AT FIRST, MANUEL VERA just wanted to do something productive for his neighbors during the COVID-19 lockdown. Maybe he could help them get outside by tuning up bikes in need of a little TLC, he thought. So he posted to an online group in his Silver Spring, Maryland, neighborhood, offering to fix people's bikes for free. All he asked was to be reimbursed for any new parts.
"Then I started thinking about all the bikes that people have at home that never get used," says Vera, 74, who is retired from the local power company.
Soon he was asking neighbors to donate any bikes collecting dust in their garages and basements after kids had outgrown them or adults had upgraded to new models. Then, in his tidy little backyard shed, he'd get to work.
Vera's workspace is nearly as tricked out as his bikes. The green gardening shed, its inner walls lined with tools, holds a workbench and repair stand, and even has AC and Wi-Fi. You'll know Vera is at work when classic rock or folk music floats out its open doors.
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