For Allentown resident Bob Swaim, getting a couple of people on one bike is enough to start a party.
Among his vast collection of bicycles, he also has a few “party” bikes — those that can hold five or seven riders at one time.
Swaim will bring his most recent addition to his collection to State College today. He will showcase a bike made of 80 percent recycled wood at the State College Municipal Building before he brings it to the HUB-Robeson Center from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m.
A few State College locals will have the opportunity to ride the bike, including State College Mayor Elizabeth Goreham.
The bike, which Swaim bought at a trade show in Las Vegas last September, was made by wood-workers at Masterworks Wood and Design in San Jose, Calif.. The only non-wooden parts of the bike are its wheels and gears.
“Most people have never seen a wooden bike,” Swaim said. “I get to bring back a piece of Las Vegas with me, which contradicts the phrase ‘what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.’ ”
Swaim is known as something of a bike aficionado in the borough, as he has showcased some of his most interesting bikes in State College for the past 15 years.
He has appeared in the Homecoming parade several times, riding a bike with enormous wheels down College Avenue.
While in Las Vegas, Swaim rode the bike up and down the strip for 16 miles. But he said he couldn’t go far without someone stopping him and asking about the bike.
“It was unbelievable, every 100 feet people would ask questions about it. Even the police were interested in it,” Swaim said. “It’s really a work of art.”
A retired math teacher, he said he wanted to keep active as he got older, so he started to collect bikes. In the last 15 years, he has collected hundreds of bikes.
“I like art that you can do something with,” he said.
The bike has been on a weeklong journey, being hand-delivered by two women, Denise Olenka and Alexanna Alvarado, who sold Swaim the bike in Las Vegas. By the end of the trip, the pair will have logged 2,700 miles.
“This is the beginning of something special,” Olenka said.
