Bicycle recyclers empower riders

“Our sales have increased dramatically,” says Samantha Wechsler, executive director of Bikes Not Bombs. Ms. Wechsler says interest is being driven by the opening of a new stand-alone shop in Boston’s Jamaica Plain neighborhood. Most bikes there sell for about $300, she says. With a little work, most customers could find a bike on craigslist.org, the online classified site, for much less. But Wechsler says that Bikes Not Bombs patrons want to reinvest in a local, sustainable organization. They also know that the bicycles bought there have been carefully restored by trained mechanics.

“People have always needed bikes. I don’t think it’s the need that’s increasing,” says Matt Picard, the youth programming director at Bikes Not Bombs. “It’s the awareness that is [increasing]: Environmentalism has been brought to the forefront.”

When Mr. Picard joined Bikes Not Bombs, he remembers being skeptical about the organization’s ability to inspire people. “I wondered if this would actually get a kid to wear a helmet,” he says, “or encourage biking in general.”
Now, he points to Bikes Not Bombs’ youth-employment program, similar to the curriculum sponsored by Recycle-a-Bicycle. “When you finish the program, you can apply to be an instructor,” Picard says. “It’s an important avenue to build confidence. You can see the satisfaction. We’re always thinking about the environment, but in a way, that becomes almost secondary: What we’re really doing is to help create young, independent cyclists.”

Not all such organizations are as big as Bikes Not Bombs. Bruce Lien lives in Pine, a small Colorado town southwest of Denver. In the past decade, working primarily out of a shop in his family’s barn, Mr. Lien estimates he has restored about 4,700 bikes. Last year, Lien retired from teaching and began to spend more time at the workbench. “I fixed about 696 bikes,” he recalls. “It was exciting to see what I could get done with all that time.”

Lien works mostly by himself or with another senior volunteer, but he is a member of a larger umbrella organization, Recycle Bicycles, which distributes bikes across Denver.

Recycle Bicycles, though, gives away every bike it repairs. The primary recipients, says Lien, are homeless men and women. “Back when I started, it was about making a difference on a small scale,” Lien says. “I’ve been a witness to how powerful a thing a bike can be. Bicycles are very empowering things.”

Stein, of Recycle-a-Bicycle, says she expects the appeal of these programs to continue to swell. “They’re in line with the trends,” she explains. “There’s the green aspect and the environmental awareness. And people want to live better. And then here in New York, for instance, there’s the focus on alternative transportation – on cutting down on traffic. So we get some of the Lycra crowd. We get the former messengers. We get the casual riders. We have people from all those strata contributing to a shared cause.”

Other bike recyclers

Got an old bike that needs a new home? Consider donating it to one of these organizations. (You’ll find others online.) Or, if you’re in the market for a new ride, think green – and buy recycled.

Bikes Not Bombs
Boston (Jamaica Plain).
Phone: (617) 522-0222

Recycle-a-Bicycle
New York
Phone: (718) 858-2972

Bikes for the World
Arlington, Va.
Phone: (703) 525-0931

Recycle Bicycles
Pine, Colo.
Phone: (303) 908-7982

Working Bikes Cooperative
Chicago
Phone: (312) 421-5048

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