Kids, adults receive free bikes at Longmont YMCA’s annual giveaway

About 100 mostly refurbished bikes found new homes Saturday at the Longmont YMCA’s annual bike giveaway.

Ten scooters and 98 bikes of various brands, sizes and colors filled the parking lot of the YMCA, 950 Lashley St. Balance bikes were available for young riders along with a few adult-sized bikes.

“We noticed that some of the parents have never ridden a bike before, or they know how to ride a bike but have never had the opportunity to ride a bike with their child,” said Longmont YMCA executive director Crystal Yepez. “We also have some grandparents that come and want to ride bikes with their grandkids.”

The event began at 7 a.m., but Yepez said a line had already formed by 6:30. Nearly every bike and scooter was claimed by 8.

Yepez said the giveaway used to be held in winter around Christmas but shifted to spring after the pandemic. The change has been good for letting kids ride their bikes right away instead of keeping them in the garage until the weather warms, she said.

“That sense of freedom is so much fun,” said Yepez, recalling her own biking experience as a kid. “For us to be able to give that to someone in need is very impactful.”

Road safety was a big component of the giveaway, with Longmont United Hospital representatives providing helmets to guests and the Boulder County Youth Transportation Program handing out bike lights, glow-in-the-dark shoelaces and county bike maps.

“It’s great to give them the resource of the bike, but we want to encourage safety and longevity of use,” said Avery Novotny with the Youth Transportation Program. “It’s crucial to have the education.”

Most of the bikes and scooters were donated to local fire stations and refurbished by local nonprofit Bicycle Longmont and the bike repair program at Longs Peak Middle School. Tom Baker, who teaches the bike repair elective, explained that it aims to give students both hands-on engineering experience and introduce them to entrepreneurship principles like management and customer service.

Baker said almost all the bikes available Saturday morning received personal attention from students in his program. The program’s members are also planning future giveaway events that will bring bikes directly to neighborhoods throughout the year.

“Bikes aren’t very cheap anymore, and they’re a source of a lot of joy and fun for a lot of families,” he said.

Kris Kooiman with Bicycle Longmont saw plenty of new bike owners bring their vehicles to his adjustment station, where he maneuvered their seats or added air to their tires. His said his hope is that at least 20% of them “fall in love with their bikes.”

“When you’re a kid, riding a bike is awesome,” he said. “Ideally, that carries well into adulthood.”