Lutherville Man Hosts Bike Collection for Developing Countries

Lutherville resident Marty Reisinger misses his old 10-speed. He speaks fondly of the yellow Schwinn Continental.

But he takes solace in the fact that his bike may right now be helping a struggling Costa Rican man get from his home in the rural countryside to his work in the city. Or it might be helping create jobs in El Salvador.

“I had used it for thousands and thousands of miles," Reisinger said. “I commuted to Loyola for four years. I had sentimental attachment to the bike.

“There wasn’t anything wrong with the bike, but I had [gotten] a new bike. I just didn’t want to get rid of it,” he continued. “When I found out that this was going to a good cause where people could then get more utility out of it … I became very excited about it.”

For five years, Reisinger has been instrumental in collecting old bikes for Bikes for the World, a non-profit organization that ships bicycles to developing countries.

Reisinger will be holding his fifth collection this Saturday—a one-day collection—from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Lutherville Bikes, at the intersection of Bellona Avenue and York Road.

Shipping bikes overseas has effects aside from the obvious benefit of transportation, Reisinger said.

For instance, Bikes for the World has spurred some job creation in developing and Third World countries, mostly in Central America and Africa. Mechanics are hired to spruce up the bikes. And some salesman are allowed to resell the bikes—at an affordable rate.

“Some of the stories that you hear about these bikes and it’s just fascinating,” Reisinger said.

If your garage has an old adult two-wheeler collecting dust, the program is a perfect spot for it. “Essentially anything with two wheels that’s not totally rusty and that should be going to the dump,” Reisinger added.

While the program mostly asks for adult bikes, it will accept children’s bicycles as well.

Reisinger has collected hundreds of bikes in the four years that he has organized the collection in Lutherville.

He is asking for three things this weekend: your old bike, maybe a few volunteers and a $10 donation to offset the cost of transportation. 

Editor's Note: Anyone interested in volunteering their time can contact nickd@patch.com. We'll forward your message to Marty Reisinger.