Tip bikes

SimonAH

I discovered a while ago that my local tip (or Recycling Centre as it likes to call itself) puts any complete bicycles to one side and makes them available for purchase. So far I have had two – the first one cost £3.60 and was used as a parts donor to build up a frame for a mate. I picked up another one on Saturday afternoon which was free as it was half past four and the guy had shut down his computer and couldn’t be bothered to fire it up again to charge me.

Bike two is a 24” wheeled rigid MTB with rigid forks that I got into full running mode for the MiniAH as a stopgap between the outgrown Beinn 20” and a visit to Islabikes to make a decision between road or flatbar for the next bike. Admittedly it’s a heavy Halfords Apollo thingy, but it will do for a couple of weeks.

Had to laugh though. I was thinking something was wrong with the set up as I swapped out the perished tyres and tubes for ones from the parts bin…then I realised that the bars were completely upside down – bear in mind that this is on a quill style stem with a clamp, not a removable face plate. Someone (presumably Halfords) must have assembled the bars into the clamp and then mounted the right hand brake lever, shifter twist grip and bar rubber upside down onto the left had side of the handlebars and then repeated the process for the right hand side…..???? No wonder the bike went to the tip with little use – apart from everything being arse backwards you couldn’t read the shifters to see which gear you were in.

I’m having fun with this tip bike thing  I think I’ll pick some more up next weekend – I have a hankering to weld up a Goodies style trandem…..

veronese68

I'm told our local tip won't do this any more. Not too sure why. Shame, as now that my son has helped build up his two bikes he wants to do more.
I should probably ask next time I go there.

SimonAH

To be fair, my local tip had no knowledge of it either .... Apparently... and denied that they did it until I pointed out that it said they did on the council website and "don't worry, I'll give the council a call to clarify"

Suddenly they did sell on scrapped bikes. Go figure.

veronese68

Tried searching the council website but can't find anything. Even tried using the search function.

SimonAH

You used to be able to take anything away from tips - had many a good bit of kit from the local tip near my old house (often came back with more than I went to throw away :-) )

Suddenly something went all Health and Safety and it's become really hard to take anything away from council tips generally - stupid stupid rules for rules sakes that prevents the purest form of recycling.

rolf_f

Sometimes the cotnract rules ban the cycles from being sold on. There was a thread on Retrobike about people having seen fantastic old bikes being slung in the recycling with no hope of reprieve. Shouldn't be allowed. If someone puts something in a local authority tip, the tax payer should have a right to choose to recover it.

It's particularly depressing when so much of what people throw away is better than the stuff they replace it with.

Wrath Rob

Got a 20" Isla bike out of ours. TBH it had just been chucked in there so as soon as the old owner turned his back we had it out and in my car. One new tyre and a service later and its now doing great service as my daughters bike.

veronese68

Richmond tip gets some really posh stuff thrown out.
My 3 burner stainless steel Weber bbq was thrown out in Richmond. Tightened up one of the valves to fix the gas leak and it's done me 3 years service so far.

mtb-idle

I think practice differs widely and there is also the unofficial 'perks' side of it too as some of the guys that work down the recycling centre (it's not a 'tip' any more dear boy) like to dig out a working bike and flog it for a bit of wonga in the sky rocket.

SimonAH

MTB-Idle wrote:

I think practice differs widely and there is also the unofficial 'perks' side of it too as some of the guys that work down the recycling centre (it's not a 'tip' any more dear boy) like to dig out a working bike and flog it for a bit of wonga in the sky rocket.

precisely......which is, I am sure, why they denied all knowledge at my locat 'Waste sorting and recycling centre of excellence" until I suggested I'd give the council a call to find out why it said they did on the council website.

walkingbootweather

So I rang the Council and said "Do you have a tip for bikes?"

"Oil your chain" they said, so I did.

IGMC

Cleat Eastwood

So every time you're down in the dumps - you get a new bike.

The Rookie

Our local tip passes them on to a recylicng centre who check them over, do them up and then sell them for about £55, what bugs me though is they have piles of spares but won't sell them so it means more bikes get scrapped for them to do up as people can't afford to fix them - DOH!