Bicycles litter the living room of Craig Fluer, Willy Ratz, Kent Scarince and Reuben Watkins. The men are avid bikers and also like to build bikes in their spare time. They will be buying and selling gear at the Outdoor Program’s Outdoor Gear Swap from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday in the Yellowstone Ballroom.
A clean, white and vibrant green fixed-gear bike rests against the house. In the living room, multiple bikes rest against sofas and the fireplace. In the backyard, bike frames hang on the fence.
This is the home of four avid bikers. Students by week, bikers by weekend. This weekend they plan on trying to sell some bikes at the Outdoor Program’s Fall Gear Swap. Craig Fluer, one of the bikers, made five bikes this summer — all of which have been sold. He hopes to sell another this weekend.
The vintage faded yellow 50-inch Schwinn Le Tour rests in a hallway. Fluer explains how he has converted it into a fixed gear bike. Amongst ‘hipsters,’ vintage road bikes are all the rage.
His roommates, Willy Ratz and Kent Scarince, also plan on selling bikes, which happen to be mountain bikes.
Living on the edge of town, the other side of their street is a desert. In the fall, before it became too chilly, they spent afternoons building features into the hillside. Their playground is “a primo-zone,” Fluer explains. Now their bikes and tools sit in their living room, taking up space until nice weather comes around again.
During the gear swap, they plan on looking for bike parts as well as selling. Fluer’s hobby is making bikes. The money he makes is just a bonus.
“It’s something to do with my hands,” Fluer said. “I enjoy doing it. The money is a nice plus though.”
Reuben Watkins also lives in the house. Each of them has at least three bikes.
“At anytime we have anywhere from 12-20 bikes lying in our living room,” Fluer said. “It’s not weird anymore.”
Scarince goes out the back door and rolls in his bright orange Specialized P-series Dirt Jumper.
In the summer and fall, the group would carpool down to Trestle Bike Park and ride down the mountain until the sun went down. Now, they wait until they can do it again.
The Outdoor Program’s Fall Gear swap will be from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday in the Yellowstone Ballroom. All sorts of gear will be for sale including bikes, and ski and snowboarding boots. Those interested in selling gear can drop it off from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday or 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Sunday in the Yellowstone Ballroom. Cash and checks are the accepted forms of payment. Buyers usually will line up around 10:30 a.m. to gain entrance.
Any questions can be directed to the Outdoor Program at (307)-766-2402 or at op@uwyo.edu.
