A bit hacked off, but don't want to upset anybody.

[d87francis]

My girlfriend and I are to go cycle touring in August, I'm sorted on the bike department, however, she is not, only having a very old town bike in need of repair. In my hunt for either components and/or a new frame I have contacted the local tip, as being located in Oxford they get loads of old bikes. The tip have said they give all the old bikes to a local charity and will not sell any on to anyone else (fair enough, good on them).

So I contacted the local charity and went down to visit them. They apologise that they don't have anyone to deal with the bikes at the moment and thus can't sell any, even when I say I'm not after something in a rideable condition. This prompted me to do the honorable thing and offer some of my time to help them out with the bikes; I have given them my details and I'm promised I will get a call tomorrow having said I could probably do a morning a week.

Here is the really sad part, they point to some containers and say they have hundreds of bikes in them and I also spot tubs and tubs of components, but will not let me look through them even when stressing that I'm not after a rideable bike. I doubt that even with my help and apparently another lady that has offered to help who was also after a bike, we will even get to the back of those containers. One of the reasons we are cycle touring in the summer is that it is an affordable way for us to have a holiday, but having to buy a new bike or second hand off ebay/gumtree will really push the price up. I'm hoping that the guy who calls me tomorrow will be a bit more reasonable about it as I am quite willing to also help them out on a regular basis.

It's a charity and they do a lot of good so I would feel awful getting angry with them, but it does seem unfair that they are just hoarding all these bikes and depriving others from a source of old frames and components. What should I do if they still won't let me look through their stock?

 

[LosingFocus]

Maybe they are concerned about selling unsafe bikes or components to the general public, or are worried and getting the right price and not just trusting the views of a single person.

Just a thought.

 

[Bigsharn]

Maybe they are concerned about selling unsafe bikes or components to the general public, or are worried and getting the right price and not just trusting the views of a single person.
Just a thought.

This. I saw a cheap crap go-kart thing in a skip outside a local bike shop (Would have made a nice little project), asked if I could have it, and on the grounds of the business owners being liable if I were to hurt myself (I said I'd happily sign a disclaimer) it was an out-and-out no. Out of interest, what does the charity deal with directly? It may be that they're after someone to build them up and give them away to their "customers".

 

[fossyant]

Its the legal side. Crap. I'm after a small mens MTB frame for my son to use to go to school. He has a brand new Carrera Vengeance, but he starts High School in September and it's too big a risk going on a decent bike. try getting an old (small) scruffy steel MTB frame... some right sheds going on ebay for £40 which aren't worth that.

 

[d87francis]

Out of interest, what does the charity deal with directly? It may be that they're after someone to build them up and give them away to their "customers".

They're a homeless charity, with a large second hand store. They showed me round the workshop, it seems they used to fix them up and then sell them to raise money, but are now having problems finding volunteers to do that, so I have said I'll help.

I'm just annoyed that the local tip won't let me buy any old bikes as they all go to this charity who then don't do anything with them. I can't afford to buy something new for my girlfriend to go touring on, nor overpriced second hand stuff on gumtree as it all seems to be refurbished. I've watched freegle like a hawk for the last few months and have yet to get a reply about a bike even when emailing the same day. It will ultimately mean we won't go away later this summer which I think is a real shame as there are so many people chucking out bikes.

 

[shouldbeinbed]

They're a homeless charity, with a large second hand store. They showed me round the workshop, it seems they used to fix them up and then sell them to raise money, but are now having problems finding volunteers to do that, so I have said I'll help.

I'm just annoyed that the local tip won't let me buy any old bikes as they all go to this charity who then don't do anything with them. I can't afford to buy something new for my girlfriend to go touring on, nor overpriced second hand stuff on gumtree as it all seems to be refurbished. I've watched freegle like a hawk for the last few months and have yet to get a reply about a bike even when emailing the same day. It will ultimately mean we won't go away later this summer which I think is a real shame as there are so many people chucking out bikes.

You've noticed that there's sheds and garages everywhere with unused bikes that people haven't got around to throwing away. Broaden your outlook if you want to beat the tip to them. Have you tried other charitiy and the local second hand shops? You could try 'bike wanted, will collect' ads in the local corner & bike shops and the big supermarkets. Try a putting wanted ad in the local paper and free 'advertiser' type. Does Loot still exist? that had loads of bikes back in the day.

Do you or your GF work in an organisation that has an intranet/internal messageboard system? I fancied a project a couple of years back and put a wanted ad on ours asking for a cheap/free to clear our their shed bike and got 30 odd offers and some well above tat bikes- peugeots, raleighs etc +/-10 years old, in many cases, perfectly usable straight off with a dust down, dab of oil and a bit of air in the tyres. 99% just wanted rid of them to free the space.

Otherwise, it's understandable frustration but whilst you know you, the places you're going to don't. How do the tip or charity know you're on the level? this could be a scam you're running all over the place to get free stuff that you then fix and make a profit from.
Also public sector agreements like this tend to be very much cast in stone from a senior level, things agreed and signed and the penalties to the staff for deviating would be harsh. Put yourself in their shoes, is doing a favour for a total stranger worth getting a warning and risking their job over?
Sadly in this day and age, not everyone is on the level and devious people can string a good sob story together.

You might have done better to have rolled up your sleeves there and then, or come back in the next day or two with a bag of allen keys and spanners and made good on your offer to help fix them up in advance. Maybe you could do that now, offer them a deal, you'll fix up 'X' number of bikes or give them X days work, then you'll build your own one up - you can easily put the bits you fancy to one side, and make a nominal donation for it. That way at least they'd know you're on the level and have got something out of putting their trust in you.

I admire the determination to get something for nothing but it seems harsh to cut off your nose totally rather than bite the bullet and either put in the graft to earn a bike or pay out for a passable second hander.

 

[Globalti]

I've got a very nice small size "aluminium road bike with carbon fork 52cm frame" going for £50 on Ebay right now.....

 

[d87francis]

I admire the determination to get something for nothing but it seems harsh to cut off your nose totally rather than bite the bullet and either put in the graft to earn a bike or pay out for a passable second hander.

Thanks for the advice, I'm going to put some adverts out and about this weekend. I was quite willing to pay, I just find that most of the second hand bikes on gumtree round here have been refurbished by someone and thus they charge a premium. There is a dearth of knackered old bikes as they are all being snapped up. I'm just trying to work out where these second hand bike dealers get their bikes from. Ideally I was hoping to find two or three unrideable bikes but between them would be enough to make a decent bike, and rather than pay someone else to do the work, I would myself.

 

[d87francis]

I've got a very nice small size "aluminium road bike with carbon fork 52cm frame" going for £50 on Ebay right now.....

That's kind of you to mention, I have a very short girlfriend, ha ha.

 

[Crankarm]

That's kind of you to mention, I have a very short girlfriend, ha ha.

Beggars can't be choosers .

Why is this thread in Campaigning and Public Policy?

 

[d87francis]

Beggars can't be choosers .

Why is this thread in Campaigning and Public Policy?

I wanted to know what to do about this charity? I didn't hear back from them today, I would hope we have a good solution where I end up doing some volunteering and they let me have a rummage through their stock and let me buy some old bits. However, in their current take all the local scrapped bikes and not do anything with them role they are depriving people of an affordable route to getting a bike and us a holiday.

I'm happy to keep pestering them about it for another week or so, but then I don't know if I would have the distaste to start threatening to contact the Charities Commission for ineffective use of charitable resources.

 

[Crankarm]

I wanted to know what to do about this charity? I didn't hear back from them today, I would hope we have a good solution where I end up doing some volunteering and they let me have a rummage through their stock and let me buy some old bits. However, in their current take all the local scrapped bikes and not do anything with them role they are depriving people of an affordable route to getting a bike and us a holiday.

I'm happy to keep pestering them about it for another week or so, but then I don't know if I would have the distaste to start threatening to contact the Charities Commission for ineffective use of charitable resources.

So your motivation is simply to get a knackered old bike out of them preferably for free and if you don't get this then you will report them to the Charities Commission? Nice.

 

[d87francis]

So your motivation is simply to get a knackered old bike out of them preferably for free and if you don't get this then you will report them to the Charities Commission? Nice.

If you've bothered to read my other posts I've said several times that I would be pleased to donate some of my time to them as I think it would also be valuable practice, and have at no point said I want bikes from them for free.

I posted here for constructive advice which some have been kind enough to give; as it clearly isn't fair that they are taking hundreds of scrap bikes from one area, not doing anything with them or allowing others to buy them, meaning those hard up will have to fork out for more expensive stuff. For that, if they continue to be unreasonable, I said I was unsure if I would even have the distaste to THREATEN to (not report) them to the Charities Commission.

Some could describe your behaviour as trolling Crankarm, and I'm sorry if this constitutes entertainment for you.

 

[srw]

They're a bunch of volunteer who have other priorities - making sure that Oxford's many homeless people have food and shelter. And, incidentally, going to work themselves. Dealing with an annoying pest who wants a free or cheap bike out of them is not high on their priority list. You've given them precisely one working day since you first posted here - be patient. The Charity Commission won't be interested either - the charity isn't doing anything dodgy, it simply doesn't have the resources to deal with a problem.

On a scale of 1 to 10, relatively hard up people not having access to second-hand bikes and your not having access to a holiday rates about a 2 compared with the 10 that is the reality of not having a roof over your head.

If you've got the time and the skills, make a constructive suggestion to them. You will get together a team of people (you'll only need two or three - but it will not be a quick job) who will commit to clearing out their bike store and making as much money out of it for them as you can. If you can't commit long-term, and can't commit to taking away the entire problem, don't even think about talking to them again.

 

[d87francis]

They're a bunch of volunteer who have other priorities - making sure that Oxford's many homeless people have food and shelter. And, incidentally, going to work themselves. Dealing with an annoying pest who wants a free or cheap bike out of them is not high on their priority list. You've given them precisely one working day since you first posted here - be patient. The Charity Commission won't be interested either - the charity isn't doing anything dodgy, it simply doesn't have the resources to deal with a problem.

On a scale of 1 to 10, relatively hard up people not having access to second-hand bikes and your not having access to a holiday rates about a 2 compared with the 10 that is the reality of not having a roof over your head.

If you've got the time and the skills, make a constructive suggestion to them. You will get together a team of people (you'll only need two or three - but it will not be a quick job) who will commit to clearing out their bike store and making as much money out of it for them as you can. If you can't commit long-term, and can't commit to taking away the entire problem, don't even think about talking to them again.

I think you're getting the wrong end of the stick. The Charities Commission comment was me saying that I doubt I could do that because it's so distasteful and I repeated it last post because Crankarm had also taken it out of context. Again I have said I'm not after a free bike and I'm sorry if I come across as an "annoying pest". I have also said I'm happy to give them a week or so to hear back from them and then go from there, with my ultimate solution me being able to help them long term.

I don't know if you have been reading my posts or Crankarm's interpretations of them but I am not just out to get a free bike and report a charity if they don't give it to me. I take umbrage at the grumpy condescending remarks I have come in for because I dared to criticise the way a charity is managing its resources. Whilst I would really enjoy helping them out, which I have stressed many times, I think the first thing they need to work out is that they don't need to take all of the local scrap bikes, why don't they take a break on collecting them until they start to eat into some of their vast stock? You're quite right that those suffering from abject poverty should come before those only relatively poor, however, the way they are currently operating is depriving many local poor people from getting access to a bike.