Alcester mountain biker set on recycling cycles to give away
A MOUNTAIN biker who’s fixed more than 30 bikes for others, says it gives him great ‘personal satisfaction’.
Luke Walters, who was born and brought up in Alcester, is always on the look-out for old or broken bikes to bring back to life.
The 28-year-old has repaired and rebuilt 30-40 bikes, since taking up the hobby almost three years ago.
Bent and rusted frames, mechanisms that have snapped in half, punctures and worn-out parts are all in an evening’s work for Luke.
The most common problems he sees are gears not working and brittle or sun-faded plastic parts that need to be replaced with new metal components.
Flat tyres are another hazard–one customer had repeated flats but couldn’t work out why, until Luke found and removed a tiny thorn that had punctured the inner tube.
Even frames that can’t be rescued and are destined for the tip are useful, as Luke always finds something he can rescue and re-use.
“If the frames are in good condition, I’ll try and overhaul them,” he said.
“And if they’re frames I got for free, they’ll be donated to those in need.”
His skills are self-taught, learned from his dad and other family and he’s sourced replacement parts and repaired his own bikes since he was a teenager.
He said: “I’ve always tinkered with my own bikes at home and got them working, so I thought why not start fixing up other people’s as well?”
Luke recently helped a 16-year-old who’d had his bike stolen and then lost his job, because he couldn’t get to work.
Luke stripped down an old bike to its bare frame, fitted new brakes and gears and made sure everything was in full working order.
He donated it to the teenager, who was able to attend an interview and land another job.
Luke’s also come to the rescue of a not-for-profit special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) school for five-to-11-year-olds in Redditch.
One of the pupils had a new bike which was damaged, so Luke fixed it free of charge.
He’s also donating three children’s bikes to the school, as they’ll make sure they go to youngsters who aren’t in a position to learn to ride a bike, or whose families can’t afford one.
Another customer was hit after a car pulled out at a T-junction – the rider was OK but the whole rear assembly of his bike, including the brake disc, was damaged, so Luke took it completely apart and rebuilt it.
This time of year, he’s contacted by people wanting a regular service, especially if their bikes have been stored for six months gathering dust.
“They ask me to give it a once-over, replace any cracked tyres, check and adjust the brakes by putting in new cables or whatever and just bring the bike up to scratch ready for summer,” he explained.
His full-time job is as a member of the finance team at Stratford-based classic Mercedes Benz business The SL Shop.
Working there is handy, as if he gets stuck, he can ask the mechanics for advice and maybe even borrow a tool.
He’s also given a refurbed BMX to a colleague for his granddaughter and is fixing and finding bikes for others.
Luke, who moved to Redditch three years ago with fiancé Emily, has eight bikes in his garage, another nine in storage plus four frames.
He said: “I spend most of my free time working on bikes – my own or other people’s.
“Evenings and weekends, I’m in the garage listening to music and doing what I enjoy.
“The fun element is there 100% but by the time you’ve bought the spare parts, you’re working at a loss if anything, but it’s real personal satisfaction.”
Since a new basic mountain bike can cost £600, a mid-range £1,000-£1,500 and a top-of-the-range upwards of £8,000, he says taking a DIY custom-build approach makes sense.
He particularly loves 1980s and 1990s bikes, many of which came with wacky colour schemes.
A favourite is a Townsend bike from the late 1990s in purple and black zebra-stripe print.
“With modern gearing and brake system and a complete overhaul, that would look the bees knees for someone cruising around Birmingham city,” he pointed out.
As more people hear what Luke does, more are contacting him for repairs or a refurbished bike.
He added: “If anyone out there is getting rid of a bike because they see it as useless, there are so many bits on there that I can make use of for my next project.”
