Cyclist Zander Maitland hitting a jump in Kamloops.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED / Zander Maitland

In response to an unfortunate childhood incident, a Kamloops man has been buying and restoring cheap bicycles and giving them to young people who otherwise couldn't afford a bike.

Downhill bike racer Zander Maitland is an active member of the local biking community with a passion for everything bikes. To date, he has fixed and flipped thirty bicycles to young riders. He said he is compelled to make a difference for lower income families.

“I was raised by a single mother and we didn’t have very much money,” he said. “When I was a kid my grandparents bought me my first bicycle for my birthday. I had a knee injury at the time and had to wait to ride it but it was stolen before I got the chance.”

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The now 24-year-old Maitland said when a local newspaper covered the story in 2006, someone from the community gave him a brand new bike.

“I met the guy who gave me the bike but I was only about nine years old so I can't remember what his name was,” he said. “I really wish I could because his random act of kindness to a stranger molded a lot of my ideals and how I see the world today.”

Maitland said as soon as he was old enough to earn money he has been driven to give back to young riders and introduce them to the joy of biking. He said he buys up cheap bikes and turns them into reliable ones for kids to hit trails on.

“Riding does a lot to improve mental health,” he said. “The biking community in Kamloops is close and positive. It is a great place for young people to be instead of getting into trouble out on the streets.”

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A bike that Zander Maitland is fixing and giving to a young person in Kamloops.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED / Zander Maitland

Maitland said one recent recipient of a fixed up bike is a young boy who comes from a single parent, low-income family who couldn’t afford the cost of a safe bike.

“I searched for a cheap bike and found one and with help from others in the biking community we got to give the kid a bike,” he said. “That kid has been on the trails after school almost every day, ever since. It is great, this is what I’m striving to make happen.”

Maitland said he runs a low income bike shop out of his yard for people that need work done but can't afford the standard shop rates and is hoping to start a program for less fortunate people to help them get trust worthy bikes that will handle their first couple years in the sport.

Francois Raath works at Spoke, Bike and Ski in Kamloops.

“We see Zander here regularly getting various parts to put on different bikes,” Raath said. “I see bikes come through here that end up with people who deserve them. Zander is active in the biking community and helps to recover stolen bikes.”

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