Mr. Fixit (Bike Edition)

"PotbellyJoe and 42 others" (potbellyjoe) 01/28/2016 at 00:43 • Filed to: None

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Some background, I have been into mountain biking for 24 years, my first MTB was a Redline that I was given the Christmas before I turned 10. I’m no expert, but I can confidently fix most issues on a bike.

My neighbor does not own a car. I’ve never gotten the full story, but I know it would cost him hundreds of dollars to get his license back, and I’m sure his daily 6-pack of Miller Lite that I see him with every night probably has something to do with it. Nice guy. Really nice guy, actually, but has no car or license.

He rides his bike everyday to and from work, the store, everywhere. His bike is getting longer in the tooth and it wasn’t a high-end bike to start with. Not a Wally-World bike, but it’s a Suntour fork, Alvio components and Tektro mechanical brakes on a standard 6000-series Aluminum budget frame. It’s more than adequate, but nothing flash.

Four years ago, he saw me working on my bikes in my backyard and asked if I could look at his. It was in sad shape and needed help, so I fixed it. He supplied beer and parts, I drank and wrenched.He was ecstatic to get it back in much better shape.

Fast forward four years and nearly annually I work on his bike. As it’s his primary mode of transportation, it sees a ton of miles. He’s also effectively broke, so I work out of parts bins, and craigslist/ebay where I can to keep costs low.

Tonight he stopped by panicked. He was coming home from a new job and his tire ruptured. Literally. Not tube, tire.

So he’s flipping out because he needs to work and is short on rent already, let alone having to now buy bike parts. I take a look, knowing I have tires that are 50-75% good in my collection that he can basically have, and ask him if he is having any other problems with it.

“Brakes stopped working”

“Um, like they aren’t strong anymore?”

“No, like I put my feet down to stop, now.”

‘Holy crap, I live next door to you dude, you have my cell #. What are you doing?’ I think to myself. “I can take a look, probably needs an adjustment and new pads,” I say.

“Ok, I don’t have money.”

Of course not. So I rummage through my parts bin and find brake cables, tires and shraeder-valve 26" tube (I own a 1993 Specialized Rockhopper that still uses these) and tell him I’ll have to order brake pads and it looks like he’ll need a chain and cassette.

“I’ll do you a favor. Take my hardtail. That way you can get to work. I’ll order parts and replace them and then just pay me half when you get a paycheck and the other half the next paycheck. It’s not like I don’t know where you live.”

So I order $48 of parts and get to work on the other items of need.

New tire is mounted, everything has been cleaned and greased, now I just need the new parts which will come Monday.

So where is this all going, because I don’t want this to play out as a “Humble brag.” I have had a terrible few months at work. My boss is about as condescending as they come. It’s awful. But I’m working and I’m working in the field I majored in, so I really shouldn’t complain. My neighbor works jobs, not a career, but he is always happy. It’s infectious.

I am trying to be happier. I think the busier we get and the more bogged down we become with everything the more we forget to smile.

So I get the satisfaction of helping this guy out, and I get to wrench a bit. He gets to go to work, and will have a working bike at the end of all of this. It’s a win-win.

My neighbor impresses me. He doesn’t whine about being broke, he goes to work. His bike broke down and he walked the 5 miles to his job today (in the snow, uphill both ways.) I think I admire his attitude because I would not be half the guy he is if I was faced with the same challenges. I need to work on that.

That’s all. Nothingness really, just fixing my neighbor’s bike while his attitude encourages me to fix mine.

My neighbor is Mr. Fixit.

TheLOUDMUSIC- Put it in H! > PotbellyJoe and 42 others 01/28/2016 at 01:24

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Fixing bikes gets damn near therapeutic for me.

HammerheadFistpunch > PotbellyJoe and 42 others 01/28/2016 at 01:27

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I fixed sooooo many bikes like this as a missionary, shop mechanic and volunteer mechanic...always feel awesome. Nice work both of you.

CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist) > PotbellyJoe and 42 others 01/28/2016 at 05:31

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I gotta give you a hand for that. this really inspires me to join an organization to help out with bikes in need of repair from the community....good job.

TheRealBicycleBuck > PotbellyJoe and 42 others 01/28/2016 at 06:30

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I’m right there with you. There’s a reason for my avatar name and it isn’t due to my outstanding success racing bicycles. One of my favorite activities in college was rescuing abandoned bikes and selling them at cost. I was lucky enough to be involved in the early stages of a bike share program. First order of business was to repainted and repair a bunch of abandoned bikes. To this day I get grid from my wife about the number of bikes in the garage. I thought I was doing well - I’m down to three, plus two frames, plus a flatbed trailer, and the kids’ bikes.

Maybe I do have a problem.

PotbellyJoe and 42 others > TheRealBicycleBuck 01/28/2016 at 07:35

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Only three? Haha.

I have 12 bikes (4 me, 2 wife, 6 for kids) in my shed, and a parts bin that could probably build 2-3 half bikes. Haha.

I have helped out at a local bike exchange, that takes in donations from the community, getting them cleaned and rideable.

PotbellyJoe and 42 others > CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist) 01/28/2016 at 07:37

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We have boys and girls club bicycle exchanges in NJ that take bike donations, but need people to wrench on them to get them in shape. It’s good work. I don’t know if there are any places like that near you.

TheRealBicycleBuck > PotbellyJoe and 42 others 01/28/2016 at 08:52

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This is what remains after moving 500 miles. There was a “cleansing” that occurred during that move. I’m pretty sure that the movers were given instructions to drop some of my boxes off of a bridge.