Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Recycle Bikes for Kids has adult bikes for sale
The mission of Recycle Bikes for Kids is right in the name: fixing up used bicycles and giving them to children. The organization has put more than 20,000 kids on wheels since 2008. But it also sells some used bikes for adults.
In fact, it’s holding a holiday sale 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday at 717 E. 10th St. in North Little Rock.
Program manager Meg Gholson says sale proceeds will help pay the rent and light bill at the warehouse where volunteers rehabilitate donated bikes and gear. And the sale should make some room in a space crowded by hundreds — if not thousands — of bicycles.
“We’re planning to provide 1,200 to 1,600 kids bikes to our partner organizations this Christmas,” Gholson notes.
Besides the kids machines it gladly accepts, Recycle Bikes receives a lot of donations of adult bicycles, says Bruce Thalheimer, the retired bike-shop owner who sold his store Chainwheel in 2019. Widows donate some; others come from riders who upgrade to a new ride and hand off their former one.
If the donated bicycles are late models that don’t need work, Recycle Bikes places them with area bike shops. “If they get a really pretty nice bike, that’s a $500, $600, $700 bike or more, they’ll sell it through a bike shop and let them just take a commission,” Thalheimer says.
But among the older donations and those needing repairs are good used machines. Recycle Bikes sells these in the warehouse, and at “very good prices,” he says.
“The bikes that we fix up, there’s not a single bike over $200 for sale,” Thalheimer says. “And they get people’s old jerseys, shorts, bibs, shoes, helmets, gloves, bike parts, handlebars, derailleurs, accessory parts, and all of it’s really cheap.
“I could get you the finest stuff in the store, and you would have a
decent bike to ride — with everything you needed for safety — for under $300.”
Unlike a bike shop that carries multiples of each model so customers walk in expecting to find their size, Recycle Bikes either has your size or it doesn’t. But it has lots of sizes, he says. And all kinds of parts, too — handlebar stems, brackets, gears, pedals, clips, car-top carriers, bike stands …
“I was going on a trip to the Katy Trail, and the tires that I have on my bike were not appropriate [for gravel],” he says. “So for $10 I bought a pair of tires from Recycle Bikes and put them up on my bike for the trip. And when it’s over, I’ll either give them back or keep them in case I do another trip.”
Also, he suggests, cyclists could pick up a still serviceable tire to use on their indoor trainer during the winter. “Why trash your good tire when you can save its tread by using one of these used tires? New tires are expensive.”
He also knows serious road riders who buy themselves a second bike to ride casually with their kids and come to Recycle to get a different set of pedals for it. “There’s sets of pedals there you can match to your shoes. There’s all this stuff,” he says.
Longtime riders like volunteer Charlie Hart like poking around the warehouse to see older, rare or just “really cool” bicycles that come in. Items of interest are everywhere. He points to a single-speed, fixed-gear model with flashy gold-tone rims: not a pricey thing but eye-catching.
“And there’s all sorts of wonderful things for people that want a little extra something,” Thalheimer says. “I had a guy, a friend of mine, he said, ‘My girlfriend’s bugging me for a bike and I’m not spending a lot of money because she probably won’t ride it.’ Well, she actually got a $50 bike, and for $50 more she got a helmet, a jersey, a pair of shorts and a pair of gloves.”
Those jerseys and pants are sorted by size, he says, noting that he does that.
“Just remember,” he adds, “everything is used. The only warranty you get is a taillight warranty. You know what that is? When we see your taillights, the warranty’s up.
“But it can cost $30 an hour to rent a bike and here you can own one for $50. It’s just a really fun program,” he says. “And what I like about it more than anything else is there’s a lot of people that come in that have been to a bike shop and have been totally frightened away. And you can see it when they go in [ Recycle Bikes’ warehouse] and they pick up a bike for $100 or $200. They walk out of there to go ride a bike.”
For more information about the Recycle Bikes for Kids sale or volunteering, see facebook.com/recyclebikesforkids, call (501) 563-8264 or email recyclebikesforkids@gmail.com.