Watch

"Bike Man" Has Kept His Community Moving for Decades

Creator:
Published:
January 30, 2024
September 28, 2019
Watch how this man has been supporting his community for more than 50+ years.|Supporting-the-Community-Square

Charles "Bike Man" Jenkins has been repairing and building bikes for people in his community for over 50 years. The impact he has had on countless lives on the West Side neighborhood of South Bend, Indiana, can hardly be measured.

Video Transcript

Bike Man: South Bend

Charles Jenkins: I started doing bikes for kids when my kids were kids. Then they got friends. Then they got cousins. So that's how it started.

People see me at the grocery store, "Hey mom, it's the Bike Man!" They forget my name — but my name is Charles Jenkins, though. They forget that, but Bike Man is fine. I accept that everywhere I go.

It's amazing. As a matter of fact, that mail lady, she bought a bike from me for her child.

Basically, people bring in flat tires, chain slips, chain breaks, brakes not working, handgrip, seats, sprockets go bad, bearings go bad in the rear end. It's just everything you can think of almost on a bike. You think of it — if I've got it, I'll help you out.

The kid that I gave a bike to when he was 12 years old, he came back to me later. At that time, I was down and out — I got laid off from work, I hadn't got my unemployment yet. He came to the house, and the kid — he's an adult now — he wrote a letter. He said, "When I was 12 years old, you gave me a bike. That meant the world to me.” He said, "I won some money on a lottery scratch-off. First person I thought about was you." He gave me 500 bucks. I'll get the letter for you if you wanna see it.

Videographer: Yes, I wanna see it.

Charles: Man, I was on my knees crying. Couldn't believe it.

I wanna stop doing it, but you know. Someone will come and say, "Hey, you still doing bikes?"

"Well, yeah, I am."

So I'm stuck now — I probably can't stop doing it now. Because the kids love it, and I love to make the kids happy, and I just continue to do it. I guess it's the love of my life.

Charles to boy: Staying out of trouble? How's the grades?

Charles: You know, I ain't no preacher, I'm not a great Bible reader, but I know He's looking on all of us. And if you're doing good here, He's got a place for you in Heaven.

Subscribe to Grotto Network for stories like this.

Bike Man Shows Us How to Fix a Flat Tire

Charles "Bike Man" Jenkins shows us how to fix a punctured bicycle tire using simple tools at home.

Video Transcript

Charles Jenkins: Let me show you how to fix bikes.

You got a pan of water. You air the tire up. There it is; there's a hole. You put a pin in the hole to mark it. Scratch the surface around it, make it kind of rough around the hole, dry it off from the water. Grab a patch, cut the size you need. Get the glue out, glue across the hole, blow on it. You gotta peel your patch back, cover it, press down on the corners and let it sit about 10 minutes or so. That'll do it for that.

That's how I started, right there. Next day I was fixing flats for everybody in the neighborhood.

Creators:
Grotto
Published:
January 30, 2024
September 28, 2019
On a related note...
Free Download: Financial Checklist for College Students

Free Download: Financial Checklist for College Students

Grotto

Opening Up the STEM World to Girls of Color

Opening Up the STEM World to Girls of Color

Grotto

The Kind of Beauty and Wisdom We Need in Our Feeds

The Kind of Beauty and Wisdom We Need in Our Feeds

Grotto Shares

In the Can, Not the Bay

In the Can, Not the Bay

Grotto

A First-Timer’s Guide to Taxes

A First-Timer’s Guide to Taxes

Joshua Mazrin

8 US Catholic Churches You Have to See to Believe

8 US Catholic Churches You Have to See to Believe

Maria Walley

"End of the Day Subway"

"End of the Day Subway"

Mary Grace Mangano

Why This Vegetarian Is Raising Chickens

Why This Vegetarian Is Raising Chickens

Grotto

What Makes ‘Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist’ an Extraordinary Show

What Makes ‘Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist’ an Extraordinary Show

Victoria Mastrangelo

Grotto’s Travel Guide to Paris

Grotto’s Travel Guide to Paris

Mary Claire Lagroue

Free Download: 5 Daily Affirmations to Remind You of Your Worth

Free Download: 5 Daily Affirmations to Remind You of Your Worth

Grotto

The Commencement Address We Can’t Stop Thinking About

The Commencement Address We Can’t Stop Thinking About

Mike Jordan Laskey

"Is There Food at the Library?"

"Is There Food at the Library?"

Grotto, Kevin DeCloedt

How Cooking Became My Creative Outlet

How Cooking Became My Creative Outlet

Mary Claire Lagroue

Improv Taught Me to Embrace the Fail

Improv Taught Me to Embrace the Fail

Jennon Bell Hoffmann

6 Tips for Enjoying Life in Chicago Safely

6 Tips for Enjoying Life in Chicago Safely

Mike Rossetti

An 8-Mile Swim In Lake Michigan

An 8-Mile Swim In Lake Michigan

Grotto

The Key to Finding My Calling in Life

The Key to Finding My Calling in Life

Caelin Miltko

5 Tips for Using Trivia Night to Build Community

5 Tips for Using Trivia Night to Build Community

Dan Masterton

Finding Healing and Joy through Art

Finding Healing and Joy through Art

Grotto

newsletter

We’d love to be pals.

Sign up for our newsletter, and we’ll meet you in your inbox each week.