By Rodd Cayton
The cycling community in Corrales is among the village’s best-known constituencies. Corrales even has a Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission to look out for those who use the machines to commute, run errands and stay fit.
Commission member Stevie Kuenzler wants to make the village’s love for bikes more apparent. He and others have launched a project that could see several new bike racks placed around Corrales. The conservation-minded group plans to create the racks from discarded bicycle frames. Kuenzler told the Corrales Comment that he should definitely have it up by the end of the month.
Organizers say the community has delivered a robust response to a request for materials for the racks, and commission member David Janney said that the group working on the project has ideas for further involving fellow Corraleños. Those include consulting local artists on designs for the racks and involving schoolchildren in decorating one at the library.
Janney said he volunteered for welding duties on the project, though he’s not an expert. “There are still some geometry issues to work out,” he said. Commission member Garth Dowling said organizers are considering reaching out to local welding students, who could use working on the bike racks to gain hands-on experience.
Kuenzler, who owns a business in town that specializes in selling reconditioned bicycles, said the idea of bike racks made from actual bikes is something he’s seen in other places, including Oregon and New Zealand.
Perea’s New Mexican Restaurant, Dowling said, has agreed to host the first rack.