THE Police Department, the City of Vincent, and Wesley College donated 90 bikes to Bicycles for Humanity (B4H) this month.

The donation was sent to the Midvale workshop, where volunteers from Stantec Engineering Consultants Perth refurbished 40 bikes.

B4H director David Tucker said the organisation always reacts positively to bike donations.

“We’re continuously looking out for donated bikes in reasonable condition that our volunteers are able to make minor repairs to bring them to safe working order,” he said.

“Sometimes they need a new chain or brake pads.

“What we want to do is send them out of here in safe working order, so that when they get to the destination, they can be taken out of the container and are ready to use.”

Mr Tucker also said badly damaged or rusted bikes are not repairable and should be sent to a metal waste yard.

Earlier this month, the organisation celebrated its 15th year.

“In these 15 years, we’ve shipped about 12,000 to 13,000 bikes both to Africa and to inland WA,” Mr Tucker said.

“But in the last couple of years, we’ve actually been shipping at a slightly faster rate.

“We’re shipping now three containers a year at least, whereas for the first 10 years, it was two containers a year.”

Bike donations are very important for the organisation.

“Without them, we haven’t got anything to work on and donate,” Mr Tucker said.

“But we also need volunteers to work at the workshop and in other roles.

“And, of course, we also look for cash donations to cover the cost of shipping and the containers.”

The 40 refurbished bikes will be sent in the next container to a hospital and school in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The rest will be distributed among communities in Africa and the Kimberley region.