wishers shocked that shoddy gears meant he kept falling off his old one as he struggled to work.

Jason was too strapped for cash to afford repairs as he tries to live on a $277-a-week wage packet.

Eight Baptiste Builders Supply workers chipped in for the bike, which costs more than $200, after reading about Jason's plight in The Royal Gazette .

And Wheels Cycles on Dundonald Street sold it at cost price after fitting it with extras.

Sandra Hypolite said: "When I read about Jason in the paper it touched me so I decided to buy Jason a bike.

"When my co-workers found out they wanted to help me.'' And they were not alone. Jason said: "I have had two or three people stop me in the street and I have had calls offering help.'' Andrew Pink, who works at Butterfield and Vallis, also offered to pay for bike repairs only to find he had been beaten to it by Sandra Hypolite and her friends.

Mr. Pink has now pledged to help pay for some gym time for Jason to combat the muscle-wasting caused by his condition of Ataxia brought on after suffering a brain injury in a moped accident when he was 16.

Mr. Pink said: "I admired his desire for independence and just wanted to give him the tools to help him out.

"He's not asking for charity, he's trying to do it on his own.

"I see him walking along and my heart goes out to the guy. I just think that guy has some guts.

"When I read about him in the paper I thought I just had to lend a hand.'' Pedal grips will stop his feet slipping off in the wet as he rides to his cleaning job at the Aquarium.

Wheels Manager Steven Bean said: "When I read about Jason I wanted to get in contact with him and tell him we would fix his gears then this lady came in wanting to buy a bike for him.'' Riding a bike is not just a matter of commuting for Jason. It also plays a big part in his bid to cope with an illness that at one time threatened to kill him.

Doctors then said he might not walk again.

Jason, 31, said: "This is the next stage in my rehabilitation. I used to dream about riding a bike.'' And when he started it wasn't broken gears which sent him sprawling -- it was the affects of his illness which affects his coordination.

"I got a lot of road rash but I figured that I took a lot of licks learning to ride when I was a boy so why can't I take them now?'' The 21-gear Raleigh bike is identical to his old one battered one but is now in his favourite green.

"I am getting better at riding so this one won't get so many scratches,'' said Jason.