Buying bikes from the Council Tip / Recycling Centre
- Thread starter Viator
- Start date
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Reynard
Guru
Hmmm...
A lot of the bikes for sale at ours aren't great, but there's always exceptions. When I went the other week, there was a very nice Scott MTB, plus a couple of 1980s 531 Raleighs and a couple of Dawes tandems.
Bike was described as heavy and twist grip shifters which won’t be one of the ones you’ve mentioned.
Reynard
Guru
Not unless I've forgotten my glasses...
Point I was making was that you *can* find nice bikes, but it's the equivalent of looking for a diamond in a muck heap.
Peter Salt
Bittersweet
Well... None of us seen this bike or even a photo of it so it's difficult to judge but £80 sounds like a lot.
GeekDadZoid
Über Member
No bike sales at the tips near us, they are either dumped in the metal crates or saved to be refurbished and sold on through a few "renew" shops, but they are sold at refurbished prices.
Marketplace and eBay are my tools of choice. I have got quite a nice (in my opinon) collection of late 70s and 80s bikes, either in original-ish condition or resto-modded by me, none cost me more than £30 for the initial bike.
Marketplace and eBay are my tools of choice. I have got quite a nice (in my opinon) collection of late 70s and 80s bikes, either in original-ish condition or resto-modded by me, none cost me more than £30 for the initial bike.
SkipdiverJohn
Deplorable Brexiteer
@SkipdiverJohn might be able to suggest a better source...?
The obvious place, as my username might suggest - is go look in some skips!. I never pass one by without taking a peek, and I've had some useful gear out of them over the years. Not just old bikes either.
The next places are on the street. it's not unusual round my way for bikes with mechanical faults or some rider abuse damage to just get left out on the pavement. I'm only competing with the scrap man and if I like what I see, I'll have it. If it's up against someone's garden wall, I'll check with the occupant it isn't theirs first though, in case a kid has crash-parked it outside then gone into the house like they do.
It's against my religion to pay anything more than a nominal sum for a fixer-upper or parts donor, and I have never paid £80 for any used bike. My limit is £50 for anything with a 531 frame or about half that for gas pipe steel.
bonzobanana
Guru
I went to the Taunton re-use shop once which is on the tip site. They had a bicycle wheel they wanted £15 for and I spun it and it was pretty crunchy and it was out of true. They hadn't refurbished it or done anything to it I think although cosmetic condition was very good. The re-use shop was chock a block with stock but not much being sold it seems. I feel like they needed to drop their prices by 2/3rds to start shifting stock. At the Yeovil recycling centre I've seen them put bikes aside but don't know where they go and don't seem to be sold on site although not sure of this. There is an office and I suppose there could be a few items in there but there is no obvious banner stating goods for sale. I assume they were being collected to be taken somewhere else perhaps a charity cycle workshop. There is one in nearby Sherborne and they seem to sell the type of bikes that the recycling centre puts aside. I.e. decent brands or simple bikes from lower brands. You never see a cheap dual suspension bike there.
Time Waster
Veteran
Our recycling centre rarely gets bikes but after asking they said any bikes get put to one side. If you want one you have to be there when they have it and ask staff. Free to anyone who wants them. At the end of the day all bikes get thrown into the metal skip
Time Waster
Veteran
I must say the only bikes I've seen you'd really not want. Cheap, nasty and broken kids bikes or cheap and even nastier adults bikes.
SkipdiverJohn
Deplorable Brexiteer
There's various increments of cheap and nasty, and some, whilst clearly cheaply made and sold are not always nasty.
I pulled a rigid Magna 26'er out of a skip a couple of weeks ago, and apart from having no saddle it's all there and could be made to work ok. The dropout junctions with the stays give away the budget nature of the frame, but it's better quality than an outright BSO. Cheap yes, junk no.
