Making treasure out of trash
by Isaiah Fine, age 12
One day, I was thinking about how I needed a bike when my dad told me our neighbor had a frame that he found in an alley. The bike had green moss all over it, but it still had a lot of usable components on it: handlebars, front and rear derailleurs, pedals and crank, brake cables and shifter cables- even a water bottle cage.
I brought the bike to CAT, a bike center that I go to school at. We have a workshop there so we can fix up our bikes. I stripped and cleaned the frame and found out it is a silver Nishiki. Once I got it cleaned up, I knew it needed some serious work. It needed wheels, tires, a seat, a new chain (the old one was rusty and useless except for metal scrap), plus some brake pads. The first thing I did was find some wheels upstairs at CAT. The room upstairs is filled with frames, wheels and forks hanging from the walls and ceiling. It’s like a small cave up there because it is dark and crowded. It was hard to find the right size wheels and tires because I was looking for 24” and there were not many of that size available. When I found two good 24” wheels, I learned how to put a new cassette on the rear one.
Next I learned how to install new brake pads. It was harder that I thought because it seems like I need more hands than I was born with to do the job right. Before I took my new bike for a test ride, I had to make sure the cables were connected and everything was tightened. When I took it out, I found out that the rear brakes didn’t work. I almost flipped over my handlebars! You have to be extra careful when you’re test-riding a bike you just put together. I took the bike back into the shop and fixed it up right so I could ride it home.
I like having a mountain bike that I basically pulled out of the trash. I was able to fix it up mostly by myself, with some help from my teachers Mac and Ben. I use my new bike to ride around town and get to school every day. Before, I was just riding around on an old BMX bike, and now I have a good mountain bike.
Possibly Related
- March 2007: Oh bicycle! How significant art thou?
- May 2007: A visit with Joseph Ahearne
- November 2007: Cafécletos: Bike activism south of the border
- May 2007: CETMA racks are on the attack
- May 2008: Collecting oddball bikes
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