MONTANA CITY — This is a tale of how one person’s trash became another person’s treasure — or maybe even his passion.

And better yet, the treasures get to enrich others’ lives, as well.

Mark Earnhardt, of Montana City, recalls retrieving an old Schwinn 10-speed bike out of the dump about eight or nine years ago.

The bike was from about the same era when he’d gotten his first 10-speed in 1974.

All it needed was air or new tubes, he recalled, and it was ready to roll.

“So I started riding it, and I realized how much fun riding these older bikes is.

“I started looking around at thrift shops and yard sales and realized people were getting rid of really good bikes.

“It just seems a real shame to me. These are excellent bikes for most people’s riding. For commuting bikes, these are excellent bikes. I think they are great rides.

After that first salvaged bike, Earnhardt has helped 80 or more roll on to a new life.

He suspects that many of the bikes were simply thrown out when the owner upgraded.

“They’re not high end. They’re not racing bikes or mountain bikes,” he said, but they’re good for functional things.

“In their day they were mid-level bikes.

“The bikes from the ’70s and ’80s were real advanced bikes — the technology hasn’t changed a whole lot since then.

“Most are considered vintage,” he added. The ones he works on are mostly from the 1970s through the early 1980s.

“These are excellent bikes for most people’s riding needs.

Some favorites he likes to ride are Raleigh, Motobecane and Miyata.

“Motobecane and Raleigh ... were good entry-level bikes and are still really good bikes.”

Earnhardt learned how to do some repairs in the 1970s, when he’d hang out at bike shops.

In recent years, he’s taught himself from books, bike manuals and the Internet.

When he hits a major problem, he talks to “real bike mechanics.”

The retired deputy chief of enforcement for Fish, Wildlife and Parks, Earnhardt finds his gnarliest problems, these days, are “frozen seat posts that have corroded into the seat tube. I won’t sell a bike if I can’t adjust the seat post.”

For bike riders to be comfortable, they have to be able to adjust the seat to the right height.

The typical repair problems he runs across are simple things — tire tubes, brakes, cables and adjustments. Occasionally, a chain.

He doesn’t keep track of time spent repairing a bike. He just enjoys his work.

So far, finding parts hasn’t been a big problem.

“Because so many bikes have been discarded, I can still salvage parts.”

After repairs, he sells them for $50 to $100.

People hear about him by word of mouth.

“I’d like to see everybody on a bike,” he said. “You’re not spending any money on gas, plus you’re getting your fitness. Any chance a person can ride a bike, I think they should.”

Right now, Earnhardt has 20 bikes lined up in his garage ready for adoption.

With higher gas prices and a new frontage road between Montana City and Helena, the time may be right for some folks to try bike commuting, he said.

He’s a big fan of people using bikes not just for recreation, but for everyday transportation needs.

“I think of them as a really neat way to transport yourself around.”

Reporter Marga Lincoln: 447-4074 or marga.lincoln@helenair.com