BMX enthusiast Ruben Small is sharing his love for bicycling with Mitchell's Plain youths and teaching them how to do tricks and build their own bikes.
Image: Alicia English
Alicia English
Portland BMX enthusiast Ruben Small is bringing Mitchell's Plain youth together through their love for freestyle BMX.
Mr Small is the coordinator of the Pro BMX Crew, which includes young riders from Rocklands, Westridge, Westgate and Tafelsig. The crew meets every Sunday afternoon to do tricks, fix and upgrade their bikes and go on ride-alongs to locations like Westridge skate park, Muizenberg and Kalk Bay.
"Many of the kids in the area often just hang out on the park with not much activities to do. That's why I brought the BMX guys together to show them a couple of tricks.
"Many of them have bikes at home, and we're hoping that by seeing what the guys are doing, they might become interested in joining the crew and learning how to do tricks, too.
"I am just trying to get the guys off the streets by putting them on a BMX," he said.
Apart from the ride-along, the crew also puts much time and effort into fixing and assembling BMX bikes using recycled parts.
"Most of the guys build up BMXes from scratch and fix their bikes together. We don't buy a bike in the shop. We will build a bike from the frame and put that together. Most of them will take a scrap bike and build it into a classic bike," he explained.
Mr Small said while the crew is open to children eight years and older, it only does ride-alongs to places like Muizenberg with teenagers who are 15 years and older.
"For the younger children, we will take them to Westridge Gardens skate park, show them a couple of tricks and let the guys practice there," he said.
Rocklands resident Dane Jansen has been a part of the Pro BMX Crew for almost two years.
"Riding BMX gives me a sense of freedom, plus I get to travel to other areas without paying anything. Travelling can be expensive. Just taking a taxi to Town Centre costs money, and then there's still the issue of maybe sitting in traffic.
"From the financial and life skills perspective, it teaches you how to network with people and deal in parts and make money for yourself on the side, if you need to," he said.
Mr Jansen encouraged other youths to join the crew, as they could benefit from the outdoor recreational activities.
"I would tell other youths to get outside and not to be on the phone so much. There are actual people you can talk to. Do not be so fixated on the material lifestyle we are surrounded by nowadays. Just get a bike and let's ride together," he added.
Imran Ferreira from Tafelsig said he feels immense pride and satisfaction when riding a bike that he built himself.
"I'm part of this crew because I feel happy when I build up my bike. I feel proud of myself and I'm confident when I ride it because it's mine and I know I built it up," he said.
Mr Ferreira said he has been able to encourage truant youngsters in his community to return to school.
"There are many youngsters in Tafelsig who want to ride the bikes 24/7 but they don't go to school. They are facing many things, for example, gender-based violence. I let them ride my bikes on condition that they go to school first," he added.
For more information about the Pro BMX Crew contact Ruben Small on 079 045 9563.