There are only a handful of clues, such as the decorative bicycle wheel pinwheels in his front yard, to lead you towards Bob Vollmin's well-used workshop.
On the verge of turning 88, Vollmin rebuilds and repairs bicycles and then sells them under the moniker Bob's Bikes.
With his “best friend” Duke, a miniature dachshund, at his side, Vollmin, who moved to Olds 12 years ago after selling his Calgary-based bowling alley, said his interest in tinkering with bikes started as a hobby just before he came to town.
“I needed something to do,” he said, adding he is a widower.
Most of the bicycles he rebuilds or repairs in the workshop behind his home come from Cal's Cycle in Linden and were trade-ins that the store sold to Vollmin for “a real good deal.”
Over the years, he said he has rebuilt and repaired “hundreds and hundreds” of bicycles and his home has become a place where the community can come to find an inexpensive bike for sale, especially since, for the most part, businesses that sold or repaired bikes left downtown Olds long ago.
“I've had this lawn just covered in bikes that needed to be repaired,” he said, pointing out a cluster of dozens of bicycles surrounding his workshop in his backyard.
“I go over everything. And when I go over everything, I mean there isn't a bearing that isn't looked at or redone or reset.”
When he finishes work on a bike, Vollmin will sell it for under $100 or even give it away.
“People just walk in. They hear about me and they need a bike. And I sell cheap,” he said. “Lots of time I don't charge. Money isn't the important part, really. I live alone now and you can't just sit on your butt.”
What cash he does bring in from sales is designated as “fun money,” although Vollmin describes his fun as buying a fancy new stove.
Vollmin also works on bicycles for people with special needs in the community, often without charging, and any bikes he feels will likely not find a home in Olds are dropped off at a collection depot in Linden where they are shipped to children in Africa.
When asked how he entered the bike-repair business, he said fixing bicycles is a “grease monkey job” and described himself as a “grease monkey by trade” since he worked for most of his life as an automotive mechanic.
Originally from Sundre, Vollmin said once he realized he didn't like working on a farm, he decided to pursue a mechanic's apprenticeship position his brother told him was available in Brooks and his career in fixing automobiles began.
When he first started tinkering with bicycles in Calgary after the bowling alley was sold, they came from police auctions.
Business is slower than usual this year and Vollmin said a young man has expressed an interest in taking over the operation when Vollmin decides to call it quits.
He said he would give the young man all of the tools and equipment he has and would also likely train the man in fixing bicycles.
But, Vollmin said that despite his age, he has no plans to slow down or stop doing the work he loves.
“I'm not ready to quit.”
To reach Bob's Bikes, call 403-556-9418.
