# If I like doing it so will you? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 23, 2018, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-like-doing-it-so-will-you/807307 "2018-01-23T16:39:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2018, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-like-doing-it-so-will-you/807307/1 "2018-01-23T16:39:58Z")
The thought crossed my mind today about how unique or not unique we are. I found an old bicycle put out at the curb and brought it home and started rebuilding it. I took out every nut and bolt, sanded everything, repacked all the bearings etc. The seat and the hand break I have to replace. Very easy work, not much skill and I found it kind of fun. As usual my imagination kicked in and I started to wonder if a bike shop ran by retired folks like myself non profit or small profit ( enough to stay stocked with refreshments) might be appealing to 1 in 20? 1 in 100? 1 in 1,000? retirees like myself, just for something to do and a social atmosphere. ``` Or, would just a general piddle around with projects shop be more appealing. So I decided to post a poll. I am really not sure how well the dope represents the general public but has to be better than nothing. ``` ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2018, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-like-doing-it-so-will-you/807307/2 "2018-01-23T17:31:31Z")
I’m not mechanical and objects in the real world confound me. However I have a friend (my age and retired) who is an inveterate tinkerer, builder, piddler, fixer. He has designed and built many helpful items for his personal use (he’s partially disabled). He even likes assembling things from kits–eek! (I’m good in the virtual world, not the real world.) AARP has some discussion forums, and you might get some interesting comments if you posted this idea there. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2018, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-like-doing-it-so-will-you/807307/3 "2018-01-23T19:45:55Z")
I am not retired yet, but I would prefer something more specialized. I would have totally done exactly what you did (and I have done the same). I currently volunteer at a non-profit shop that rehabilitates donated bicycles and makes them ride-able. The working bikes are then given to the needy and homeless, so they may have basic transportation. It satisfies my inner wrench. I get to work on lots of bikes and give them, and people in my community, a new lease on life! ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2018, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-like-doing-it-so-will-you/807307/4 "2018-01-23T19:49:52Z")
I enjoy volunteering at Habitat for Humanity. It serves the community and helps keep the rust off my carpentry skills. Jimmy Carter is in his nineties and still works on projects. I think the work keeps him active. 😉 > **[Carter Work Project 2017](https://www.habitat.org/volunteer/build-events/carter-work-project/2017)** > > In 2017, the Carters helped 150 families build and improve places they can call home as Canada celebrated its 150th anniversary. You see a mix of ages and skills at a Habitat for Humanity project. I think most people would enjoy volunteering. Regardless of your skills. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2018, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-like-doing-it-so-will-you/807307/5 "2018-01-23T21:09:32Z")
> [@snowthx](#): > > I am not retired yet, but I would prefer something more specialized. I would have totally done exactly what you did (and I have done the same). > > I currently volunteer at a non-profit shop that rehabilitates donated bicycles and makes them ride-able. The working bikes are then given to the needy and homeless, so they may have basic transportation. It satisfies my inner wrench. I get to work on lots of bikes and give them, and people in my community, a new lease on life! ``` It seems like I find a decent bike every couple of years or so. I enjoy rebuilding and painting them and I never have a problem finding a kid who needs one. ``` ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/22080_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2018, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-like-doing-it-so-will-you/807307/6 "2018-01-23T21:50:16Z")
When I was a kid, I taught myself how to fix bikes - no google, no books, just figgered it out. I didn’t respond to the poll because I have mixed feelings. I think I’d like to volunteer once or twice a week to do assorted piddly fix-up tasks, but with my failing eyes and my somewhat fumbly fingers, I’m not sure I could do the sort of things I’d like to do, and I don’t want to be someone’s assistant or the clean-up person. And I have zero interest in sexy old ladies. 😛 I suppose the closest answer for me is the third option. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2018, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-like-doing-it-so-will-you/807307/7 "2018-01-23T22:10:33Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > When I was a kid, I taught myself how to fix bikes - no google, no books, just figgered it out. > > I didn’t respond to the poll because I have mixed feelings. I think I’d like to volunteer once or twice a week to do assorted piddly fix-up tasks, but with my failing eyes and my somewhat fumbly fingers, I’m not sure I could do the sort of things I’d like to do, and I don’t want to be someone’s assistant or the clean-up person. And I have zero interest in sexy old ladies. 😛 > > I suppose the closest answer for me is the third option. We have a few older guys in our bow building group, we build primitive archery gear, some leather work and some stone knapping. Some of the older guys enjoy showing up and piddling a little bit but mostly just socializing. One old guy brought the same bow with him for about 5 years straight. He would always get a little bit of work done on it but didn’t seem to concerned about getting finished. I guess I would qualify as an older guy at 70. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2018, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-like-doing-it-so-will-you/807307/8 "2018-01-23T23:05:34Z")
Sounds similar to a makerspace - if I ever get to retire, it would be fun to go to one of them and play with what is available, hopefully producing something someone can benefit from. ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2018, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-like-doing-it-so-will-you/807307/9 "2018-01-23T23:29:48Z")
In my area we have the [Men’s Shed](https://mensshed.org/) for this kind of thing, which seems pretty popular ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2018, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-like-doing-it-so-will-you/807307/10 "2018-01-24T00:44:25Z")
No thanks, because breaking a hand sounds dreadful. Ouch. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2018, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-like-doing-it-so-will-you/807307/11 "2018-01-24T03:43:44Z")
I’ve actually been involved with a couple things like that over the years so count me in. I would prefer a more general small thing; I would only want to get specialized for larger sized/more complex projects like cars or dining room sets. ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2018, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-like-doing-it-so-will-you/807307/12 "2018-01-24T11:09:49Z")
I’m nowhere near retirement, but there was a place like that down the road from my old house; a one day a week drop in bike workshop run on donations (and selling some refurb bikes and stuff like new inner tubes at retail price). It ran fine for a few years, but by the time I moved in, it was constantly closing due to lack of volunteers. It seemed only one or two people actually were willing to volunteer every week reliably, the others only came to socialise, and once numbers dropped low enough for it not to be very sociable, it was very hard to get it going again, so whenever the main volunteer had to do something else that day, that was it. It was a shame, as it was really good the time I went, because they’d actually show you how to do stuff, rather than do it for you, and as I’d not had a bike since I was 8, I didn’t even know how to change a tyre or which bits needed oiling, so that was exactly what I wanted. ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2018, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-like-doing-it-so-will-you/807307/13 "2018-01-24T13:12:44Z")
I envy people who live near those places like makerspace. A place where one can have access to quality machines and tooling would be great. And the desire is there, at least for me. That’s why I begin building a basement machine shop this year. The Navy had places like that on various bases I was at: a wood shop and an auto shop. It was kind of cool–you paid a few dollars to rent a stall at the auto shop, then went to the tool window to get whatever you needed, leaving a deposit. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2018, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-like-doing-it-so-will-you/807307/14 "2018-01-24T13:58:35Z")
> [@Filbert](#): > > I’m nowhere near retirement, but there was a place like that down the road from my old house; a one day a week drop in bike workshop run on donations (and selling some refurb bikes and stuff like new inner tubes at retail price). It ran fine for a few years, but by the time I moved in, it was constantly closing due to lack of volunteers. > > It seemed only one or two people actually were willing to volunteer every week reliably, the others only came to socialise, and once numbers dropped low enough for it not to be very sociable, it was very hard to get it going again, so whenever the main volunteer had to do something else that day, that was it. > > It was a shame, as it was really good the time I went, because they’d actually show you how to do stuff, rather than do it for you, and as I’d not had a bike since I was 8, I didn’t even know how to change a tyre or which bits needed oiling, so that was exactly what I wanted. ``` I think one of the pit falls in a place like this is that a few super stars tend to take over and they want everyone else to do things their way. You end up volunteering for them instead of volunteering for the club. This is a big killer. ``` ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2018, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-like-doing-it-so-will-you/807307/15 "2018-01-24T14:01:47Z")
Around here, there’s a place called the Bike Co-Op that does pretty much that, except that most of the folks there are younger. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2018, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-like-doing-it-so-will-you/807307/16 "2018-01-24T20:54:11Z")
The bike shop where I volunteer has a mix of ages present, and there sometimes is no room to work (while other times there are maybe 5-6 people there. They have an organized church youth group and high school outreach - many of the younger people there are putting-in required volunteer time or for specific school projects, such as organizing a bike drive to pick-up inventory for the shop. There are always teenagers present, but the regulars are all older and/or retired. I go there one evening per month, sometimes two. There is no strict commitment. Most of the time I get to work on the bikes, but sometimes I spend most of the evening helping others, since a lot of the volunteers have spirit but lack bike maintenance skills. The flexibility, the people, the mission, the learning, and the area of focus make it an attraction for me.