Mattydale community rushes to replace stolen Roxboro Road Elementary bikes

What could have knocked out a beloved Roxboro Road Elementary tradition instead turned into a fast-moving Mattydale rescue effort. Bikes kept in a locked courtyard were stolen and damaged, and several were found bent and in some cases unridable, threatening the school’s Bike Day at 200 Bernard Street.

Special education teacher Amanda Dolbear said she first noticed one bike dangling from a fence while she was drinking coffee and assumed children were just using the bikes. Once she realized they had been taken and damaged, she posted on Facebook on June 1 asking for help with tires and repairs. The response was immediate: mothers, grandmothers and other community members stepped in, and truckloads of replacement bikes and bike parts began arriving.

That surge of support kept the school’s fourth annual Bike Day on track for Thursday, June 4. The event at Roxboro Road Elementary School, part of the North Syracuse Central School District, included stations focused on bicycle safety, riding skills, maintenance and healthy lifestyles. The day also featured adaptive cycling demonstrations led by CNY Adaptive Sports, which says it operates throughout Central New York, primarily Onondaga County.

Erik Ryan, the group’s vice president, said helping younger children learn about adaptive sports is part of building a more inclusive community. The demonstrations gave students a chance to see different ways people ride and move, adding another layer to an event that is meant to promote activity and give bikes to students who need them.

Dolbear said she had to call in a lot of hands to repair the damaged bikes, a detail that made the theft feel less like a simple nuisance and more like a direct hit on a schoolwide enrichment effort. Still, the school’s response showed how quickly neighbors can rally when a children’s program is threatened. The day ended with a group bicycle ride around the school and neighboring streets, and Dolbear said the program’s goal is simple: “everybody can move.”