Freewheels Houston is a non-profit organization that repairs and builds bikes and gives them to refugees, veterans emerging from homelessness, and young people from low-income families. Their reliable hybrid and mountain bikes, donated by members of the community, give people a way to get to work, school and other destinations.
The process started with volunteers being grouped into pairs, with each pair receiving a bike to wash and clean. They first started by taking off the wheels and checking the tires, replacing the tube/tire if needed, and inflating them. Then, they washed and scrubbed down the wheels. On the main body of the bike, volunteers worked on scrubbing, degreasing, and removing rust off of small gears, the derailleur, handles, and other parts. Afterwards, volunteers took apart the seat using wrenches and screwdrivers to put on reflectors and lights. On the handles, they installed handle reflectors, lights, and bells.
After finishing the cleaning and minor repairs, volunteers used foil to remove rust and polish the metal handlebars, making the bikes look as good as new.
9am – 12pm (3 hours):
Volunteers: Kyle Tang, Albert Ying, Evelyn Liu, River Dai, Julianne Lee, Ryan Li, Anthony Jiang, Austin Jiang
Reported by Julianne Lee, Evelyn Liu
