Philanthropy on wheels

This column contains a gift for someone in need, and I will deliver

the gift anywhere in Newport Beach or Costa Mesa. Read on.

Two weekends ago, while returning from a bike ride to the beach

along the Santa Ana River trail, I happened on two garage sales. Ever

on the lookout for a certain type of collectible, I stopped at both.

The first yielded nothing. It was, in fact, the type of garage

sale that gives garage sales a bad name, for there wasn’t much of

anything for sale.

At the second, however, I hit the jackpot.

There among the few items left for sale was a 10-speed Schwinn Suburban that I estimated to be about 30 years old. It had the same

frame as the racing version, but the seat is wider, springier and

oh-socomfortable. The handlebars are not the curvy racing type but

the type that allow the rider to sit up, not hunched over.

“Mind if I take it for a spin?” I asked. “I’ll leave my bike as

collateral.”

“Yours is worth a lot more than that old thing,” the owner

replied.

He was right about that. My bike is a hard-to-find single speed

bike with coaster brakes. It has no gears and no brakes, save for the

ones you get when you pedal backward. The difference between my bike

and a beach cruiser is that mine is built for speed with thin tires

and a minimal racing frame.

I got on, rode down the block and rode back. The brakes squeaked,

but they worked, and the gears shifted clumsily at first, but they

worked too.

The challenge was that the Suburban had been neglected and that

every square inch of chrome was covered with rust. The paint,

however, was in pretty good shape -- only a few minor scratches --

and the fenders and the frame were free of dents.

Not looking for another bicycle but seeing treasure through the

trash, I bought it for $20.

Later that day, I took the bike apart and set about determining

what it would take to transform it to the classic beauty I knew was

beneath the rust.

At the Ace Hardware store on Harbor Boulevard, I bought chrome

polish to brighten the chrome, rubbing compound for the paint, and a

buffing pad for my cordless drill.

The chrome polish got the job done, but it was hard work and my

forearms grew tired from the constant rubbing. It took me two hours

to do just one side of one wheel, not including the spokes.

Shortly after finishing the first wheel, my son, Roy, suggested

steel wool to remove the rust.

The result was so good and so fast that I cut my polishing time by

at least two-thirds, while saving my arms.

At Sea Schwinn on 17th Street, the bike experts tried to find new

tires to match my old wheels. Eventually, we found something close,

and they went on without a hitch.

Night after night for about two weeks, I spent time in the garage,

polishing and oiling the bike while living and dying with Angels wins

and losses on the radio.

All of the chrome has been polished, all of the paint has been

polished, and the entire bike has been lubricated. The tires and

tubes are new.

A few days ago, I took it for a test ride. Not only does it coast

better than any bike I’ve ever ridden, it’s a head-turner.

But, as I just wrote, I already have a bike, and as much as I

really like the 10-speed, I don’t need it. The truth is, I got more

enjoyment from fixing it up than from riding it, for it will never

replace the simplicity of my single-speed.

The joy of fixing the 10-speed has ignited a passion to do it

again, and in the process, I have adopted a new hobby: I’m going to

find old bikes, fix them up and give them away to people who need

them.

I’ve got just such a bike on my hands now, and I’m ready to give

it away to someone who needs a good bike but who can’t afford one.

This 10-speed is a town bike with a so-called boy’s or man’s frame,

meaning it has a bar stretching from the seat straight across to the

handlebars. It is meant to be ridden steadily on fairly flat ground.

It’s not meant for racing, and it’s not meant to jump curbs.

So here’s the deal: I have a classic, old 10-speed that needs a

good home. If you know someone who needs a bike but who can’t afford

one, please e-mail me at [email protected].

And if you have an old bike that may be worth fixing up and giving

to someone in need, please e-mail me at the same address. I will

check it out and take it off your hands if it qualifies.

As gas prices rise with our waistlines, this is a good time to

start thinking about bikes as the perfect solution to both

challenges.

* STEVE SMITH is a Costa Mesa resident and a freelance writer.

Readers may leave a message for him on the Daily Pilot hotline at

(714) 966-4664 or send story ideas to [email protected].

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