Kuressaare bicycle restorer leads tour on vintage bikes

A Kuressaare bicycle restorer invited friends and acquaintances on a city tour aboard his restored vintage bikes, ERR reported. Temme Linna let everyone who came ride one of the unusual bicycles he has restored.

Some of Linna’s bicycles came from rubbish bins, while friends brought him others. One bike, he said, was the one he learned to ride on.

“I learned to ride on this one, through the frame. Ivo learned on it too! It also came from a rubbish bin and I fixed it up. I couldn’t bring myself to throw it away,” Linna said.

Restoring bicycles and motorcycles has been a hobby for Linna, who believes his interest began in childhood. He said it can take several months to restore a single bicycle.

Riders praised the restoration work, saying the bikes ran smoothly. One participant, Toomas, said he rode a bicycle called Hamlet and found it enjoyable. Linna contrasted German bikes with those from the East, saying the German models were better made.

Another participant, Erki, said he could stay in the saddle but had lost the ability to ride hands-free. He remembered doing so as a child, but this time managed only a second before the bicycle began to veer.