Manuel Vera said he has around 50 people on his waitlist hoping to be matched with the right bike when it comes along. (Courtesy Manuel Vera) (1/6) Manuel Vera Share This Gallery:
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A 74-year-old man in Montgomery County, Maryland, takes old, unwanted bikes that have been collecting dust and refurbishes them in his backyard.Then, he gives them away to refugees, immigrants or others in need of some wheels.Over the past couple of years, Manuel Vera has given away 700 old bicycles donated to him by those in the community.He does the repairs in Silver Spring while inside his personal workshop — a converted storage unit fit with lighting and Wi-Fi so that he can listen to music while he tinkers.Vera works on the bikes a couple of days per week. On a busy day, he might spend around five hours on repairs. ‘Collecting dust, not benefiting anyone’ Vera has around 50 people on his waitlist hoping to be matched with the right bike when it comes along. But his pet project didn’t start out as a large-scale operation.“I wouldn’t call this a project, because a project requires some planning and some certain amount of discipline. This just kind of grew like a weed,” he said.Faced with extra free time being retired during the pandemic, Vera offered to tune up his neighbors’ bikes, only asking they pay him back for needed supplies.“I […]
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