Highlight: RK, painting

6th grader RK is customizing a bike for his little sister. She requested that it be painted pink!

After a thorough sanding and a good coat of primer, RK takes adantage of the unusually warn weather this week to paint outside.

Tools!

We are so thankful to the parent association for launching a call for used tools on our behalf and for allowing us to buy the bicycle mechanic tools that we needed:

 This tool chest, donated by the Albanese family, helps us organize our supplies.

We now have a pump, some cone wrenches, some spoke wrenches, Allen wrenches and tire levers(donated by the Ogden family), a chain tool, a standard and metric set of wrenches.

We have a really cool bike stand, on which JD has set his frame while it's being sanded and filed before a coat of paint.

New project: 1947 Hawthorne cruiser

We found this 1947 Hawthorne Cruiser in pretty good shape on Craigslist and started to fix it. We realized that the chainwheel was not original, and found an old school one from our spare parts bank, which fits perfectly (not pictured here). The chainguard is missing to, and we found one on ebay from a prewar Hawthorne, which will need some modification to be installed.

 6th grader RK is removing the rust from the rims to bring back out the original chrome.

Meeting # 7 - Test-Driving - 12/21/2015

After we mounted the new fork and front wheel on Friday with the US students, we test-drove our cruiser today on the parking lot. Verdict: it's awesome! I rides so smoothly, with perfect absorption of road bumps. We will have to change the handle bar stem though as the one we used must be a millimeter too small. 

The last piece of work on this bike will be the stencils, with which we've been experimenting in the FabLab with the help of Mr. Wallis who taught us how to use the school's cameo cutter. 

Meeting #6 - Rebuilding II - 12/14/2015

Today, with JE, TZ, JD, GM, RK and MS, we installed the new seat tube and saddle, remounted the chain guard, replaced the back wheel's tube, and put on some decorative valve caps:

Friday, we'll install the spring fork, handlebars, front wheel, and finish this project.

Great thanks to the MPH Parent's Association for helping with this project and with affording the MPH Bicycle Mechanics Club the means to buy tools and to set up a permanent bicycle workshop in the Fab Lab.

MPH Bicycle Mechanics Club helping with the CNY Bike Giveaway

On Saturday morning, with JE, JD, SF and Mr. Stegeman, our crew probably fixed 20 bikes together and triaged a few more, a small dent in the goal of 2500 bikes to be handed out at Fowler High School on December 19th. That was some real hands on experience for our club's US mentors. Thanks Mr. Stegeman for the Pizza!

Volunteering Opportunity for All Students

On Saturday, 12/12/2015, the MPH Bicycle Mechanics Club will participate in the CNY Bike Giveaway at the New York State Fairgrounds from 11:00 to 4:00. 

All students are welcome to join and get some fun experience volunteering by helping load and unload donated bikes from trucks and repairing them before they are donated to children in need at Fowler High School on December 19.

Those interested should get in touch with M. Leclercq, or go directly to the NYS fairgrounds this Saturday at 10:00 a.m., and meet the program director, Jan Maloff, himself a former MPH student.