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Translation

Don’t Toss that Bike!




This Shed is a bit like the Tardis - it is also a veritable goldmine for things like that weird screw that's missing from your bike or the strange tool you need to remove the what's it from the so and so

I am feeling a bit smug today because I just saved two bikes from the tip. To be sure one of them had a bent wheel, but it’s for want of a replacement which, with specialized fitting, cost almost as much as a new bike, that it was destined for landfill. I hope this will give another one a new lease of life, or better still, someone might be able to restore it, if they can find another wheel somewhere.
The other one, a Vintage Malvern Star which belonged to my daughter when she was at Uni and has been ridden by me occasionally i.e. about ten years ago, was also headed that way, but today I took both bikes to our friendly neighbourhood bicycle kitchen.


You are supposed to fix your own bike, but everyone was very helpful

The weather was awful – I take back what I said about it being spring, but there were a few hardy souls there who very kindly helped me to get all the parts straight and moving again. That’s not exactly what is supposed to happen. Bike kitchens provide the venue and the tools, but you are supposed to do the work yourself, but I am really grateful to all the people helped me e.g. the young man who carried the bike from the car and especially Eric who reattached and pumped up its tyres, tightened screws here and there and made sure that everything still worked. Now the bike just needs a good clean and I’ll be able to wobble off into the sunset with my three little ladies in the holidays. This may require a little practice beforehand. I don’t remember this bike being so high off the ground or having so many gears.  I shall have to get myself some “L” plates.

Special thanks to Eric who's hiding behind a bicycle.

Meanwhile, bicycle workshops are an excellent idea. They already exist in many countries and other Australian cities– there’s brief list at the end of this post. If there isn’t one near you – perhaps you could start one. The local one meets on Sundays behind the Wilderness Society in Davey Street –between 1 and 4 pm.

Don’t have a bike? No problem. The Risdon Bike Collective  has restored bikes and parts for sale  and at the Hobart Bicycle Kitchen you can choose yourself a bike to do up.

If only we had something similar for appliances – the dishwasher had to go to the recycling centre for scrap because the parts are no longer available and so did two perfectly good printers – far better than the ones around now, which had to be discarded because they don’t work on Windows 10.  Come on manufacturers, I am sure you can do better! Universal phone plugs were a very good start. We simply can’t keep wasting resources like this, not to mention creating so much landfill.

Bike Kitchens
Bike Maintenance

PS I just heard that the drought is leading the kangaroos into Canberra and causing all kinds of havoc for cyclists  



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