United Spokes

By: Lynette Perez

The cool wind blew my hair back as I quickly rode past the slow pedestrians afoot on Manhattan College Parkway. At that moment I thought, ‘man it feels good to ride a bike.’

When I arrived at 242 and broadway, I locked my bicycle out front and walked into United Spokes, a new bicycle shop located right off campus. The small space is crawling with bikes of all sizes (some hanging from racks on the ceiling, others perched on their kick stands) anxiously awaiting their first real ride.

On the wall opposite the register sit hundreds of gadgets, accessories and components a bicycle owner would find useful. If you look to the far end of the store, you will usually find the store owner, Ian Jacob working on a bicycle.

On this occasion, though, the young, rugged mountain biker stood in the front of his store talking to two older male customers. After finishing his conversation, he turned and greeted me with a smile, recognizing my face from an earlier visit.

Intrigued by his apparent young age I asked him if he had ever owned a business before. He said that United Spokes is his first bike shop. Upon asking why he opened it, Jacob responded “I grew up in Riverdale. We had a bike shop for 35 years and they got rid of it. It was sad. I always had it in mind [to open a shop]-- especially in this neighborhood. We really need it.”

Why do we need it, you may ask. To begin, most students on campus do not have cars. Cycling is an eco-friendly, quick and efficient means of transport (especially when you’re running late to Leo!). It is healthy for the body and mind, stress relieving and interactive. In a college setting where students and professors are constantly stressed, a bike ride to class or simply on a lunch break could provide tension relief.

United Spokes’ success has proven to Jacob and the community that Riverdale needs a bicycle shop. Since the grand opening on July 1, 2010, Jacob noted that although our country faces a nation-wide recession, there has been a lot of traffic in and out of the store and a lot of activity from the college.

The main reaction he gets when students walk in is “wow, cool, I didn’t realize there was a bike store here...” and although most have just discovered it, many MC cyclists come into the store interested in starting a bike club but are discouraged because they are not aware of how many bikers attend the school.

In addition to students’ apparent interest, Jacobs mentioned a meeting with the head of the physical education department, Dr. Shawn Ladda who has incorporated a bicycle unit into the Physical Education curriculum.

Dr. Deborah Adams, assistant professor of Phys. Ed. will teach the first biking unit MC has ever seen to her class next week.

In this class, students will learn to change tires, size their bikes, change gears properly, ascend and descend hills with proper weight shifting and will learn about foot placement on the pedals (Jacobs is also willing to hold similar clinics).

Dr. Adams, a small, vibrant woman, seemed thrilled at the idea of the biking unit. She said the idea was based on an effort to change the curriculum. “When our students become teachers we want them to stay active and teach their students to be active people.” She also mentioned how bike riding is a social and life-long activity that will never hurt your knees and will benefit personal well-being.

Adams noted that although there is too much traffic on and around broadway, there are good roads behind the school for riding. To stay on the safe side, however, the students will be riding mountain bikes (from United Spokes) on trails in Van Cortlandt Park.

Although the cycling community has grown throughout Riverdale, Adams rightfully said “this is not a biking campus.” It is small, ill-equipped with bike racks, and as she pointed out, the one biking lane located on MC parkway is painted with a cyclist but has not gotten any wider. However, if enough people band together and show an interest in the sport, the campus has the potential to become more biker-friendly and reduce its carbon footprint.

Jacobs enthusiastically said “I’d love to help the school out with anything. Cycling could be a new sport for MC.” There are a lot of races in Manhattan and Brooklyn, and a ton of trails for mountain biking around the area.

Willing and able to hold repair clinics and classes, go on rides and enter students in races, how couldn’t the Manhattan College community seize the healthy, exciting and eco-friendly lifestyle Jacobs and United Spokes is willing to offer?

If you love to ride but have not yet been inside, check out United Spokes and the bikes and clinics they offer!