He's the bike man from Hungry Horse

Rusty Larsen likes garage sales. Can't drive by one without stopping in, poking around, picking up something. Mostly he’s looking for bikes, or bike parts. Seats. Cranks. Gears. Cables. You name it.

Used to be people sold him the stuff. Then they found out what he was doing with all those bikes and bike parts. Then they just started giving it to him.

“I can’t buy bikes anymore. People recognize me. ‘You’re that bike man from Hungry Horse, aren’t you? Just take it,’ they say,” Larsen explained.

And so he does. He takes these broken-down and worn-out bikes and fixes them and then gives them back to kids who don’t have one. Kids who can’t afford one.

One day there was a group of kids going past his Hungry Horse home. They all had bikes but one.

Larsen called the kid over to his garage. Gave him a bike. The kid beamed, but was also a little scared.

“What if my dad thinks I stole it?” The kid asked.

“Tell your Dad old Rusty here in Hungry Horse gave it to you,” Larsen told the kid.

The kid’s smile, well, “That just about paid for everything,” Larsen said.

To date, Larsen has refurbished, repaired and given away 80 bikes this year. This Christmas, a bunch went to the Kiwanis in Kalispell and another bunch to the Dam Town Tavern Christmas, held last Saturday.

The Dam Town Tavern Christmas, with a visit from Santa Claus, is different in that each child gets a present from Santa. A couple of fundraisers each year pay for the gifts. Larsen’s bikes were the icing on the cake for more than a few children.

Larsen says he’s lived an interesting life. He’s a retired computer engineer. Made a pretty good living at it. At 69, he’s a survivor. Had a stroke and an aneurysm.

The stroke changed his personality, he said. His temper’s a little shorter, but he’s also fascinated with garage sales. Never used to be. But now, he can’t help but stop.

The bike thing started with building a three-wheeled bike for his wife, Margie. It grew from there.

He’s had some help with the bikes along the way. Glacier Cyclery in Whitefish has been kind with advice and repair books.

On this day, Larsen is working on a 10-speed. The rear end of the frame is bent and it needs a seat and other tweaks. Still, Larsen is optimistic for its future.

“I think I can get this one done today,” he said.