What Do You Do With Your Old Unused Conventional Bikes?

[Mike_V]

Vintage Twenty Four Years Old, I make it into an excellent eBike

 

[Mike_V]

My last ( not really there's more ) old used conventional Franken eBike

 

[il Munduato]

Many of us older riders have converted to e-bikes now, and our venerable old conventional models are used less and less.

My wife and I used ours for awhile after we got our first e-bikes, but now, since we are less able to ride them, they are just gathering dust. We tried listing them on eBay and Facebook Marketplace but they are a dime a dozen and aren't selling right now. Ours are close to 20 years old but still in good condition. I suppose we should have sold them during the Covid years when used bikes were in demand. Now, even Goodwill and the Salvation Army won't take them around here. They say they no longer have staff to clean them up and do repairs. It made no difference that ours are in good shape.

We have no family or friends who would want them, and there are no other charities in the area who will take them. I suppose if we lived in the city, we could just park them in front of the mall where they are sure to be stolen. If we lived on a heavily travelled road, we could park them in front with a sign that said "For Sale $50". They would certainly be stolen as well.

Sadly, it appears our once adored bikes are destined for the dump.

I'm curious what others here do with their old unwanted rides.

Thank you for calling it a conventional bike.
Acoustic and analog are as appropriate as calling your ebike nuclear and cherished by the internet cat lady peoples.

 

[6zfshdb]

Thank you for calling it a conventional bike.
Acoustic and analog are as appropriate as calling your ebike nuclear and cherished by the internet cat lady peoples.

Nice !

I considered electrifying our old bikes but it's doubtful we would ride them since we are very happy with our new rides.

The old rim "V" style brakes aren't that good now, and I'm concerned they wouldn't be adequate for duty on an e-bike. Converting to disc would not be easy. Also, the bottom bracket is some proprietary configuration and I couldn't find a mid motor kit that would fit. Lacing hub motors into the rear wheels is a possibility but not something I would attempt myself. I could also buy a kit with a hub motor already laced into a wheel but the time, effort and $$ required didn't seem to be worth it. I doubt I'd get my money back if I tried to sell them.

I'm going to put them back on Facebook Marketplace and advertise them as free to anyone willing to pick them up. At least that way, they would be used and hopefully appreciated as much as we did.

 

[J.R.]

Many of us older riders have converted to e-bikes now, and our venerable old conventional models are used less and less.

My wife and I used ours for awhile after we got our first e-bikes, but now, since we are less able to ride them, they are just gathering dust. We tried listing them on eBay and Facebook Marketplace but they are a dime a dozen and aren't selling right now. Ours are close to 20 years old but still in good condition. I suppose we should have sold them during the Covid years when used bikes were in demand. Now, even Goodwill and the Salvation Army won't take them around here. They say they no longer have staff to clean them up and do repairs. It made no difference that ours are in good shape.

We have no family or friends who would want them, and there are no other charities in the area who will take them. I suppose if we lived in the city, we could just park them in front of the mall where they are sure to be stolen. If we lived on a heavily travelled road, we could park them in front with a sign that said "For Sale $50". They would certainly be stolen as well.

Sadly, it appears our once adored bikes are destined for the dump.

I'm curious what others here do with their old unwanted rides.

There are a few organizations in our region wanting bikes. If you have a Mennonite Thrift Shop nearby, they always want bikes. A few others:

The Common Wheel Co-op and Donation Center

The Common Wheel - Bicycle Sales, Repair, and Co-Op

The Common Wheel is a nonprofit bike shop with a mission to transform our community through the power of bikes. You can help us succeed!

thecommonwheel.com

701 East King Street
Lancaster, PA 17602

Gilbert - No Kids Without Wheels

No Kids Without Wheels

Nonprofit Organization

nokidswowheels.com

1402 Route 209
Gilbert, PA 18331

Recycle Bicycle Harrisburg

Home Page Feature Block - Recycle Bicycle Harrisburg

rbhburg.org

1722 Chestnut Street
Harrisburg, PA 17104
717-978-3919

 

[6zfshdb]

There are a few organizations in our region wanting bikes. If you have a Mennonite Thrift Shop nearby, they always want bikes. A few others:

The Common Wheel Co-op and Donation Center

The Common Wheel - Bicycle Sales, Repair, and Co-Op

The Common Wheel is a nonprofit bike shop with a mission to transform our community through the power of bikes. You can help us succeed!

thecommonwheel.com

701 East King Street
Lancaster, PA 17602

Gilbert - No Kids Without Wheels

No Kids Without Wheels

Nonprofit Organization

nokidswowheels.com

1402 Route 209
Gilbert, PA 18331

Recycle Bicycle Harrisburg

Home Page Feature Block - Recycle Bicycle Harrisburg

rbhburg.org

1722 Chestnut Street
Harrisburg, PA 17104
717-978-3919

Thanks for the list but all are a 3+ hour drive for us one way.
There are many in the NYC area a bit closer but we would like to avoid a 5 or 6 hour drive if possible.

 

[J.R.]

Thanks for the list but all are a 3+ hour drive for us one way.
There are many in the NYC area a bit closer but we would like to avoid a 5 or 6 hour drive if possible.

I figured they weren't close by. I thought in one of your travels to bike trails, you might be able to get to one. Probably the wrong time of year for that.

 

[6zfshdb]

I figured they weren't close by. I thought in one of your travels to bike trails, you might be able to get to one. Probably the wrong time of year for that.

Yeah, I considered doing this but carrying 4 bikes would be a challenge. I might try it if I can't find someone local to take them.

The Stony Fork Store in Wellsboro is run by the Mennonites. I get up that way often to ride Pine Creek. It's primarily a grocery store but they may know someone who would want them.

 

[Chargeride]

Strangely enough, even acoustic bikes have gone electric.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Strangely enough, even acoustic bikes have gone electric.
View attachment 187467

 

[pete H]

I just put cruiser bars on my 30yr old Raleigh MTB and use it as a shopping bike

 

[Rexlion]

My conventional bikes gather dust, although I did ride one of them one time last spring, and it reminded me why I no longer ride conventional bikes!

About 3 years ago a renter next door moved out and left a Peugeot on the curb. They're sort of rare and I saw them selling for as much as $150 on some site or other, so I grabbed the bike and listed it for half that much; a collector snapped it up within 24 hours.

 

[dodgeman]

I sold mine on Facebook Marketplace, as I recall I got $40 or $50.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

My conventional bikes gather dust, although I did ride one of them one time last spring, and it reminded me why I no longer ride conventional bikes!

I can remember a similar situation. Several years ago I decided to ride my traditional bike to manage some matter at a county office. It was only a 5 km ride but I was spent afterwards After the last ride with my Romet Wagant 3.0 of two kilometres, I gave it to a friend of mine. Even if we are not friends anymore, I can bet he still rides the Romet

Several years later my leg performance improved to the level I tried a modern gravel bike as a demo ride. After thirty and some kilometres, I was crying out of despair No return to conventional bikes for me!

 

[6zfshdb]

Well the bike disposal problem may be solved!

I had them in the bed of my pickup after returning from a meet with someone from Facebook Marketplace who expressed an interest. Turns out, he didn't want them. (grrr.) On the way home, I happened to pass a neighbor on the road. We stopped to chat for a bit and he asked about the bikes. When I told him I was trying to get rid of them, he said he would take them! Turns out his niece and nephew have outgrown their kid's bikes and are looking for replacements. He said he would drop by later in the week to pick them up!

Now the bikes are back in the garage awaiting transportation to their new home! We'll see what happens.

 

[Barbles1229]

Many of us older riders have converted to e-bikes now, and our venerable old conventional models are used less and less.

My wife and I used ours for awhile after we got our first e-bikes, but now, since we are less able to ride them, they are just gathering dust. We tried listing them on eBay and Facebook Marketplace but they are a dime a dozen and aren't selling right now. Ours are close to 20 years old but still in good condition. I suppose we should have sold them during the Covid years when used bikes were in demand. Now, even Goodwill and the Salvation Army won't take them around here. They say they no longer have staff to clean them up and do repairs. It made no difference that ours are in good shape.

We have no family or friends who would want them, and there are no other charities in the area who will take them. I suppose if we lived in the city, we could just park them in front of the mall where they are sure to be stolen. If we lived on a heavily travelled road, we could park them in front with a sign that said "For Sale $50". They would certainly be stolen as well.

Sadly, it appears our once adored bikes are destined for the dump.

I'm curious what others here do with their old unwanted rides.

My ended up in the dump! It was a nice bike.
Couldn't sell it!

 

[gromike]

I have decommissioned a few bicycles over the recent years. I strip anything useful then take them down to their elemental form. Then off to the recycle bin.
Breaking up cheap bikes has sure given me a grudge against a bicycle made up of bottom self components. Not worth the time to touch, but nonetheless they're stripped down to be recycled. It's a shame that so many decent pedal bikes are to be crushed for their aluminum.

 

[Mulezen]

Some years back I exchanged my old (90s”) Bianchi with new tires to a Mexican friend power washing the house. He ate the the Home Depot supplies in return for the bike. Later he told me the impact the bike had on his evening job on the horse farm where he lived. He saved 20 minutes in the evening by riding between stables and watering troughs. And his kids love riding with him.
I do have a 2013 Giant Comax I’d rather keep than take a beating. I ride it VERY occasionally to re-acquaint myself with the basics of shifting.

 

[gromike]

Did this: converted a 20 year-old road racer to a comfort cruiser.

 

[spokewrench]

I'm not sure why the "acoustic" moniker caught on. Typing four extra characters to make it "conventional" isn't much extra effort.

Maybe we could invent a shorter reference word, like a "bagel" or a "pizza" (Two of my favorites anyway)

The first motor vehicle to cross the US was George Wyman's bicycle with a 1.5 hp motor. The British decided motorbikes should be registered. They were obviously bicycles with motors, so they needed an official term for bicycles without motors. "Pushbike." It's still in use. ( I think PUSH stands for "Pedal Up Steep Hills.")