Velochimp: Astrochimp on Cycling

Jan Maloff has been running an annual Holiday bike giveaway prgram for years here in Syracuse, NY. The program usually involves getting hundreds of broken bikes fixed up by local volunteers. The Onondaga Cycling Club would lend a hand by fixing some bikes too. Just before Christmas the bikes are given away for free to underprivileged families so that kids can have a nice present.

The problem Jan Maloff saw was that each year they would usually see the same bikes. Plus when kids would start riding their bikes, small problems such as flat tires or various adjustments could lead to the kids throwing out the bikes again. The solution was to provide free bike repair year round so that kids can keep riding without having to search out for repairs. Jan Maloff is doing this to promote a healthy lifestyle for kids who otherwise could not afford it.

Here is a recent news story:

Puma in conjunction with the Bicycle Film Festival is launching Re-bike. The program is for charity and has various bike magazines create bikes that are reflective of the magazine’s style. The only catch is that the bikes can only cost $200 and have to be made of recycled material. The bike will be auctioned off on eBay and money will go to charities such as The Working Bike Cooperative in Chicago (http://workbikes.org), Bicycle Kitchen (http://bicyclekitchen.com) and others.

The work done on the bikes is truly cool with an emphasis on urban fixed gear riding.
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