Calgary retirees volunteering to fix bicycles for new Canadians and underprivileged kids

Calgary retirees who are part of the Bike Shed are finding purpose in repairing and rebuilding bikes for underprivileged youth and newcomers to Canada.

On Tuesday mornings in the basement of the Greater Forest Lawn 55+ Society, Calgary retirees can be found working in the Bike Shed to help get old bikes into rideable shape for new Canadians and underprivileged kids.

Merv Graham, the Bike Shed lead, says it’s part of a bigger international organization called Men’s Shed with four Calgary locations, along with branches in Airdrie, Chestermere, Strathmore and Cochrane.

“What we do is we receive donated bikes and we collect bikes from the landfill that can be refurbished,” he said. “We fix them up and give them to kids and students through Youth en Route (YER).”

Graham says while he and the volunteers concentrate on repairing bikes, YER is who gets them into the hands of kids who need them.

This year, YER is sponsoring YYC Cyclefest, which takes place downtown Calgary on June 6. Graham says the all-day event will feature demonstrations and talks, as well as a trade-up program where parents can trade their children’s old bicycles for a new one that fits them.

Glen Bishop has been a member of the Bike Shed for more than six years and says the group’s top priority making sure the bikes are safe for young riders.

“We don’t tend to take a piece of junk and put brand new parts on it because we don’t have the cash … to replace the old tires,” Bishop said.

“Safety is a big thing … most of these things have gears, so you know the brakes have to work and the gears have to work, then there’s the detail stuff like if the hubs are a little loose or stuff like that, we tighten them up.”

Steve Donaldson is working on a BMX bike that he’s not too familiar with, but he says like everyone else volunteering, you learn as you go at the Bike Shed.

“This one’s got a flat on the front tire, the back brakes don’t work, it’s rusted out on the axles,” he said.

“There’s a number of things wrong. It looks great, but it’s when you get down to the minutia, there’s a lot of little problems with it.

“I have experience because I found one in the alley last year and fixed it up for my grandson so I’m going to give this one a whirl.”

Donaldson says one of the big rewards is to see a bike that he’s fixed get into the hands of a child.

“I’ve seen the big difference that it makes allowing underprivileged kids to have bicycles,” he said.

“Normally they wouldn’t (have access to one), newcomers to Canada who’ve never had a bike to ride on, I’ve seen the donations to them and the smiles it brings, so it’s great.”

Bishop says it’s that feeling that keeps him coming back to the Bike Shed.

“As much as I enjoy just fixing the bike, it’s much more rewarding when you see someone using this bike that’s never ridden bikes,” he said.

Rob Gernhard is the new retiree in the group with just seven months under his belt. He has yet to see the impact one of his repaired bikes has on a child, but for now he’s just happy to contribute and is learning a lot from the others at the Bike Shed.

“A lot of people will, I think, struggle in retirement with finding a sense of purpose and meaning,” he said.

“This has been great, even just going out (to our storage area) and helping load the bikes and finding bikes that ‘hey, I did this one or this one.’ It’s kind of cool, right, know(ing) they’re out there and somebody is enjoying them.”

Learn more about the Men’s Shed here: https://www.albertamenssheds.ca/find-a-shed