My Favorite Summer Farmers Market Bicycle Valet Story

Our last local bicycle valet for Longmont's Farmers Market is this coming Saturday. It's amazing how quickly the season has gone. After volunteering last summer to help out on occasion, this year it turned into a small group of four of us who took turns "hosting" the valet so no single person had to be completely responsible or needed to be present every single weekend (of course, some of us took full advantage of having those Saturday's off, while others - who shall remain nameless because she sometimes pops in to read here - spent almost every Saturday there, regardless of whose turn it was to host :O) ).

During my last hosting of the valet, things had definitely quieted down, despite the fact that throughout the summer we've remained fairly steady for the duration of the 5 hour market.  As the afternoon wore on (it's difficult to keep oneself amused when there aren't as many people), a father and son were retrieving their bikes from the valet. We returned their two-wheeled rides and assumed they were on their way out, but as I turned back around, I spotted the small boy attempting to fill up his tires with the floor pumps we keep available for those who need to fix a flat or just need some air. I couldn't help but giggle as he wrestled a bit, but rather than standing around watching him struggle, I went over to ask if he'd like some help.

"I need to put air in my tires!" he proclaimed adamantly. This only made me giggle more. There are few things cuter in this world than a small child who knows what s/he wants and isn't afraid to tell anyone who will listen.  I asked if he would mind if I helped him take the valve cover off, to which he expressed great interest in assistance. Subsequently, he began an attempt to attach the end of the pump to the valve. The problem? It's a two-sided nozzle (one for Presta, and one for Schrader) and he just couldn't seem to get it to cooperate.

I inquired again to see if he would like some help, at which point he handed the end of the pump to me. After attaching the end, I was checking to see what the tire pressure should be, but was interrupted by the young boy who vehemently requested that he be allowed to do the pumping.

"But, of course!" I replied, and let him go to town.

*Image from our buddy, Will - who was busy laughing
(and apparently, taking photos) of this whole fun scene*
"I do all the work!" This little guy has muscle.

He pumped away with his entire body, trying his best to get air in the tube. When he started, the gauge read somewhere around 10psi, and when he stopped briefly, it was about the same. The tires needed to be inflated to approximately 30-35psi, so I took my turn for a moment and then let him try again.  He was extremely pleased that his tires now had proper air pressure, and father and son were ready to roll down the road again.

I'm a bit sad that the end of summer has already come, but this is definitely a story that will stick with me throughout the winter months. I love seeing families starting their young children off on bikes... it just makes me smile.  Have you hosted or volunteered during a bicycle valet in your community? What sorts of stories do you have, or what was your favorite moment?

Bike Valet, Volunteering, and Farmer's Market - a Great Combo!

Today was Farmer's Market (as it is every Saturday morning and early afternoon) in Longmont. Though I have known about (and even promoted) Bicycle Longmont for some time now, I have avoided volunteering or even really participating with the group in the past. This was mostly due to the fact that we felt like outsiders in our own city until we recently moved into the heart of the city. We finally decided it was time to get involved and actual volunteer with the group here in our community, rather than just talking about it, or sharing what they do with others. Here's the super cool bike shirt that I was excited to wear ('cuz I love me a fun bicycle shirt).

Yeah, I'm rockin' the bird and bicycle shirt.

Both Sam and I were able to help out and volunteer to help valet park bicycles with Bicycle Longmont, and I have to say, it was a pretty cool experience. The other volunteers were great, and, for the most part, the people who wanted to park their bikes were pretty great too. When we first arrived they were setting up, but there were already bicycles to be parked.

Setting up for Farmer's Market and valeting parking bikes

While it seemed fairly busy to us, they said it was actually fairly slow while we were there, and the suspicion is that the heat of yesterday (and fear of the same heat for today) was keeping people off their bikes. A shame really, as it was a lovely ride over and back.

Bicycle Longmont's set up for the bike valet at Farmer's Market

There was a ton of information to provide to people who were seeking information about local trails, classes, and so on, and we were happy to share with anyone who was willing to listen.

Table o'stuff to give out to info-seekers

Unfortunately, I was so involved with talking to people and parking bicycles that I never made it to take pictures of all the fresh fruits and veggies that were all around us. I did, however, find the time to volunteer Sam to help out with the groups' web needs (not sure he was thrilled about my volunteering him, but it's too late now).

He's smiling, but I think it's an "I'm going to strangle you later" look, really.

If, like us, you've put off volunteering with your local bicycle advocacy group, perhaps you should look into it.  If you don't have an advocacy group in your city, perhaps it's something you could help start. I think it's highly worth the time invested, and it's always great to meet people who love to ride their bikes.