Why Salvation Army?

As I’ve stated in this blog previously, I am not a spiritual or religious person. I am an Atheist. The Salvation Army is obviously a church-based organization and evangelism is a part of its mission. Why then do I donate many of my bicycles to this organization that is antithetical to my belief system?

I hope that my bikes will end up in the hands of people who need them. I think that the Salvation Army store to which I donate bikes is in the best position to get them to the needy. The store is located just on the city line. It’s in a working-class neighborhood and the people that shop there (generally) are shopping there out of need.

There are other Salvation Army stores and thrift stores run by other organizations in my area that are in “nicer” neighborhoods and they seem to cater to a different clientele – wealthier people looking for bargains or harder-to-find goods. In my opinion, there’s nothing wrong with this approach for it brings in needed revenue for the charity.

When I donate a bike, it goes directly out to the floor. I’ve witnessed families buying the bicycles within moments of my donation. The kids were so excited, it made me feel great! I’ve also been asked for a bike before I even wheeled it into the store. I had no problem giving it away right there, directly.

Occasionally, I’ll drop by the store and look around. Only once have I seen one of my donated bikes there a few weeks after I brought it in.

I’ve given my local store 44 bicycles since 2006.

Twice I have seen bikes that I’ve given to the Salvation Army out “in the wild.”

The first time, I saw a kids’ bike that I had fixed for sale at a yard sale near my neighborhood. That was slightly disappointing. The guy obviously bought the bike and was trying to resell it for a profit (he has yard sales frequently and no children). I talked to the seller and told him that I had built that bike and given it to charity in the hopes that a needy kid in the city would get it. He seemed to get the idea and I’ve not seen any more of my bikes for sale from him again.

The second time, I saw a girls’ mountain bike that I repaired being ridden down the street by an older man. He had a big grin on his face – he was obviously enjoying the ride. Perhaps it was his first bike ride in many years. This has motivated me to keep up with the work!

I’ve gotten into discussion on online message boards regarding donating bikes to thrift stores. Some people claim that it’s not the most effective way to get them to the needy and that there is a lot of corruption and waste at these shops. That’s probably true for some stores in some locations, but I am convinced that most of my donations are getting to the people.

I’ve been told that a bike co-op or similar is the best place for giveaway bikes. We did have a program like that in a nearby city. I gave them some frames and wheels. Unfortunately, I think they’ve moved to a new location and are not functioning at this time. I’ve heard about another program in the city to which I am closest and I might look into donating some of my better quality bicycles.

The title for Jacquie Phelan’s food blog, “Salivation Army,” is a brilliant pun.

Meandering is good

“Ride only when you feel like it.”
-Grant Petersen, “Tips For Happy Riding” (Rivbike.com)

“Ride on your own terms. Don’t think, “It’s a sunny Saturday, I have a fantastic bicycle, I
must ride forty miles.” You’ll have more fun (and you will ride more often!) if you ride
only when you feel like it. Your bike isn’t the boss of you!”
-Grant Petersen, 2010 Rivendell Catalog (Rivbike.com)


Last Sunday was sunny and in the 30s (Fahrenheit) in my area. It was warmer than the day before, with slightly less wind. I had some free time in the afternoon, so I felt like I should get out for a ride. The thing is I didn’t really feel like putting on several layers of wool and such. So, I threw a fleece over my regular clothes and hopped on the winter beater.

There are times when I have a clear goal or destination for a ride. I either follow an established route or I plot a new one on Mapmyride.com.

I didn’t feel like riding like that. I had no real plan. I simply wandered north, taking a different street than I usually do. I meandered down to a short stretch of bike path that wanders along a river. I scooted over to a park and rode on the grass (frozen, covered with a crust of old snow). I rode along another part of the river, then down a wide road with a good shoulder. Back on to another section of the bike path, I went back and forth under the tunnel, enjoying the feel of the bike along the pavement and laughing as I jumped snow banks like a kid.

I had only intended to go out for a short one. I came home an hour later. Short by summer standards, but this is February.

I had a great time.

I have no idea how many miles I covered; the winter beater doesn’t have a computer. With all the off-road exploring I can’t go back and put a route into mapmyride to determine the mileage. I don’t really care.

I found two pennies. Meandering is good.

Personal Bike History Part 3 - Adulthood

After I graduated from college I didn’t think much about bicycles for a while. I started working in my chosen field. I drove a lot. I had a pretty far commute for work. I was also in a band that travelled for gigs. I was the main van driver and I spent many hours behind the wheel.

Eventually my heavy gigging days came to an end. Around this time I had a roommate that moved out and she left behind a bike. It was a dark green Royce Union Savoy – a department store “mountain” bike. The wheels were bent, so she never rode it. I got the wheels fixed at a bike shop and decided to try and ride it around town. I got a seat post rack so that I could carry stuff. I occasionally rode this bike for errands and exercise. I would ride to the post office (I was selling a lot on ebay at this time) and on a multi-use path.

The bike did not inspire me to keep riding, though. It was very heavy and it didn’t fit me very well. The wide knobby tires provided much rolling resistance. I often felt sore, tired and winded after riding this bike. I attributed this feeling to the fact that I was out of shape. I had a mental image that riding was painful if you weren’t in top physical condition. The bike spent a lot of time chained to a fence in my backyard.

During this time I made my first visits to Europe as an adult. I visited Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland and Denmark in two separate summer trips. I saw a lot of bicycles in use (especially in Copenhagen, of course). The bicycle began to creep back into my consciousness.

While visiting a friend in Finland, we borrowed two of the family’s bikes to ride into town one evening. We had so much fun exploring the area on two wheels. I have a fond memory of scooting around the town in the glorious evening light of Scandinavia.

I wish I had been a cyclist during this period of my life. I was single, I had time and a little bit of money. My trips to Scandinavia, great as they were, would have been so much better if they were bike tours. I probably didn’t really know what bike touring was, though.

I went through a motorized two-wheel transport phase before I became a full-fledged bicycle enthusiast. My wife (fiancé at the time, actually) decided to buy a new Vespa scooter. It was so fun to ride. I soon bought one of my own, a Genuine Stella which is a metal bodied, manual shifting copy of a late 70s Vespa. I really liked it. I rode it to work, I rode it around town. We quite stylishly arrived at our wedding rehearsal on scooters. When I wasn’t riding it, I spent a lot of time reading books, magazines and websites about scooters.

Scootermania lasted for about a year and a half.

A few things contributed to its demise. First of all, my wife became unenthusiastic about the scooter. Hers was somewhat unreliable mechanically and it visited the shop a few times in that first year. She decided to sell the Vespa after one year of ownership. We also bought a house that did not have a garage. I kept my scooter under a tarp in the backyard (not exactly secure) and I sometimes parked it in the basement (not exactly safe).

Slowly, I began to think that I might enjoy bicycles more than scooters.

We visited two summer vacation places where bikes are popular – one in the mountains and one by the ocean. We didn’t ride in the mountains, but we did rent a tandem to ride on the boardwalk by the sea. The tandem was old, out of proper adjustment and not sized well for us (me in particular) but it was fun. Then, pretty soon after we married, we visited some friends in an urban area. We had our morning coffee near a multi-use path and we saw many families enjoying their bikes. I remember seeing a bike with a kid trailer behind it and I knew that was what I wanted. My wife and I planned to have a child someday and I couldn’t see myself EVER transporting my darling offspring on a scooter. It didn’t seem safe. I felt confident in my scooter driving ability and I didn’t think that I took unnecessary risks on it but I didn’t trust the car drivers around me. Suddenly, the scooter didn’t seem like the proper choice for a person well on his way to having a family.

I began feeling envious of cyclists that I passed on my scooter. I liked the idea of getting away from the gasoline engine and the simple mechanics of the bicycle was also appealing. I was intimidated by working on the scooter myself. Bikes were a different story. I had tinkered around with them as a kid and I thought the bicycle was something I could understand.

Eventually the above reasons plus the realization that I could make some quick cash made me come to the decision that I should sell the scooter. I told myself that I would replace it with a bicycle.

The scooter was sold on ebay for a fair price, ironically to a young, new father.

I began doing research and visiting bike shops. Luckily, the first one I visited made a great impression on me and it became my favorite bike shop. I was impressed by the salespeople and I liked the feeling of the place. I liked that the staff urged me to take my time and to test ride many bikes before making a decision. They provided lots of great advice. For example, I was of the impression that I should by a hybrid and work my way up to a road bike. One of the salesmen urged me to consider a touring bike instead, pointing out that the more comfortable geometry and wider tires would provide a more accessible ride. I saw his point, but I wasn’t ready to commit the resources towards a full-fledged touring bike like the Surly Long-Haul Trucker he suggested. I wasn’t sure I was going to stick with cycling.

While I was researching, I was also attempting to ride my Royce Union Savoy occasionally. I was not doing well. I was having trouble riding the thing to a park only a few miles from here. I remember feeling exhausted after riding. After test riding some bikes at the shop, I knew that this bike wasn’t helping me any.

I made a database of all the bike models that I came across. I compared wheelbase lengths, chainstay lengths, tire widths, gearing and frame materials. I was pretty much locked in to purchasing a bike from my favorite bike shop because I had received some gift certificates to that store from family. Luckily they carry quite a few bike lines and they have a wide selection of inventory.

I settled on the 2007 Schwinn LeTour. I didn’t notice it at first; the 2007 Schwinn catalog was pretty poorly designed and none of their bikes appealed to me all that much. When I got into the specifics, however, I knew I had found my entry-level road bike. I liked the relaxed geometry, the 700 X 25c tires (with room for something a little larger) and the rack braze-ons. I wasn’t thrilled about an aluminum frame, but I chose the model with a steel fork. A winter sale came up at the shop and I got my gift certificates together and bought the thing. I am very glad that I did. That bike has been perfect for me. It’s my main bike and it will be for many years to come.

Things Found in the Street – multi-modal commuting edition

Having a basement full of bikes found in the garbage can come in handy.

A few summers ago, I had to catch a flight at the airport. My wife was out of town (I was flying to meet her, actually) and I didn’t want to ask anyone to drive me because the flight was in the middle of a business day. I could have driven myself to the airport and left my car in long-term parking, but the cost would be high. A taxi would be expensive, too. Additionally, I was planning to drive home from my destination – if I left my car there it would require an additional trip back to get it.

My house is a bikeable distance to the airport, but what would I do with the bike while I was out of town?

I did a little research and I discovered that there is a bus that runs to the airport from a central location in the city to which my town is adjacent. That location is just a few miles from my house. The solution: ride a junker to the bus stop, leave it unlocked for whoever wants it, get on the bus and go to the airport!

I probably could have worked out the bus schedule and taken a city bus from my house to the second buss that went to the airport. Ah, that’s complicated and not nearly as fun as this plan.

I picked a step-through Huffy for the job. It was way too small for me, but I only had a few miles to go. I made it to the bus stop with plenty of time to spare. I left the bike unlocked and leaning against some parking meters across the street from the bus stop. I watched it for about a half an hour from across the street. People walked by, but no one paid any attention to the poor little Huffy. Eventually the bus came. I got on it and went to the airport.

I half expected to see the bike still sitting there when I rode by that spot a few weeks later. Of course it was gone.

I would do this again if I ever need to get to the airport. The supply of Huffys in the garbage doesn’t seem to be dwindling.

Eternal Flame (2004)

I see many broken plastic lighters discarded in the street. Here’s a metal one (Zippo?) that I find a few years ago. It’s inscribed with the romantic words “to my eternal flame 2004.”

Every time I see this thing I think of the Bangles song of the same name. If you are of a certain age, that song is probably stuck in your head right now. So here’s a bit of music history for you:

The Bangles - Eternal Flame from Nika Pika on Vimeo.

And while we’re at it, might as well take a moment to read the Bangles article on Wikipedia. Good stuff.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bangles

This weekend, I found a dime, a spoon and some usable zip ties. I also got out for a good 10.5 mile singlespeed road ride. It almost makes up for the fact that we’re expecting a huge rainstorm tomorrow and not snow.

Things Found in the Street – found weapons and weapon-related items edition

I found this blue box recently. I originally thought that it was a case for a power tool. Then I recognized the embossed Smith & Wesson logo. It was pretty light, so I knew it didn’t have its deadly cargo within. When I got home, I opened it and discovered the contents. Inside were the paper items that probably came with a newly purchased gun – pamphlets, a sticker, etc. Also included was a form that transfers ownership from the shop to the buyer. There was some personal information on it with which the person who threw this out should have been more careful. Underneath the foam liner of the case was some kind of extra handle and a gun lock with key. I could probably use that lock for something. As for the case, I’m not sure what I’ll do with it now, but it might be useful in the future.

This lock-blade Buck knife was another street find. It appears to be in good condition. It probably bounced out of a pickup truck bed or perhaps someone left it on their vehicle and then drove away. I keep it with my bike tools.

The third weapons-related find was kind of creepy. It’s a toy handgun, but I didn’t know it was a fake when I first saw it. I was walking along and I saw it under a bush. The size, shape and color are very realistic. When I looked closely, I saw the faint orange paint on the end. I picked it up and felt that it was not much lighter than a gun would be and it was made of metal. Because it was so real-looking, I took it home. I wouldn’t want some kid to find it and meet a tragic end because of this plaything.

I believe that there is some kind of regulation now regarding the appearance of toy guns. I think that they are not supposed to be black in color. This was probably an older toy with only the orange on the end. As with this one, I’m sure the orange wears away over time. It could also be easily covered over with paint or a magic marker by the child that desires a more realistic-looking prop.

I’m not sure why parents would let their kids play with toy guns in the first place. It’s a complicated issue (with long roots in American cultural memory) but it’s disconcerting to me to see kids playing with things that are designed to kill.

These three items were all found on the same street, within three blocks of each other.

Things Found in the Street – January thaw edition

I live in the Northern part of the United States where it is expected to be cold with snow on the ground from December to March (at least). Recently, we’ve had some warmer weather that has caused much of the snow to melt. We also had a significant amount of rain which has washed some snow away. I find rain to be particularly depressing (I have my own PTSD reasons for this) but it’s even worse in the winter. It’s not supposed to rain in the winter, it’s supposed to snow. Snow is beautiful; rain leaves everything muddy and ugly and it uncovers the garbage littering the streets.

Another thing uncovered by the disappearing snow is a huge amount of dog excrement! It doesn’t seem to have the same rate of dissolving as snow does. There was one area along the road where I counted over 50 individual deposits! Apparently my neighbors are less-than-fastidious about cleaning up after their animals, at least in this particular spot. It’s at the edge of a commercial lot, so perhaps few are compelled to scoop there. As for me, I always scoop.

(I recommend these particular dog waste bags. They’re biodegradable and made in Norway).

Of course, with the unsightly garbage and such come some interesting items. First of all, there is money. I found some coins this weekend. Mostly pennies, but I did find a nickel near the bike shop of which I am not exactly fond. A thaw is a great time to find money in the street. I recall a few springs ago when I found almost $1 total in coins picked up around just one neighborhood block. I guess people accidentally drop money and it gets covered in snow. When the snow melts, jackpot!

I also found a random bent fork. As I’ve written before, winter is found metal cutlery season. I don’t know why.

Then there is this random bike part. It looks like a seat post clamp from some department store bike. Someday I’ll need one of these and I’ll be glad I found it in the street.

I also found some Coca-Cola bottle caps. A non-profit with which I am familiar collects the codes that are found underneath the caps. I found about a half dozen, all on the same street.

I also found this bicycle while out on a ride. I saw it on my way out and planned to pick it up on my way home, if it was still there. I know it’s hard to believe, but it was still there 90 minutes later. I guess that no one wanted a girls’ Roadmaster with a bent seat tube. I’ll strip this thing of any usable parts and send the frame off to the recycler.

I also recently found a trio of department store bikes. These are the older ones that I like to find – fully rigid with friction shifting. I’ll tune them up and donate them soon.

Another upside of all this balmy weather is the fact that it’s easier to ride. I was able to get out twice this weekend and it didn’t require too much clothing. I went on my longest ride of 2010 so far (20 miles – not much) and I rode a bike other than my designated winter beater for the first time. Still, I wouldn’t mind a few extra layer of clothing if we at least had some snow to play in.