Spray paint, duct tape, flat tires and snake bites

"What's a snake bite?" Kat asks. The kids are sitting around the table in Cascade's downstairs conference room, each holding a scrap of inner tube with a hole in it. And the obvious answer (which involves, of course, reptiles and teeth) is incorrect. But luckily, Edward has been paying attention. "It's when you don't pump up your tires enough, and you go over a curb. And the rim of your wheel makes the double-hole." Score one for Edward!

Fall is underway, which means that on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, Cascade’s downstairs conference room is crammed full of kids and bikes. The kids live in the transitional housing near Cascade’s offices in Magnuson Park, and they're creating so-called “scraper bikes,” art bikes whose hallmarks are spray-painted frames and duct-taped spokes.

The kids get to keep the bikes they decorate after the program's end, but there's a catch: they have to learn to fix them first, starting with flat tires. They move on to brakes, wheels, chains and cassettes, and, once they've learned it all, they're outfitted with a helmet and a lock. But they should consider themselves warned: "If we catch you riding without your helmet, we'll take your bike away," Kat admonishes.

We’re heading into our fourth session of our “Earn-A-Scraper” bike program, and we’re looking for eight donated BMX bikes of decent quality for these kids to fix up, decorate and ride. The bikes should be brand-name only -- after all the work these kids put into them, we don't want them to fall apart. With questions or to donate, contact Kat Sweet at kat.sweet@cascadebicycleclub.org. Thank you!