“Robyn” received her Freedom Bike in mid June, 2008. She had been using a bike, but it was stolen. Since that event, she was forced to rely on the family car more and public transportation. The sudden lack of exercise led Robyn to start gaining weight, something she wanted to stop. After meeting Robyn, we decided a Freedom Bike was a good move.
We provided Robyn a bike with the condition that she kept us informed of how the bike was helping her address her needs. As long as Robyn gives us progress reports on a regular basis, she’ll continue to receive support for bike repair, upgrades and maybe even a new bike at some point. Check back here for updates on Robyn’s progress. Keep it up Robyn!
7/27/08 Update: Robyn’s mother passed away shortly after receiving her bike, and in the process of moving hurt her back. She is on doctor’s orders for restricted riding, but is able to ride a couple of days a week to get groceries. We are wishing her a speedy recovery.
8/21/08 Update: Robyn writes: “hey jim i am shopping on bike lost 15lbs ride 3 days a week now about 6 miles per day i love my bike i wish i had a wider seat but maybe i can find one thanks i love my bike.”
10/23: “been trying to build up to 1 hour per day hopefully by end of this month back still giving me trouble been only able to do 30 minuits per day at this time lost 8 more pounds”

“Jessie” received her Freedom Bike in August. She loves to ride, but had to sell her previous bike during a time when she needed the money. Jessie is planning on using her Freedom Bike to get to work, for shopping and for appointments. She is hoping to attend LCC and will use her bike for travel there too. Check back later to see how Jessie is doing. You contribution to BikeLane Coalition helps keep Freedom Bikes rolling for people like Jessie!

9/20/08 hey Jim , its Jessie, I want you to know I love my bike. I can't thank you enough. Its so nice not to have to pay for the bus all the time. My roomate is also looking for a bike. She is 6 ft 1". Do you still have this one? It would be perfect for her.
 
Thanks, Jessie

11/20/08 Hi Jim,

I continue to enjyo bike commuting and our family only owns one vehicle thanks to that. Take care, Jessie

9/08 “Yvonne” just got a new job and needed a Freedom Bike for commuting. She also plans to pick up some groceries for her family, which includes a daughter who also likes to use her bike.

Yvonne started in September with her new bike after receiving our safety instructions, including important information about getting a helmet.

Yvonne hopes to get in better condition by combining her commute with biking, and she knows it will help her save on gas. We’ll check back with Yvonne later to see how she is doing.

12/5/08

Riding has been going slowly but steady. It had been so long since I rode a bike that I got tired easily. I used ride all over the place as a teen. So I have been working my way up so I hurt myself. I bought a good lock (that I haven't had to use yet), a head and a tail light. I think a big seat for my seat though, it's on wish list for the holidays ;) I can't thank you enough for the opportunity you have provided through the bike.
Yvonne

We delivered “Ron’s” bike in late September of ‘08. His roommate heard of our the Freedom Bikes program and thought Ron could benefit from a bike. Until delivery, Ron had relied on others for some of his transportation needs. Ron noted that having a Freedom Bike would make him able to take care of local travel on his own.

Ron works as a fuel station attendant, making even the purchase a bike outside of his income from his job. His Freedom Bike will enable him to commute the two miles each way to work and get groceries when needed.

We instructed Ron on the usual safety precautions, and now Ron is off and riding. Keep up the biking Ron, we’re behind you.

From Ron on 9/27: Hello it is Ron the guy that got the bike
the freedom  to have extra time before work is wonderful, I can now get to work in a timely manor but also decrease emissions from a car.
thank you so much for the gift.
Ron

11/18/08 hello Jim

I am so happy with my new bike I ride it to work almost every day and I  love taking rides down by the river. I cant thank you enough for the gift thank you....Ron

“Tom”, who received his Freedom Bike on 10/8, was understandably reluctant to accept our offer, as he is not one to take what he saw as “charity”. When we heard his partner wanted him to ride with her so they could both encourage each other to get fit, we told Tom to do it for her and for the planet. That helped convince him.

Tom’s partner had started to ride longer distances a couple of years ago, even riding with GEARs on two occasions. However, she never really got in good enough shape to keep up, and a heart condition did not help. Since Tom did not have a bike, she did some riding with a friend, all the time also collecting cans from the roadways, doing her part to cut litter. But she really wanted to ride with Tom.

Eventually BikeLane Coalition connected with both of them, and now they both have bikes. Tom’s partner rides a Bianchi bought from Wheel Works and now Tom rides with her. Good health to you both!

We’ll check back on how Tom’s partner is progressing toward those rides with GEARs.

11/08 “Mary” received her Freedom Bike in mid November. After moving from outside the area, Mary enrolled in classes and plans to use her bike to save on gas while attending school. She is also looking for work, and will use her Freedom Bike to job hunt, hoping to land something that wil allow her to commuter, further saving money. Good luck Mary on school, the job and with your new Freedom Bike.

2/09 “My Freedom Bike has meant just that, Freedom. I am able to ride my bike to take my child to school, get myself to work,  and do my errands. It is my primary mode of transportation. I find myself buying almost everything locally, frequenting neighborhood businesses! I get a sense of satisfaction keeping my earnings in my community.

By riding my bike daily my health has improved physically as well as emotionally. I have been able to enjoy the world around me in a more personal way. The independece it has provided me with is immeasurable and my quality of life is so much better. A million thanks for giving me my freedom back.”

3/20/09 Scott received his Freedom Bike today. Scott was especially thankful as he recovering from AIDS, an illness that changed much of his life, including how he gets around.

Before AIDS, Scott was able to drive but his illness meant giving up on owning a car for financial reasons. Now he uses the bus and will start using his Freedom Bike.

Unfortunately Scott is 6’2” and the bike is a little small for him. For now Scott is using the only bike we had at the time, but as soon as we find one his size, we’ll be providing a better fit for him.

6/26/09 Amanda received her Freedom Bike, looking forward to cycling with her daughter Isabelle. Both hope to ride together every night they can, which will help them get fit. Until now, much of Isabelle’s evenings were spent watching TV or playing games on the computer. Now that both have bikes, they hope to see less screen time, and more ride time. Way to go!

7/2/09 Roger is a diesel mechanic who lost his job due to the downturn in the economy. He owns a Bronco which he says gets such poor fuel mileage that he can’t afford to drive it. For Roger, his Freedom Bike means an ability to look for work without spending money he does not have.

Additionally, Roger is hoping to get in better shape and lose a few pounds, eventually riding with his wife.

Roger is a good example of the power of bikes to save money and improve one’s health. Best of luck, Roger.

9/09 Timothy came to BikeLane with a need to use a bike so he could commute to LCC, where he is enrolled in art studies. Thanks to the support from our partners, we were able to provide a used bike that fit Tim perfectly.

Tim plans to ride his bike to classes and around town to save money and keep fit. At 22, Tim has never had a car, and hopes to keep it that way. We wish good luck to Tim as a student and a committed cyclist.

We met “Bill” through a friend of his who knew about our Freedom Bike program. Thanks to the effort of our board member Rick, we were able to fit Bill with a pretty nice bike. Bill had lost his earlier bike due to theft, a serious situation for Bill as he is not able to drive a car.

Bill must use a bike or public transportation because of a medical condition. We see this a lot at BikeLane, adding to our conviction that bikes for many people are a necessity.

Bill tells us that he will use his Freedom Bike to go shopping, make appointments and visit friends. With his Freedom Bike and access to LTD buses, Bill truly does have a lot of freedom to go as he needs and pleases.

Following a car accident, “Daniel” learned he could not drive or even ride in a bus due to injuries that made such motion difficult. However, he could bike but with limited income, Daniel needed help from our Freedom Bike Program.

We provided Daniel with a Freedom Bike so he could continue to commute to his studies at LCC, do grocery shopping, get exercise, and stay fit. Daniel said that his Freedom Bike was also a money saver, reducing his transportation costs to almost zero.

Best wishes for a complete recovery, Daniel.

Albert was referred to us from a social service agency that heard about our program.

Albert did have a car but he only had liability insurance. After a crash his car was not drivable, so he needed a bike to get to work and school. He also has a small child, so he needed to bring her too.

At first we were unsure we had a bike for him, as our bike mechanic Rick (from our Board) said the one bike just right had significant repair needs. Rick was able to find parts from other bikes so that Albert was able to get a really nice ride with very good fenders, not easily found.

Albert’s new Freedom Bike means he can get around to keep his job, attend school, and bring his young girl on his trailer.

“Tina” received her bike to make her job hunting easier and to take her daughter to school. She will be relying solely on this bike to meet the needs of her family.