Free Bikes 4 Kidz Detroit wants to give away 4K bikes this year

DETROIT – It’s the end of September, but Bob Barnes is already thinking about Christmas.

The CEO of Free Bikes 4 Kidz Detroit wants to reach an important milestone: give away 4,000 bikes to children during the holiday season.

On Saturday, people donated their used bikes at participating Meijer locations throughout metro Detroit. Next, they are delivered to a warehouse owned by former Detroit Pistons player Vinnie Johnson.

Since 2018, Free Bikes 4 Kidz has distributed 12,000 bikes and helmets to children.

Once volunteers finish refurbishing the bikes, the nonprofit gives them to community groups so they can give them to families in need.

Picking up the bikes is just the first step. The real work begins with the renovation. The non-profit organization is now running this campaign for the sixth year. The process is actually three touches, Barnes said. Volunteers drive the project and no skills are required.

Barnes said volunteers can help clean the bikes while others help with the tires. However, only a select few like Natalie Fitzpatrick can work on mechanical problems.

“We go through the basic functions from start to finish,” said Fitzpatrick, a retired mechanical engineer.

Over the past six years, more than 7,400 volunteers have worked over 31,000 hours to get these bikes in tip-top shape.

Before hitting the road, the motorcycles make one last stop.

“At the end of the process we have professional mechanics who carry out quality control. They go through a checklist to make sure it’s a safe and functional bike for a child,” Barnes said.

For the volunteers, the hard work is worth it.

When asked what it feels like to repair a used bike that might be a child’s first bike, Fitzpatrick traveled through time.

“I remember my first bike,” she said. “It’s pretty cool.”