Riding to the top

Rasbert Turner, Gleaner Writer

Tyrone Gordon has dreams of someday building a helicopter but, for now, he's flexing his artistic muscle by designing and building some of the most flashy bicycles and tricycles you'll find on the roads.

Recently, The Sunday Gleaner spotted the 27-year-old, Old
Braeton, Portmore resident pedalling along the Dumbeholden main road in St
Catherine. He, of course, was hard to miss on his self-made tricycle (the third
wheel only comes into play when there's a passenger) that sports two seats and a
unique blue-and-white paint job.

Gordon also uses the tricycle to do stationary exercises. He
gladly demonstrated how the design of the tricycle facilitates sit-ups and other
upper-body workout techniques.

"Yes, big man. The bicycle can be used to do exercise, so in
addition to just going for a leisure ride, it can be parked and the rider can do
sit-ups and so on. It's a useful exercise tool to have,'' Gordon said.

Building the cycles isn't cheap. It can cost up to $18,000 to
build one of his designs, which can take up to a week to complete at his
auto-body repair shop in Portmore.

Gordon told The Sunday Gleaner that after graduating from
the Jamaican German Automotive School in Kingston, he realised that he could use
his newly acquired mechanical skills to help express his artistic inclination to
create cycles that were more than just functional, but works of art as well.

"It is about 10 years now that I started to make the bicycles,
however, it is recently that I realised it has potential to be more than a
hobby,'' said the St George's College graduate.

Gordon said he gets orders for cycles from an entertainment
company. He could not build all the cycles himself and is quick to acknowledge
the help he receives from his colleague, Junior Whyte.

With all the encouragement he has been receiving for his efforts
building bicycles and tricycles, Gordon believes, now more than ever, that his
life's dream can actually become a reality.

"I want to be the first to build a helicopter that will fly out of
Jamaica and I intend to do this by 2015, as long as I can get the material I
will need," he declared.