‘Bikeology’ high school course peddles more than fixing bicycles

In a sunlit bay of a high school tech classroom, two 17-year-olds carefully inspect an old black cruiser with a leather saddle and rear rack hung from a bike stand.

The pair has already used Coca-Cola and aluminum foil to remove some of the rust. Now, they're working on fixing the brakes.

The brake lever is tense, so it's hard to brake," says aspiring ironworker Cody Wiebe as he and a classmate tested the mechanism.

Ethan Johnson, also 17, explains: When you brake it's not instantly locked up. Like, it's going to take a while to stop."

Twenty Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School students enrolled in Bikeology" spend their mornings in the shop instead of at classroom desks. The two-credit marketing course teaches students the ins and outs of the bike industry, from running a small business to basic mechanics.

To wake up and be able to go to this class is really cool," said Ethan, who rolled in Wednesday morning on a blue e-bike, which he parked in the lot outside the garage. I also like riding bikes and I want to learn how to fix them."

Sir Winston Churchill's is the second iteration of the program, started by another teacher at the former Delta Secondary School on Main Street East. The program closed with Delta in 2019.

It wasn't until another teacher told Jeremy Rae, who started at Sir Winston Churchill the same year, if he knew about a room ... with a bunch of bikes in it" - the bikes that had been moved from Delta.

There was just tons of bikes and no organization. This room was chaos," he said of their current classroom, which has since been organized with racks for bikes and shelves stacked with bins of parts - handlebars, chains, and pedals - and tools.

The 31-year-old teacher, an avid cyclist who has experience working in a bike shop, asked principal Christine Nicolaides, who previously worked at Delta, if he could give the program another go.

She was fully on board," he said.

Bikeology 2.0 was born. It had a rocky start in 2021 amid the pandemic, with students finishing the inherently hands-on course online in January. Now in its second year, Rae has his fingers crossed" for a full in-person course.

On Wednesday, students learned about industry careers, such as a mechanic, business owner and city employee for a bike-share program, like Hamilton's SoBi network. Rae said trades are a viable pathway" for students at the east Hamilton school, many of whom have parents who work in trades.

Then, they divided into teams for a flat-tire repair competition.

For the most part, the bikes students work on come from New Hope Community Bikes, a super generous" social enterprise in the city, Rae said. Others are donated by teachers or community members. Rae asks his students to pay it forward.

The first bike that they fix goes to someone else," he said, adding that students can give it to family and friends. The second bike that they fix they keep for themselves. The idea is ... to be selfless first."

The program has another goal, too: to promote active transportation for physical health and reducing emissions that contribute to climate change.

So many kids want a car ... the reality is they want freedom," Rae said. My belief is you can probably get that through a bike, as well, and it costs you a ton less."

Learning about costs associated with transportation, including owning a car, is part of the course.

Am I indoctrinating a bit? Maybe," he admits.

Owen Breen, 17, doesn't need to be convinced. He, along with about half of the 20 enrolled students, already commutes to school by bike.

This is my bike right here," said the Grade 12 student, motioning toward a donated green Raleigh he fixed up. I just work on any other bikes that need fixing."

Breen and classmate Brandon Omerod, also 17, are reassembling a BMX bike after spray-painting it orange for National Day of Truth and Reconciliation.

We are attempting to ... fix the brakes and put the chain back on," Breen said. We have to screw in the brakes ... and then we also have to tighten the bolts on the tires."

Breen said he chose to take the class so that, in a pinch, he'd know how to fix his own bike, which he relies on as his main mode of transportation.

Rae said a niche high school program like Bikeology" comes with challenges. For one, it's dependent on a teacher's expertise and passion. And, like auto shop, carpentry and other tech programs, it's difficult to attract girls to the program.

This year, Rae has one girl in his class. Last year, he had two.

It's just a male-dominated industry," Rae said. It's changing, but so far the interest is mostly boys."

To donate a bike to students in the program, contact the school office at 905-547-6415 or Rae at jrae@hwdsb.on.ca. For updates, follow the program on Twitter: twitter.com/Swc_Bikeology.

Kate McCullough is an education reporter at The Spectator. kmccullough@thespec.com