Rochester needs a youth bike program.

I like the earn-a-bike model. Kids come to the shop, learn a hands-on repair curriculum working on donated bikes, and ride away on a bike of their own (with a helmet on their head). Two great examples are Bikes not Bombs and Recycle a Bicycle. We could go well beyond that. Maybe incorporate a local chapter of Trips for Kids. It could offer adult classes and a community workshop like the Broadway Bicycle School. If a few engineers, welders and machinists stepped up to the challenge it could be a human powered business incubator something like the Center for Appropriate Transport.

Rochester has all the elements to build and support something great: a well-developed bike culture, a large population of college students, a vibrant network of non-profit organizations, and plenty of kids to serve.

If I wasn’t so old and lazy I wouldn’t be writing this — I’d have already launched a youth bike program in Rochester. But, I co-founded one in Worcester, Massachusetts ten years ago, and now it’s time to step aside while the new talent steps forward. I’m happy to offer up free advice tempered by experience. I’ll share some good contacts. I might make a few phone calls or go to a meeting. I will make one concrete promise: I’ll secure at least one startup grant for anyone serious enough to take this on. Why wait? Let’s roll!