Local company struggles to find bikes for annual giveaway

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KBTX) - Many items that are produced or manufactured are in short supply because of global supply chain issues, according to the New York Times. The website all reported that this is mainly due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

College Station’s Reynolds & Reynolds experienced this first hand when trying to buy bikes for its annual Bike Build. The company’s team members have built bikes for children in need for Christmas for nearly a decade.

“You don’t really think about it as an adult, but it’s such a big part of playing outside as a kid,” Diane Besosa, a Bike Build volunteer, said.

Besosa enjoys building the bikes and giving parents one less thing to worry about during the holidays.

“They get to enjoy it Christmas morning without any of the labor involved,” Besosa said.

William Wright, the Bike Build chair, said the company normally builds 100 bikes, but the supply chain issues caused that number to decrease to 55 this year.

“Usually, I just have a contact with the Huffy organization, a bike company, and basically they told me that they couldn’t guarantee me anything and so if I put an order in now, they were like we don’t know if we can fill it,” Wright said.

Wright said that wasn’t going to stop the company’s tradition.

“I decided just to go my own path and just to buy them myself instead of having to rely on someone else providing them,” Wright said.

Even though the company won’t be able to give bikes to as many kids, Wright is excited to make Christmas brighter for the 55 who will get one.

“I hope it shows that the community supports them and loves them and hopefully the Bryan College Station community is where they can thrive,” Wright said.

The company will also give away 40 scooters. They have partnered with four organizations to distribute the bikes and scooters.

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