refugee bike update: THANK YOU

Just a shout-out to my Portland readers and their friends who've brought me their old bikes for Catholic Charities' refugee resettlement program.

THANK YOU.

I've received bikes and parts all summer, and fixed most of them up and moved them along well before the end of August.

Right now I'm working on a couple of build-ups -- two mountain bikes that I'm building up from parts around a couple of donated frames (special thanks to Kai at Upcycles for those!). When those are done, I'll have some space for more bikes. If you or another Portlander you love has an old dead bike floating around, let me know.

A special note on type of bike --

While I will take almost any bicycle if it's whole and complete, I prefer old mountain style bikes with derailleurs. That's because Portland is a very hilly town -- it was built over a bunch of little dead volcanoes -- and giving someone a single-speed with a coaster brake when he'll end up living at 185th and southeast Hell is kind of mean.

Also, for liability reasons, I cannot accept children's bicycles. Please donate those to Community Cycling Center for their afterschool programs.

If you want to see some of the bicycles that have enjoyed new life in the refugee resettlement program, check out my flickr album.

Below: Just a few of the bikes you've donated to this program, repaired and ready to ride. Thank you!