On April 19, when more than 10 volunteers from Community Cycles wheeled onto the playground at San Juan del Centro in Boulder on bicycles, carting behind them payload bike trailers filled with spare tubes, tires, bike parts and a host of tools and repair stands, most kids in the area looked over with curiosity. Within no time, though, stands were assembled, parts set up and an impromptu repair station had been set up for the housing project's residents.

Community Cycles is a local nonprofit that educates and advocates for the safe use of bicycles. The organization has worked with the children of San Juan del Centro for more than a year. In fact, many of the children who live in the housing project, located at 3100 34th Street, have gone through Community Cycles' Earn-a-Bike program, where participants attend a series of weekly classes on how to maintain and safely operate a bike, and as a reward, they earn a bike at class completion.

"We were able to tune up over two dozen bikes, most of which only needed minor repairs such as pumping up or patching tires. It's really rewarding to see these kids zipping around with big smiles on their faces," said Rich Points, Community Cycles' executive director.

At the end of the session, more than 25 bikes were retooled and made road ready. Bikes were accessorized with items such as bells, water bottle cages, water bottles and lights. As they were packing up for the day, volunteers handed out helmets and rode over to the Community Cycles' shop on Wilderness Place in Boulder with 10 kids, from 7 to 13 years of age, in tow. After dropping off the excess gear and tools, the group proceeded to ride the Goose Creek bike path to Panaderia Guanajuato, a Mexican bakery located at 30th and Valmont, before heading back to San Juan del Centro.

Points said Community Cycles will repeat the San Juan Community Day event again in July. "We will continue to work in this neighborhood. We hope that when these kids come of driving age that they will consider the bicycle as a viable means of transportation," he said.