As director of Phoenix Bikes, an Arlington County-based youth development project, Dixon works with middle and high schoolers to teach them business skills while they learn how to fix and sell bikes. The group is celebrating its second anniversary Thursday with a bike show that promises to include bike-blended smoothies. For information, go to phoenixbikes.org.
How many kids work in the program?
Since 2007, we’ve had about 120 kids register. About half of those have earned bikes with us. And probably on any given day there are three to 12 kids in the shop.
How many bikes do you all fix each year?
We’ve recycled over 250 since we opened, which at this point is just under two years. Most of those go to bike sales that we sell for an average price of around $80 to people in the community, as well as people all over D.C. since we’re the only official used bike shop. And then a lot of them go to the kids, as well, that they earn through the program.
How many bikes do you personally own?
Let’s see, four and a half. That means I own a bike that I commute on. A bike that I go on long rides on. A bike for just going down the block … a touring bike. And a tandem. I only own half the tandem.
How do you blend smoothies with bikes?
Basically it’s just going to be a blender that is attached to the back of a bike. Instead of a motor, it’s going to have a little piece that goes down and connects to the wheel, and that’s what drives the blender.
What will be shown in the upcoming bike show?
We gathered nominations and had some judges from the cycling community pick out 10 people we are going to profile as extraordinary cyclists; people who have shown dedication to cycling but, more significantly, have made an important contribution to the community around them and/or to the bicycling community.
