Thank You, Chainbreaker

I first heard about it on the bus.  Two homeless men were talking about Chainbreaker, a program where bike parts are donated, then people can come in and repair or build a bike for free.  You have to build your own bike, but there are bike techs there to talk you through the process.  After I'd looked so long for affordable bikes for Cay and Tay, it seemed to good to be true.  It wasn't.

Today Cay and I went to Chainbreaker, located on 5th St in Santa Fe, and looked at building a bike for her.  I was surprised at the variety of parts available, and how many whole or nearly whole bikes had been donated.  In Cay's case, we found a bike that was complete, and needed cleaning, adjusting and a new rear inner tube and a kickstand.  We ended up taking the bike apart and putting it back together, cleaning everything, lubricating the chain, truing the wheels, and adjusting the breaks and gear shifting.

About 3 hours later (including wait time) we walked out with a nice little bike:

While we were out photographing it, one of the neighbors tried to buy it from us.

NO WAY.

Look how happy she is!

Tuesday we start building Tay's bike.

Chainbreaker is open twice a week: Tuesdays from 4:00 - 8:00 and Sundays from 12:00 to 4:00

Please... if you live in the Santa Fe area and have a bike you're going to junk, donate it to Chainbreaker, and other kids (and adults) who need clean, reliable transportation, or just a fun bike to ride around on, can both have a bike and learn a valuable skill.

Chainbreaker is located at 1515 Fifth St in Santa Fe.