When We Were Younger & Better.

There is a screen in front of a bicycle’s handlebars. The screen displays people, machines, and weather in-motion. The view varies from familiar neighborhoods to uncharted foothills. Often enough the screen is interactive, allowing the operator to pause and converse with surroundings. Highly technological illuminated screens have yet to achieve the simple joys of riding a bicycle.

Thirteen-year-old Mark Fagaragan rides a bicycle outside of Kalihi twice a week. Until recently Mark has made journeys via a trusty 20-inch BMX bicycle. Last week Mark earned a 700c/29er track bicycle at KVIBE. Courtesy of a generous donation by UH Manoa graduate student Annie Hollis, Mark will now have the ability to venture further.

A larger wheel allows for longer wheel travel. Mark describes his newfound bicycle experiences as “awesome...I feel more comfortable to ride.” There are plans to ride as far as Waikiki and as nearby as Aloha Tower. Mark rides bicycles “because it is a lot of fun, and you can go anywhere without paying...you can just use your bicycle.”

KVIBE/Kokua Kalihi Valley is proud to welcome two new volunteers: Mark John Mangayayam and Eilif Knutson. Mark John is a Farrington High School senior who was recently accepted to the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. Eilif is a bicycle advocate, artist, farmer, everyman from Corvallis, Oregon who is currently residing in Honolulu on winter hiatus.

As KVIBE positions itself for an eventful 2012, please remember that the program exists purely out of the public goodwill. Donations are graciously accepted to promote bicycling as a healthy endeavor for the youth of Kalihi.