Help Me Get Back on the Road

Help Me Get Back on the Road

Hey everyone,

My name is Ryan—an undergraduate student at the University of Minnesota—and I love to bike and have been doing it to pay my bills while I've been in college as a courier for gig apps like DoorDash and Grubhub. Biking started out as just a way to make money—but over time, it became something I really fell in love with.

Growing up, I biked here and there for fun, but I didn’t ride for about six years. Then, a few months ago, I bought a cheap e-bike and started doing deliveries. At first, I had no idea what I was doing—my first flat happened at 600 miles because I didn’t even know about tire pressure or that I needed a gauge for my pump. At around 1,000 miles, I messed up my rear brakes trying to fix it myself since it was really loose, so I rode another 500 miles using only the front brake until I finally figured out how to fix it thanks to youtube. A few hundred miles later, I figured out how to align my derailleur to get my gears right. At 2,000 miles, I replaced the chain and front brake pads. All in all, I have had six flats, gone through two rear tires, and replaced the front brake pads.

In just four months, I rode over 2,800 miles—averaging about 20 miles a day. Every flat, every repair, every little lesson made me love biking more. It gave me a real sense of freedom and accomplishment. Before I got into this, I was in rough place mentally and felt lost. My college grades were slipping, and I just felt stuck and unmotivated. Biking pulled me out of that. It gave me purpose, joy, and something to look forward to.

Unfortunately, my bike was stolen today while I was out grocery shopping for a customer. It was locked up, and I had even taken the battery out (it's an ebike)—but someone still managed to take it. I’m completely devastated. I lost my main way of making a living, and something that had honestly become a lifeline for me.

I’m trying to raise money to buy a new bike so I can get back to working—and riding—again. Anything you can contribute helps more than you know, and even just sharing this means a lot.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this, and thank you for any support you can give.

With love and gratitude,

Ryan