All Over Albany

The Troy Bike Rescue

Sure, it might be getting a little chillier, but there's still plenty of bike-riding weather left. And if you don't have one of your own, the Troy Bike Rescue can help you out with that.

TBR started in 2001 as a way to promote bikes and biking in the community. The group collects old and broken-down bicycles for people to "adopt."

Here's the catch: The all-volunteer staff won't just let you take a broken bike and go. Rather, they'll teach you how to fix it up yourself. Some bikes might take a few sessions -- when you're done, you donate whatever you feel it's worth and what you can afford. And then that baby's all yours. It's kind of like the whole teach-a-man-to-fish thing.

Many of the bikes are literally rescued from dumpsters and alleyways, but many others are donated so it's a total gamble as to what they'll have at any given time. It's definitely worth checking out, though (kind of puts the "cycle" in recycle, right?).

TBR offers weekly workshop sessions in Troy and Albany when people can come in and "adopt' a bike or just work on repairing or fixing up their own bicycles. For the last year, the Troy sessions have been held in member Andrew Lynn's backyard but now the group's got their own storefront.

The front of 51 3rd Street in Troy has been used as art gallery most recently and now TBR has fixed it up to serve as HQ for their bike rescue efforts. It will also serve as a performance space, with TBR holding workshop sessions each week. Scheduling issues haven't been worked out yet, but the group will be holding an open house of sorts on Friday as part of Troy Night Out for people to come check out the space and find out about the bike rescue project. Lynn says he's hoping the new space will allow them to have more open hours and establish more of a public space.

To donate bikes, parts, or tools, call: 518-573-7947.

photo: Troy Bike Rescue