For the fifth year in a row, a group of volunteer bike mechanics in Winnipeg are working to build 350 bikes in 24 hours.

It's all in the name of The Cycle of Giving, an initiative where the mechanics gather for the building marathon, using parts rescued from the Brady Road Landfill to make gifts for children in anticipation of the holiday season.

"[It's] always a little tricky because some of [the recovered bike parts] have a lot of rust on them," Robin Ellis, one of The Cycle of Giving's organizers, said.



"We end up with some mismatched parts, fitting them together. But, with a little bit of love they come together and turn into something new."

Once built, the bikes get distributed to daycares, schools and remote First Nation communities.

"It's so exciting because it goes beyond just [the children] seeing the bike and being excited having a new thing [or] riding around on a toy," Ellis said.

"These kids get used to riding bikes. Their world is 10 times bigger once they are on a bike and they grow up [to become] adults riding bikes."