Wow… uh… Gareth’s story made the front page of the local paper. An online version of the article is now available. (The article was moved to their archives and can no longer be accessed, but click Read More below to read a local copy.)
Brandy and Gareth read the article together this morning while I slept in a bit, but after a while, Gareth could no longer stand the wait. He and Brandy came into the bedroom to wake me up with a plea to go riding.
So we did.
I started off with a short ride to get used to the feel of the steering and the shifting. Everything went smoothly, didn’t feel too awkward. Once I returned, we put Gareth in the front seat, strapped him in, and took off down the street! Our first ride was no more than five minutes, a proof of concept ride. We didn’t biff, neither of us got scared. Thus emboldened, we took off on a 15 minute ride around the neighborhood and had a great time.
By then, it had started raining again, so we hauled the gear inside and dried everything off. While I was toweling off helmets and frames, Gareth was telling Brandy that he liked going fast and that the ride was “scary in a fun way”. He’s hooked. 
And so am I.
Because of the short time frame, we improvised a harness system using an old hip restraint from one his seating systems and a weight lifting belt from Wal-Mart. They worked surprisingly well!
Make-A-Wish, the Centre Daily Times, and all of Gareth’s grandparents were in attendance for the presentation today and got to see both Gareth and me on the bike. Gareth received the bike, a Spongebob jersey, various maps of bike trails, word icons for describing our trips, and reflective ankle straps. I’m sure he thought it was Christmas all over again.
Word of warning for anybody considering something like the Pino - make sure you have wide hallways or, better yet, a garage. We don’t have either. Maneuvering the bike between rooms is insanely difficult and has resulted in the removal of two chunks of wall that will need to be patched and painted (they’re small, but enough for me to notice). Thank goodness we were going to repaint this summer anyway.
Now we just hang back and wait for the first spot of good weather. I need to get in a brief training ride to get used to the bike. After that, we’ll get Gareth on there. Please, Winter, hold off just a little longer!
The bike is ready! I stopped in today to see how things were going, and it is done. Sam @ RBR took a few minutes to get the upright seat positioned properly for me and to position the handles to my liking.
I then got back to the office and gave M-A-W a call to finalize details. We’re shooting for 3PM on Saturday for the unveiling/presentation to Gareth.
I spoke some more with our M-A-W volunteers. M-A-W would like to do an official presentation of the bike to Gareth once it is ready. They’re hoping we can do it this weekend, but I need to stop in at RBR and see what the schedule is like for completing the bike.
Sue (one of our volunteers) mentioned something about a large bow and calling the CDT. Ought to be quite the event.
Since the last post, I have discovered that the rack quickly breaks down into smaller pieces. Thank the maker! This revelation will also make it easier to store the rack as I can now wall mount it.
Speaking of wall mounting, Gareth has indicated that he would like to have his bike in his bedroom. If you’ve ever seen his room, you know that the child has far too many worldly possessions and no room for a bike. So we’re going to hang it on the wall. The challenge is on to find a wall rack that will hold the Pino at 46 pounds and 83 inches long.
I called our Make-A-Wish contacts to see if there was anything special they wanted or needed to do now that the bike was in. Sounds like they have a procedure to go through once a wish is fulfilled, including taking some photos. They’re going to call back with more info and to set up a time to meet again.
Gareth’s physical therapist has purchased some materials for making his harness. We’re still mulling over the design aspects, but it shouldn’t be much longer.
I used to worry that I was pushing Gareth into this bike, that I was projecting too much of my own desire for us to ride together onto him. Let me just say that I no longer harbor such reservations.
Gareth loved his bike. Absolutely adored it. While fitting him for the pedals, we put his feet on both and held them in place while he turned the crank all on his own. It was just too perfect.
Jorene was on hand to provide a pedal restraint solution and to look at what we could do regarding torso restraints. Everything looks doable.
We also took the rack home tonight. Oh man, that thing is a beast. Getting it up and down the basement steps is going to be nightmarish but oh so worth it.
The bike will be finished up by late next week. After that, they’ll get my fitting done (seat and handle adjustments). Then it’s ours.
Or rather, it’s at RBR. Rob left a message at home saying the Pino was in the shop, so I scurried over after work to check it out. It is already almost entirely assembled, and it is very, VERY green. Nobody will be able to miss us as we’re out riding.
Sometime next week, we’ll get over to the shop for Gareth’s fitting - placing the pedals at the right spot for him and then shortening the chain accordingly. After that’s done, I assume the bike is ours to take, though I need to call Make-A-Wish and see if there’s anything they want to do regarding presenting it to Gare.
We’re putting the trailer hitch on the van tomorrow, and the Draftmaster rack is now paid for and ready for pickup as well. It has all come together nicely!
If the weather holds up, we could actually be looking to ride within the next two weeks.
Apologies for the following low quality photos. All I had on me was my cell phone.
I stopped by RBR today to finalize the details on the purchase of the Draftmaster. It will be $477 when all is said and done. Compared to some online retailers, this is a savings of only about $30. However, we don’t have to deal with shipping, and we have a local resource should we need anything serviced.
While there, I asked about the status of the Pino. Rob didn’t have much news for me other than that the payment went through. We should still be on track for the end of January.
Shortly over one week after being visited by Make-A-Wish volunteers, we have received the news that Gareth’s wish is being granted!
I’m absolutely floored by this news, and Gareth is incredibly excited. Rob @ RBR sent me home with a book of color swatches so Gareth could pick the exact green he wants. He chose “yellow green”, color 6018 on the European RAL color system. I’ve changed the header here to reflect Gareth’s chosen preference.
It will be 6-8 weeks before the bike is in central PA. The bike will be assembled in Germany and then shipped to RBR where it will undergo some final fitting (especially figuring out a harness system) before Gareth takes the stoker’s seat.
An amazing THANK YOU is due the Make-A-Wish foundation for giving Gareth the gift of bicycling.
Since we reached our goal about, uh, six months faster than I anticipated, this blog will now kick over into a journal of our rides around central PA. The first ride might very well be in snow!
As a result of no longer requiring fundraising, I have removed the donor and donation links. At some point here in the future, I’ll add some info on donating money to Make-A-Wish and other organizations that help put kids on bikes.
