With a running jump, undergraduate Kyle McPeek mounts his red and green double-decker bike with ease just as a cowboy mounts his trusted steed.
McPeek, a photography major, came up with the idea to make the double-decker bike, also called a tall bike, when he saw someone riding one in Denton. The bike is constructed by welding two bike frames together.
After further research on groups like the Black Label Bike Club and the Rat Patrol that made tall bikes popular, McPeek decided to make one over Christmas break out of two frames he found as his father’s house.
“It’s probably the most fun bike I’ve ridden. It’s like being in a parade,” McPeek said.
McPeek says the most popular question he gets while riding is how he gets on and off of the bike, but once he gets on, it’s just like riding any other bike.
“What Kyle’s doing with his goofy bike is great. I’d love to see a hundred of those goofy things around campus – people being creative in ways that really affects them,” Wascovich said. “It’s not some kind of abstract notion of art as being something out there or for a class; something that has a positive impact on your life, very directly. I was walking around on campus one day and there were these three guys talking and they were all smiling and looking at it and going ‘that’s really cool.’ Just to be able to able to put a smile on people’s faces like that is a really neat thing.”
Vaughn Wascovich, an assistant professor of photography, is a strong supporter of bike riding in the community.
“On this campus [bike riding] hasn’t been accepted as a viable alternative to transportation. It’s kind of seen as recreation,” Wascovich said. “In a town this size with population and physically size, bike commuting would be perfect because you can get anywhere in town on a bicycle. If you have a bag on the bike or a rack you can carry books or groceries. You can go anywhere in this town on a bike.”
Wascovich came to Commerce and joined the A&M-Commerce faculty last summer. His hobbies includs riding and collecting bikes, as well as sharing his knowledge and enthusiasm with his students.
“I came here and one of the first things I did was look on Craigslist for bikes in Dallas and I found some really great ones and quickly realized I couldn’t ride 15 bikes at one time, so I gave some of them away to some of the students who really wanted them,” Wascovich said. “It’s really great to see that bike parked at a bike rack some place and I know somebody’s riding it every day instead of driving their car.”
Justin Osborne, a photography major, is another bicycle enthusiast and rides a lime green 1973 Schwinn Suburban, given to him by Wascovich.
“I’ve always been interested in bikes, but I think Vaughn was the main factor. He introduced me to different types of bikes and ended up giving me a bike, so that pushed me along,” Osborne said.
This past Saturday, McPeek and Osborne built a second tall bike for Osborne to ride in Longview because there was no other place to build one.
Wascovich is starting an initiative to start a bicycle co-op like some other colleges and universities have, for students to have a space for bike maintenance and repairs.
“I would love there to be a bike co-op at the university or near the University to get bikes worked on,” Wascovich said. “For the price of a tank of gas you can buy a really good used bike. It’s good for the environment, it’s good for your heath physically and mentally you feel great while riding a bike.”
Osborne, Wascovich and McPeek all agree that bike maintenance is not too difficult.
“I really don’t know that much about bikes. Just know the basics; make sure you have good air in your tires, check your chain for wear and tear, and grease it every now and then,” Osborne said.
According to the UPD Traffic and Parking Rules and Regulations, students and faculty members are to uphold all state laws and regulations pertaining to bicycles.
“Obey all traffic rules, wear a helmet and make sure that you always do the expected. A cyclist is much safer when they follow the rules of the road. I nearly ran over a cyclist not long ago that ran a stop sign in front of me,” Jason Bone, crime information officer, said.
UPD reports show that 12 bikes were stolen in 2007; students are encouraged to register their bicycles with UPD so that stolen bikes may be recovered. This service is at no charge and the permit helps deter theft.