Foire Aux Vélos

“The cost of a bike is so expensive when you buy it brand new,” said Lesage, who highlighted the average price of a bike at Estrie Aide’s sale will be between $75 to $150. “People really enjoy the sale and a lot of people rely on the sale.”

The Executive Director said throughout the year, they receive parts from donations, as well as from the Sherbrooke police. His staff then prepares and fixes the bikes using the good quality parts which are donated.

“We do it properly and we follow all the rules to ensure we do everything the right way before we sell them,” ensured Lesage. “Anything we can do to ensure the bikes aren’t scrapped and end up in a landfill is a bonus.”

Priding themselves on ensuring each bike is tested and safe to ride, Lesage said on the day of the sale, there will be 50 free helmets for young kids and 50 free helmets for teenagers, while supplies last.

According to Félix Lacroix Marcheterre, who has been fixing bikes with Estrie Aide since 2013, he and the other bike technicians take great pride in knowing each bike sold is 100 per cent safe to ride.

“We take a lot of pride to ensure the bikes are the safest possible. We love seeing smiles on people’s faces when they bring home a bike we helped fix,” he said.

The veteran bike technician mentioned because all the parts the team uses are recycled, it means more work. He estimates while most bikes can take up to an hour to fix and repair, he’s seen some that take the entire afternoon.

“Sure it’s more work, but this allows us to sell these bikes at an affordable price. The bikes are all 100 per cent

recycled and help put a smile on many faces. It’s definitely worth the hard work,” he said.

Raïs Kibonge, Deputy Mayor of the City of Sherbrooke said he’s a fan of the initiative as it allows residents to remain active while putting smiles on so many faces.

“This will have major impacts on

people’s health, social life and in return, it will benefit our community,” he said. “This initiative will allow for so many amazing family memories.”

The upcoming April bike sale is expected to sell between 300 to 400 bikes. In the past 10 years, the Foire Aux Vélos has sold more than 4,500 bikes.