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Post by brianbutler on Nov 17, 2021 14:57:30 GMT
I have decided to start disposing of bike stuff I don't need and will never use. This is difficult for two reasons - I fear that I WILL need this stuff even though I know better, and as someone who enjoys refurbishing and repurposing things I don't like throwing things away. I am looking for advice and encouragement (or discouragement) about this.
I am starting small. I have a collection of tubular tires. The tires are all at least 40 years old and tattered, so obviously they go in the trash. The rims are nothing special and would require considerable effort to clean off the old glue and I no longer have any need for tubulars. Most of the rims are not laced to hubs. I am thinking I will salvage the hubs and scrap all of the rims. Should I offer them for free on Craigslist/Facebook, or are they just junk?
I have a vast collection of steel cottered cranksets and bottom brackets, steel handlebars and seatposts, plastic Simplex derailleurs and shifters, old chains, old spokes, reflectors, old bike computers and other accessories, mostly cleaned/refurbished. I will never use them.
The tougher items to deal with are complete frames and bikes. These are low-end bikes that I will not use and would not give to a friend, but they are refurbished and seem too good to scrap. I will probably list these for free. Examples are a Jeunet Franche-Compte frame, and complete Ross three-speed that is completely refurbished and even has new tires. I might put that one on the town green along the rail trail with a FREE sign, just to see how quickly it goes, or if I get a citation for illegal dumping.
Maybe the best thing would be to put most of it together in a big lot and offer it for free on the condition that the "customer" must take the entire lot. Lest you be alarmed, I am keeping all of the Viscount and Lambert bikes, frames, and parts for now. If I decide to part with them, you will be the first to know.
Brian
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Post by oldroadietehachapi on Nov 18, 2021 0:47:01 GMT
Wow, I fully understand. For lower end bikes and parts, my preference is to donate to this charity. They will give a person a bike for 12 hours volunteer work. This helps the poor and homeless. You may have something similar in your area. You most likely can sell the wheelsets or just the hubs. Some of us in the forum may be interested. Better quality bikes, frames and bike parts are not to hard to sell (I use Craig's List). I have sold bikes and frames, as well as giving the same to friends and family.
All the Best Jim
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Post by wheelson on Nov 18, 2021 1:08:24 GMT
I have decided to start disposing of bike stuff I don't need and will never use. This is difficult for two reasons - I fear that I WILL need this stuff even though I know better, and as someone who enjoys refurbishing and repurposing things I don't like throwing things away. I am looking for advice and encouragement (or discouragement) about this.
I am starting small. I have a collection of tubular tires. The tires are all at least 40 years old and tattered, so obviously they go in the trash. The rims are nothing special and would require considerable effort to clean off the old glue and I no longer have any need for tubulars. Most of the rims are not laced to hubs. I am thinking I will salvage the hubs and scrap all of the rims. Should I offer them for free on Craigslist/Facebook, or are they just junk?
I have a vast collection of steel cottered cranksets and bottom brackets, steel handlebars and seatposts, plastic Simplex derailleurs and shifters, old chains, old spokes, reflectors, old bike computers and other accessories, mostly cleaned/refurbished. I will never use them.
The tougher items to deal with are complete frames and bikes. These are low-end bikes that I will not use and would not give to a friend, but they are refurbished and seem too good to scrap. I will probably list these for free. Examples are a Jeunet Franche-Compte frame, and complete Ross three-speed that is completely refurbished and even has new tires. I might put that one on the town green along the rail trail with a FREE sign, just to see how quickly it goes, or if I get a citation for illegal dumping.
Maybe the best thing would be to put most of it together in a big lot and offer it for free on the condition that the "customer" must take the entire lot. Lest you be alarmed, I am keeping all of the Viscount and Lambert bikes, frames, and parts for now. If I decide to part with them, you will be the first to know.
Brian
This is an issue we all need to think about. Mrs.W says I need to start sooner than later! At 73, I’m hoping for ten more years of conventional riding, maybe more worn e-bike or TerraTrike technology. So my the bulk of my Schwinn and Viscount bikes aren’t going away, as well as enough components to keep ‘em rolling. My bike shop worth of tools are already in my will to my son (ultimately my grandson). My son rides my size bike, my daughter is my wife’s size, but that’s only a small dent in the herd. I’ll continue to buy, sell, trade, and gift bike stuff for the foreseeable future. I’ll trade or gift classic bike stuff to the shop I contract with as they have little classic stock. There’s several customers of the shop who struggle financially to keep a commuter bike together so some donations may be in order. Best, John “wheelson”
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Post by brianbutler on Nov 18, 2021 2:12:57 GMT
Wow, I fully understand. For lower end bikes and parts, my preference is to donate to this charity. They will give a person a bike for 12 hours volunteer work. This helps the poor and homeless. You may have something similar in your area. You most likely can sell the wheelsets or just the hubs. Some of us in the forum may be interested. Better quality bikes, frames and bike parts are not to hard to sell (I use Craig's List). I have sold bikes and frames, as well as giving the same to friends and family.
All the Best Jim
There is a Bike Kitchen in Somerville MA, which is a "downtown" suburb of Boston/Cambridge so I might check that out. Thanks for the tip. Brian
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Post by brianbutler on Nov 18, 2021 2:27:47 GMT
I have decided to start disposing of bike stuff I don't need and will never use. This is difficult for two reasons - I fear that I WILL need this stuff even though I know better, and as someone who enjoys refurbishing and repurposing things I don't like throwing things away. I am looking for advice and encouragement (or discouragement) about this.
I am starting small. I have a collection of tubular tires. The tires are all at least 40 years old and tattered, so obviously they go in the trash. The rims are nothing special and would require considerable effort to clean off the old glue and I no longer have any need for tubulars. Most of the rims are not laced to hubs. I am thinking I will salvage the hubs and scrap all of the rims. Should I offer them for free on Craigslist/Facebook, or are they just junk?
I have a vast collection of steel cottered cranksets and bottom brackets, steel handlebars and seatposts, plastic Simplex derailleurs and shifters, old chains, old spokes, reflectors, old bike computers and other accessories, mostly cleaned/refurbished. I will never use them.
The tougher items to deal with are complete frames and bikes. These are low-end bikes that I will not use and would not give to a friend, but they are refurbished and seem too good to scrap. I will probably list these for free. Examples are a Jeunet Franche-Compte frame, and complete Ross three-speed that is completely refurbished and even has new tires. I might put that one on the town green along the rail trail with a FREE sign, just to see how quickly it goes, or if I get a citation for illegal dumping.
Maybe the best thing would be to put most of it together in a big lot and offer it for free on the condition that the "customer" must take the entire lot. Lest you be alarmed, I am keeping all of the Viscount and Lambert bikes, frames, and parts for now. If I decide to part with them, you will be the first to know.
Brian
This is an issue we all need to think about. Mrs.W says I need to start sooner than later! At 73, I’m hoping for ten more years of conventional riding, maybe more worn e-bike or TerraTrike technology. So my the bulk of my Schwinn and Viscount bikes aren’t going away, as well as enough components to keep ‘em rolling. My bike shop worth of tools are already in my will to my son (ultimately my grandson). My son rides my size bike, my daughter is my wife’s size, but that’s only a small dent in the herd. I’ll continue to buy, sell, trade, and gift bike stuff for the foreseeable future. I’ll trade or gift classic bike stuff to the shop I contract with as they have little classic stock. There’s several customers of the shop who struggle financially to keep a commuter bike together so some donations may be in order. Best, John “wheelson” I am about 5 years behind you, John, but I am ready to offload most of the clutter. My goal is to keep a few (quite a few, actually) bikes that suit my riding styles, which are occasional loaded touring, frequent paved and gravel bike trails, and frequent road cycling, nothing competitive. I want to keep a reasonable number of spare parts on hand to keep them running but not stockpile for future builds or tear down bikes for parts hoarding. I want duplicate bikes so I don't have to be in a hurry to do repairs or maintenance. Just pull out another one and do the work when I feel like it. I have a few bikes that I will give away or sell. I'll keep all of the tools.
Brian
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Post by brianbutler on Nov 22, 2021 1:37:29 GMT
Phase 1 is complete. I noticed the Bike Kitchen website had instructions for volunteers breaking down bikes on what to do with various components. I took all of mine that fell into the "recycle as scrap" to the town recycling center. That included three frames, a dozen rims, probably 8 steel cottered cranksets, and numerous steel handlebars and seatposts. I have a box of kickstands, and another of spoke protectors (i.e. dork disks) that I forgot. It felt quite liberating. But when I was done I counted bikes and discovered I have 20 - 1 carbon fiber Trek Madone, 1 Trek 520 touring bike, 10 refurbished 10/12 speeds, 2 10-speeds kitted up and ready to assemble, 1 currently in the works, 2 as found, 1 1954 Raleigh Sports refurbished, 1 3-speed Ross, and my wife's 1996 Specialized Hardrock hybrid.
I would like to give away the Ross, sell the Trek Madone and about 6 to 8 of the steel road bikes. That will get me down to a good working set and free up my garage.
Brian
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Post by wheelson on Nov 22, 2021 13:40:52 GMT
Phase 1 is complete. I noticed the Bike Kitchen website had instructions for volunteers breaking down bikes on what to do with various components. I took all of mine that fell into the "recycle as scrap" to the town recycling center. That included three frames, a dozen rims, probably 8 steel cottered cranksets, and numerous steel handlebars and seatposts. I have a box of kickstands, and another of spoke protectors (i.e. dork disks) that I forgot. It felt quite liberating. But when I was done I counted bikes and discovered I have 20 - 1 carbon fiber Trek Madone, 1 Trek 520 touring bike, 10 refurbished 10/12 speeds, 2 10-speeds kitted up and ready to assemble, 1 currently in the works, 2 as found, 1 1954 Raleigh Sports refurbished, 1 3-speed Ross, and my wife's 1996 Specialized Hardrock hybrid. I would like to give away the Ross, sell the Trek Madone and about 6 to 8 of the steel road bikes. That will get me down to a good working set and free up my garage. Brian That’s a great idea with the recycling center. Although we don’t have a bike co-op around here, our shop keeps bins of used parts and these are frequently used by the kids and full time commuters for free or highly discounted. I usually take my excess down there and plan to do more in the upcoming season. I plan to sell some of my excess bikes there as well, although road bikes aren’t big in this area, excluding high tech carbon, titanium, and aluminum. Best, John “wheelson”
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Post by wheelson on Nov 22, 2021 13:45:05 GMT
Phase 1 is complete. I noticed the Bike Kitchen website had instructions for volunteers breaking down bikes on what to do with various components. I took all of mine that fell into the "recycle as scrap" to the town recycling center. That included three frames, a dozen rims, probably 8 steel cottered cranksets, and numerous steel handlebars and seatposts. I have a box of kickstands, and another of spoke protectors (i.e. dork disks) that I forgot. It felt quite liberating. But when I was done I counted bikes and discovered I have 20 - 1 carbon fiber Trek Madone, 1 Trek 520 touring bike, 10 refurbished 10/12 speeds, 2 10-speeds kitted up and ready to assemble, 1 currently in the works, 2 as found, 1 1954 Raleigh Sports refurbished, 1 3-speed Ross, and my wife's 1996 Specialized Hardrock hybrid. I would like to give away the Ross, sell the Trek Madone and about 6 to 8 of the steel road bikes. That will get me down to a good working set and free up my garage. Brian That’s a great idea with the recycling center. Although we don’t have a bike co-op around here, our shop keeps bins of used parts and these are frequently used by the kids and full time commuters for free or highly discounted. I usually take my excess down there and plan to do more in the upcoming season. I plan to sell some of my excess bikes there as well, although road bikes aren’t big in this area, excluding high tech carbon, titanium, and aluminum. Best, John “wheelson” I forgot about selling through a bike shop on consignment. Our shop does a good bit of that as well. And then there’s the community yard sales. Best, John “wheelson”
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Post by oldroadietehachapi on Nov 22, 2021 16:00:12 GMT
Most bike shops in California do not do consignments, liability maybe? Our tiny local bike shop will do consignments, for 30% of selling price. Unfortunately, those who work there know little of classic bikes, which makes them poor sales people.
All the Best Jim
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Post by brianbutler on Nov 22, 2021 22:12:58 GMT
Just to clarify my use of the word recycle - our town recycling center is open Saturday 9-3. The scrap metal goes to the melter when the large dumpster is full. Residents are free to pick but it is a jumble. Sometimes larger, semi-useful items are left outside the bin for viewing. That would be things like gas grills, lawnmowers, snowblowers, sometimes bikes, etc.
Brian
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Post by wheelson on Nov 23, 2021 13:35:10 GMT
Just to clarify my use of the word recycle - our town recycling center is open Saturday 9-3. The scrap metal goes to the melter when the large dumpster is full. Residents are free to pick but it is a jumble. Sometimes larger, semi-useful items are left outside the bin for viewing. That would be things like gas grills, lawnmowers, snowblowers, sometimes bikes, etc. Brian We do a lot of that kind of recycling at the shop as well. Several large buckets for chains, cogs, anything steel or aluminum as it gets removed and tossed. Complete bikes (aka junk) are stashed in the back room and get robbed of usable parts, mostly wheels. Periodically a guy picks up everything and sells it for scrap. The old rubber tubes go in a big box and go to someone who recycled them into straps for physical therapy. I try to bring some plastics and aluminum cans home as our city recycles more than the shop’s location. I wish we could do more but sad to say a lot of stuff has to go in the garbage. It’s a mindset, I guess. I’m glad we vintage and classic bike fiends are doing our part to save usable old stuff and pass it on when ever possible. Best, John “wheelson”
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Post by dracco on Nov 23, 2021 17:27:03 GMT
Our local recycling centre is just up the road from where I live, and it always has a load of bikes stacked up in a corner. However, the one time that I wandered over to see what was there, I was sternly warned off by one of the staff and told not to touch them. I don't know if they are subsequently sent somewhere for refurbishment, but I suspect not, which seems to be a criminal waste of embodied energy, especially as we do have a local charity ("Resurrection Bikes" of Harrogate) that refurbishes donated bikes and sells them on, with the proceeds going to selected charities. There's also a national programme for refurbishing old bikes for Africa (https://www.re-cycle.org/) as well as international organisations like World Bicycle Relief that do the same type of thing, supporting "the power of bicycles to transform lives." Their US office is in Chicago: worldbicyclerelief.org/us-office/
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Post by brianbutler on Nov 23, 2021 18:54:55 GMT
Our local recycling centre is just up the road from where I live, and it always has a load of bikes stacked up in a corner. However, the one time that I wandered over to see what was there, I was sternly warned off by one of the staff and told not to touch them. I don't know if they are subsequently sent somewhere for refurbishment, but I suspect not, which seems to be a criminal waste of embodied energy, especially as we do have a local charity ("Resurrection Bikes" of Harrogate) that refurbishes donated bikes and sells them on, with the proceeds going to selected charities. There's also a national programme for refurbishing old bikes for Africa (https://www.re-cycle.org/) as well as international organisations like World Bicycle Relief that do the same type of thing, supporting "the power of bicycles to transform lives." Their US office is in Chicago: worldbicyclerelief.org/us-office/If I didn't know better, I might think the recycling staff were keeping things for themselves or their friends.
I start by putting stuff curbside with a FREE sign on it, as do others. It is surprising how many things I get rid of that way, and equally surprising how many things I bring home.
Brian
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Post by lighthousejim on Nov 23, 2021 20:46:30 GMT
Dracco, I think the problem in the UK is that a lot of recycling centres are operated by contractors on behalf of the local councils. Part of their pricing strategy must include a certain amount for stuff they can salvage for re-sale. I have very occasionally seen bikes at our local 'tip', but usually it's just a bent wheel or frame sticking up out of the metal skip.
Jim
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Post by oldroadietehachapi on Nov 24, 2021 1:49:57 GMT
At one time, people would set usable items by the fence at our local "Waste Transfer Station". The idea was people could make use of the items and they would not go to waste. I was able to pickup a couple of good used bikes that only needed cables and a good lube. I fixed them and then gave them away. This is now banned as our regulatory agencies have changed all that. Our "Waste Transfer Station" now (on pain of having the wrath of California bureaucracy fall upon them) only takes household rubbish and cardboard for recycling. All else must go to the county dump, some 17 miles away. The dump is large with areas dedicated to metal, tires, oil, antifreeze, general rubbish and so on. These are far apart requiring you drive from one station to the other. Being California, there is a fee which varies by what and how much you dispose of.
Cheers Jim
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Post by franco on Nov 24, 2021 23:35:14 GMT
Dracco, I think the problem in the UK is that a lot of recycling centres are operated by contractors on behalf of the local councils. Part of their pricing strategy must include a certain amount for stuff they can salvage for re-sale. I have very occasionally seen bikes at our local 'tip', but usually it's just a bent wheel or frame sticking up out of the metal skip. Jim That is probably right Jim. They won’t let you near anything, even if you offer them cash for a part. I hate seeing good bikes go to waste and have even done an ‘oily rag’ refurbishment and taken some to a charity shop or given them away to people. Maybe they inspired someone to take up cycling… I hope. Don’t seem to have the time anymore though with work and like Brian I have some stock I should move on.
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