being given the opportunity to buy affordable bikes, while learning how to maintain the bikes they already own. 

“It’s sweet that someone can come down here and get a working bike that is perfectly fine for a reasonable price,” said Gill. “It’s awesome.”

Grogono said he was happy to see so many people come out.

“I’m really enthused,” he said. “It’s been decades of mucking about with this kind of stuff, and it’s a sunny, warm day. People are coming in here, they’re getting their bicycle fixed, and they’re happy.”

Grogono hopes the workshops encourage more people to ride their bikes during the Canada Day parade.

The last workshop, on June 28, will include bike decorating, allowing people to accessorize their bikes ahead of the event.