Can a bike change a person’s life? Two of the major names in the cycling industry think so, and they have signed on to a legendary cyclist’s mission to transform the lives of people in developing countries by giving them bicycles.
Performance Bicycle and Crankbrothers, makers of high-end bicycle components, have teamed up with Wheels4Life to create and auction off a high-end line of custom-built mountain bikes to put life-changing bicycles in the hands of people who need them most.
Since its founding in 2005, Wheels4Life has provided more than 2,000 bicycles to people in more than 20 countries, including Afghanistan, Nepal, Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda.
Wheels4Life background
“A bicycle in the hands of the right person can work miracles,” said Rey. “If you consider that one-sixth of the world’s population lives in poverty, a bike can make all the difference in whether a person gets access to education and healthcare.”
Rey added that Wheels4Life partners with local institutions and organizations to identify people who need bikes most. When it can, Wheels4Life purchases bikes in the country where they are distributed, helping the local economy, making it easier to find replacement parts and saving on shipping, import taxes, duties and storage costs.
The dreambikes that will benefit Wheels4Life consist of a fleet of high-end mountain bikes created by crankbrothers to showcase their new line of components. Using the best frames and components, and coordinated color schemes, crankbrothers worked with partners including Ibis, Titus, Focus, Tomac, SRAM, RockShox, Avid, Truvativ, Fizik and Continental Tires, to create the kind of bikes enthusiasts dream of owning. Each dreambike is valued at more than $5,000.
Crankbrothers and Performance will auction off a total of ten dreambikes. To see the complete group, visit the dreambikes page at www.performancebike.com.
The Dreambike Auction
The auctions started Nov. 15th and will run according to the following schedule:
- Auction 1: 11/15 11/21 – Ibis Mojo SL, Titus X Carbon
- Auction 2: 11/22 11/28 – Tomac Carbide XC, Titus FTM Carbon
- Auction 3: 11/29 12/5 – Ibis Mojo, Focus Project 2.0
- Auction 4: 12/6 12/12 – Focus First XC, Titus El Guapo
- Auction 5: 12/13 12/19 – Focus Raven, Titus Rockstar
“Wheels4Life is one of the most compelling and creative humanitarian causes we’ve seen, and we are proud to support it,” said Jim Thompson, CEO of Performance, Inc. “By the simple act of giving bikes to people in underdeveloped nations, we can give them access to opportunities they otherwise wouldn’t have. It makes you realize how much we take for granted in our own lives.”
To take part in the auction, visit the auction page through the Performance Bicycle website.