# Either Chuky's riding nude or she's a clothes horse.



## Berkeley Mike (Jan 13, 2004)

Yesterday two huge boxes landed on my porch from Chuky full of clothing for my High School MTB Racing team. There were dozens of jerseys and shorts from DBL, Sotheby's, Orbea, Kenda, and Quickstep and some gorgeous 1-offs (none of which fit me, dang!) There were also other goodies we don't see often like a half dozen brand new pairs of sox, long sleeved jackets and winter vest, and a couple of skinsuits, and some baggie downhill stuff.

I have been fitting our kids for 6 years. It's funny that as one goes through a gift like this each garment can be seen on certain kids. There are a couple of XS things that will look perfect on one girl and our Varsity champion can wear a Skinsuit, matching sox, and booties and look fantastic on the road.

Chuky has long been a great supporter of our club and shared her resources with us much to our benefit. I will send a tax credit as we are a not-for-profit organization and a couple of our club T-shirts shown with a couple of our racers on Coach Annie's Little Bro from Chicago on the right.

Thanks is not enough, Chuky. Perhaps the thought that new riders and vets can reach into their drawers for something new and different and very stylish to ride in for yet another workout will make everyone smile just a little.:thumbsup:


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## JMH (Feb 23, 2005)

The sad part is that we kept probably two-thirds of our stuff.

JMH


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## connie (Mar 16, 2004)

Nice! 

I should go through my closets...


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## chuky (Apr 3, 2005)

Yes, do! The cost of cycling clothing is very high - enough to be a barrier to a kid or a family on a budget. Mike does a good job of piecing team bikes together for the kids that can't afford them, but it is much harder to to gather wardrobes. Think about it - if you are a kid interested in cycling, and the school supplies your racing uniform, that leaves you with every other day of the week you have to get gear for. Now consider the cost of a decent jersey or pair of shorts or shoes... no wonder kids go out for track instead. Used clothing is ok (washed, of course) and if you have any spare parts around, I am sure he wouldn't mind a little help with those team bikes, either. 

Mike, you should post your address here and maybe a couple of pics of your awesome team bikes from years past - you have some really nice machines built from donation parts, if I remember correctly.


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## LyndaW (Jul 22, 2005)

That's awesome.

Do post your address please.


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## Berkeley Mike (Jan 13, 2004)

*I did an extensive post of our Stone Soup Bikes a few years ago*

In 2005 our club exploded from 12 riders to 26 with 4 new bikeless girls without bike clothes of any kind. Actually most of our kids show up like this. Between my friends, the Bicycle Trails Counsil of the East Bay, and most notably the MTBR NorCal, Passion, and Women's Forum we received donations of bike parts, frames, partial bikes, wheels and such. Chuky sent us some clothes as did some of her gall riders, as did Paul from Kenda, and Stripes, too.
My mechanic Lincoln, and I managed to create 11 bikes in this fashion. There are stories about each one and they rode under several riders. Each was upgraded as new goodies came in. This was during the time to going from 8 to 9 speed and V-brakes to Discs so we got some pretty sweet stuff. Shocks were always the hard part, though, as they are expensive and few were forced to upgrade and cast them aside. Stripes hubby, Russ, gave us a really nice Duke and Zorg a SID and we managed with upgrades for within the team or from the bike shops returns and such.
It was funny to watch the kids get a bike and come to understand it. At first it could be seen as a hand-me-down but all the other racers knew what a good sturdy bike meant and they got lots of support. When new things came in which were appropriate we would steal the bike and it would come back with a new crank or a set of shifters or wheels or riser bars. I can recall a bike we put under on young lady and when she progressed to another, "better" bike the look in her eyes as her old ride went under another rider was precious. Months later it turned out that she couldn't remain with the team and she returned her XTR Aggressor (frame from Lemonhead). As a parting gift we gave her her original bike, a very light steel Diamondback (frame from Dr. Law). As we rolled it up she said, "oooo, new bars and now it's all XT. Are these tires new?" Don't tell me about how guys have cornered the market on wheels.
I can go on like this for hours and I have seen enough bleary-eyed victims of my blathering to know that few are as interested in this as I. Here are a few shots of Stone Soup bikes. 
The first is The Watermelon, one of my favorites with the rider in a donated jersey. Frame from Dr. Law and cranks from VTT. 25.5 lbs.
Next is the XTR Aggressor with a SID from Zorg, frame from Lemonhead before the upgrade with ruby slippers, I mean wheels, form Zorg, carbon seatpost and bars. This weighed in at about 24.5 pounds. A screamer!
The next is a KHS Team frame; thin steel, XT all through. A large it weighed at 26 and is now under it's 4th rider to whom we sold the bike for $100. Smiles all around and I have a new rear wheel for it in the shed.
Fourth is a Trek 930 from Obionespeed and his wife. It was 80% complete and I had enough parts to put it right on the trail. A brand new team in Sacramento needed bikes and it was too small for any of our riders so they now have it. It has raced two seasons.
The next bike is the magic Durango. East Bay Rich donated the frame, cranks and headset. Dan'ger donated the set of Axis wheels. I sifted through our store of parts and found enough XT to choke a horse. I just got another older SID that is being serviced and when it goes on she will weigh under 25 lbs. I credit this bike with catching my wife's eye and finally deciding to ride after being together for 22 years. Dan'gers wife has also used it and I continue to upgrade it. When the season starts it will be totally dialed.

So that is what we do with the donations of parts and stuff. We still have a few of these bikes but most often will sell them for $100-$200 to the kids which covers what we put into them... sometimes. They are a steal. A good HT, XT under 26 pounds costs a grand or more, $500-600 used.

The generosity of the MTBR cyclists has been key to establishing our club and will continue to be a valued part of keeping us going. If you would like to support us with a donation of lightly used clothing or modern bike parts we can receive them at:
ECHSMTB c/o
Michael Mejia
932 Yuba St.
Richmond CA 94805

The last shot is what happens with this stuff. These kids will always have these memories.


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