Eagle Scout builds bike repair station in Oakland

Max Wiese was visiting a college campus in Germany when he noticed an interesting diamond-shaped tool station positioned near the bicycle racks.

When it came time to present an idea for his Eagle Scout project, Wiese — a member of Boy Scout Troop 6, in Dr. Phillips — remembered the bike-repair station at the Technical University of Munich.

“I thought, I might as well bring this to America and make it a custom-made project and make it all myself,” Wiese said. “I designed the thing myself, worked through it myself, worked with welder, punched holes, I welded, drew up all the plans. I thought it was interesting.”

He wanted to place his project on the West Orange Trail, where many bicycle enthusiasts ride, and he approached the town of Oakland in hopes of having it installed there. Town officials agreed to partner with Wiese and put the tool station near the town center.

The station includes typical toolbox pieces, such as wrenches, Allen keys and screwdrivers, as well as two retractable bars that allow the cyclist to prop up the bike to be able to reach the tools. Next to the tool station is a stand-alone bicycle pump.

Oakland was the natural choice for Wiese, who said the closest trailheads are at the Orange-Lake county line to the west and on Plant Street east of downtown Winter Garden.

“(Oakland is) just not a good place for your bike to break down,” he said.

He expects to see many people utilizing his station, especially once the new arts and heritage center is completed nearby.

The entire Eagle Scout project from inception to installation took about six months, Wiese said. He wrote the paperwork, worked with the welder and the town, set up a fundraising page to buy his materials and led other scouts during the project. The actual construction took about two weeks.

In addition to donating the repair station and pump to the town of Oakland, Wiese built a wooden bike rack; he said officials can place it wherever they choose.

Wiese’s Eagle board of review was in July. He now is in Germany studying electrical engineering at the Technical University of Munich.