HOUSTON — If you have an old bike lying in your garage or need a bike for yourself or your child, you need to know about a Houston event happening on Jan. 21. Recycled Cycles of Texas takes in old bikes, fixes them up and then donates them to kids and adults who need them -- for free!
It's hosting its first-ever pop-up. Called "Have 1, Leave 1, Need 1, Take 1," the event is exactly what it sounds like. If you have a bike that's old, damaged or unused for any other reason, you can drop it off. Alternatively, if you want a bike but can't afford one, this is your chance to give a refurbished bike new life.
"To see a kid ride away on a bicycle, I mean, there's no words to describe it," said RCOTX founder Ferrell Surette. "Because if I can give that kid 10 minutes, or if I can give that kid 10 days, or if I can give that kid 10 months of enjoyment from a bicycle that cost me nothing, then all’s right in the world."
Surette fell in love with bicycles when he learned how to repair them at age 8. As an adult, he worked in bike shops and raced, but turned to donation repair about 10 years ago. He collects bikes in any shape -- sometimes just doing minor repairs such as filling up tires, sometimes stripping them for parts to be used to rebuild other bikes.
The pop-up event is being held Saturday, Jan. 21 from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. at The Urban Flower Company off the Gulf Freeway.