Monday, March 31, 2008

B to the arter...

I haven't quite kicked this off in the big way I one day hope to, but so far in the past three weeks I have bartered for bicycle repair.

The first was upon my return from Seattle, when I exchanged a bike tube for a sandwich (from Bossa Nova) with Lee from East Side Peddle Pushers.

The second was with a man named Kansas who has lived in town for 3-4 years. He lives out at bio-squat and has been working on bikes for 30 years. My roommate, Grant, bought a bike from him with a particularly crazy paint-job but a particularly cherry ride. Kansas makes/refurbishes/repairs his own bikes, trailers and all kinds of stuff, including his own design for a recumbent bike. Since the bike Grant bought malfunctioned, he picked-up, fixed and re-delivered the busted wheel. Since he was around, I talked about outfitting my new bike (single-speed) with gears. He trued my wheels, and tuned my brakes. In return, I offered a great okra soup I made the night before.

sooo....

058. barter (3)

p.s. Kansas is new to the internet, and is trying to get the word out about his work. If you need a bike or bike repair, I will do my best to contact him for you. Also, he is looking for a new habitat. He is extremely low maintenance and would love a garage to work in, a yard to pitch a tent in, or any other alternative living situation. He is also more than willing to pay rent, but would love to be an in-house bike mechanic for a co-op. Hook a brother up. The man is 60, with a rock-solid work ethic.

Also! Check out Austin Time Exchange. I recently found out that it is legal to print your own money, to be used locally. Barter it up, ya'll!

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