Recycle That Bike, Change a Life

For some bicycles are a hobby, but for Lane Scheiblauer they are a passion and a way of making an impact on his community.

Scheiblauer started a year and a half ago. He takes donated bikes and fixes them up. The bikes are then delivered to the Elizabeth Inn, ' emergency shelter.

Scheiblauer is a design engineer by profession and is starting a new company. However, he grew up surrounded by bicycles. He remembers going on bike rides practically from the time he was born. He was placed in a bike trailer until he was four years old and then road on a tandem bike. When he was 10, he got a mountain bike.

A friend of his father, Clarence May, started the first Recycle That Bike and ran it for years. "He got tons of bikes from all over and pulled parts off and put others together," Scheiblauer said. "I always thought that was cool and really appreciated what he was doing. I never forgot that idea.

"I only went there once to work on bikes, but Clarence planted the seed for me to do what I'm doing now," Scheiblauer said. "It's what I wanted my ministry to be, something I'm interested in and excited about and that I know is helping."

After hearing a sermon at about how each person can help others, Scheiblauer moved forward with his idea. "The sermon made me start thinking about what can I do now," Scheiblauer said. "I don't have lots of money so how can I make a difference and give back? I just kept going back to this idea again and again."

The bikes are donated to the Elizabeth Inn. There, people earn points toward a bike and when they have enough points, they receive the transportation that can help them get to work and run errands. Recycle That Bike has donated around 30 bikes to MUST so far.

"Right now it's mostly just me begging for volunteers," Scheiblauer said. "It's hard to really get this started, to schedule a work day and figure out who I can get together."

Scheiblauer tries to have a work day once a month. On average, five volunteers show up for a four hour work day, and Scheiblauer said that is a good number for him to handle. "Some volunteers have no experience fixing up bikes, but that's okay. I want them to come out anyway. I love to show them."

On a work day, around 15 to 20 bikes requiring basic maintenance get worked on. "A lot of the time it's something as easy as inflating a tire, straightening out wheels, replacing chains and rusted parts and tightening up bolts," Scheiblauer said.

The bikes Recycle That Bikes fixes up are typically worth $50 to $100. "People don't realize it, but when they go into the store and ask how much it's going to cost to fix, they learn that repair will cost more than a new bike. We're a great place for those bikes." Don't throw old bikes away; they can still help some one in the community.

"I see it as helping out my community, my ministry of what I can do," Scheiblauer said. "I'm always interested when I see people riding around on a bike, and I try to see if it's something I've worked on."

Scheiblauer encourages people to follow his example. However, "You've got to pace yourself," he said. "In an effort to keep going, only do it once a month. You don't want other people to burn out. Just enjoy it. If you aren't having fun with it, you won't keep doing it."

The bikes, which can now be loaded on a CCT bus for longer distance travel, are helping many find independence.

Bikes can be dropped off at:

(Marietta)
1210B Kennestone Circle
Marietta, Georgia 30061
Open: Tuesday-Saturday, 9am-5pm

Free Flite Bicycles (Marietta)
2949 Canton Road, Suite 1000
Marietta, Georgia 30066