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Aaron Waxman examines a customer’s bike
at the 14th and U Street farmers’ market
bicycle clinic. Photo: Amanda Abrams |
Standing under a white canopy, Aaron Waxman and a young woman are deep in conversation about the blue Univega bicycle between them. It’s an old bike, she says, and she’s worried about the gears. So he puts the bicycle up on a stand and starts testing out the shifting mechanism.
“I made a slight adjustment that seems to be helping,” he says after a minute, but adds that the bike is generally in good condition. “Do you ride every day?”
She does, so he recommends putting air in the tires and oiling the chain and then shows her how to do both. “You might want to get fenders, too – this time of year, it’s helpful,” he suggests. After a little more chitchat, she signs her name on a sheet of paper, thanks him and then leaves.
This is the newest addition to the Saturday farmers’ market at the intersection of 14th and U streets NW, one that isn’t directly related to food at all. Waxman, the white tent and a small tableful of tools comprise the farmers’ market bike clinic, a free service for anyone with a troubled two-wheeler or simply questions about how to better maintain their vehicle. Already occurring at the Mount Pleasant and Bloomingdale farmers’ markets, the 14th and U version just began a few weeks ago and will continue until the end of the season in mid-November.
“Mostly what we do is air, oil and advice – that’s our tagline,” says Waxman, the main guy here. Working free of charge, he coordinates volunteers who show up and does his best to help everyone who stops in. Waxman, a born tinkerer who likes the idea of self-reliance, is not too busy to pass on his knowledge. “We try to teach people who might want to learn,” he explains.
The idea of providing free bike-repair services at a farmers’ market is the brainchild of Rebbie Higgins, who runs the Mount Pleasant market. Eventually, Higgins suggested it to Robin Shuster, manager of the market at 14th and U, and Shuster jumped on it. “This is a community market, and we’re a biking neighborhood – we think it’s a nice overlap,” says Shuster. While biking and locally grown food may seem unrelated, at heart they’re both about living simply and sustainably. “It’s all part of the same ethics,” she points out.
So far, this particular clinic has helped over 40 people. “The response has been really good,” says Waxman, adding, “Sunny days are better, of course.”
But even on a dripping morning with leaden skies, the clinic is hopping. Antonio Paulo, who lives a block to the south, saw Waxman and the tent earlier in the morning and came back an hour later to get his bike checked out. Behind him are Tyrone Brown, 15, and Keri Jackson, 14, who live in the same building at 13th and T streets. Both need their bikes’ back inner-tubes patched, and Brown is also hoping to get his seat and handlebars raised.
By noon, there’s a small line of people waiting to be seen, but Waxman continues to patiently attend to each bike, listening to each customer and explaining what he’s doing. And he remains unfazed even when a harried father temporarily appropriates the bicycle pump to fill up one of the wheels on his children’s stroller.
Behind the customers is Umer Qureshi, one of the day’s volunteers. He’s no bike expert. “It’s my first time, and I just want to learn what I’m doing,” he explains. “I’ve been biking heavily for a few months now, and I want to be prepared for basic adjustments.” That’s OK. The clinic takes all comers. |
