Our shop recently changed our procedure regarding scrap bikes: any donated bikes that we conclude we will scrap rather than rehab & redistribute are now disabled by cutting the frame of the bike.
Recently, some donated bike that had been put in our scrap pile appeared on Craigslist. We had two concerns: first, that donors would be unhappy that their donations were being sold by another party, and second that we could develop a reputation as a source of scrap bikes to be picked and sold elsewhere (and usually those bikes were beyond safe repair).
I'd like to hear other perspectives. Is controlling the use of donated bikes (to maintain the integrity of a donation as well as the safety of bikes coming through the shop) worth disabling a bike that might otherwise be reused downstream?
Andy Broke Spoke Community Bike Shop Lexington, KY
Usually we strip useful parts off a bike before scrapping - saddles, grips, pedals, wheels, forks, cable housing etc. . What's left is hardly worth bringing back from the dead. But cutting up bikes can be fun, here's a nifty Salsa Ziptie and Pencil holder we made.[image: Inline image 1]
On Wed, Apr 16, 2014 at 3:44 PM, Andrew Shooner ashooner@gmail.com wrote:
after making sure they were completely unsalvageable, i always found it really satisfying to make things like cheater bars or shop stools out of unroadworthy high-end frames, especially if i could leave the logo on there for people to recognize.
On Wed, Apr 16, 2014 at 4:05 PM, mpattisall <mike.pattisall@velocitycoop.org
wrote:
I used to flatten the rear triangle by laying the frame down and stepping on it till the dropouts touched each other. That made them take up less space and would have made reusing them nearly impossible since straightening the tubes would have cracked them in most cases.
Scott On Jul 19, 2014 2:26 PM, veganboyjosh@gmail.com wrote:
We do the same at our shop - flatten the dropouts together. Saves space and lets everyone know that the frame is done.
Of course, since our scrap pile is accessible within our shop we do get the odd person coming to our cash with a flattened frame saying they want to "turn it into a fixie". Including one frame that was a mix of aluminum and carbon fibre that one guy thought "should be repairable"(!).
Mark Rehder - Coordinator re-Cycles Community Bike Shop http://re-cycles.ca
On 2014-07-21, at 7:23 AM, Scott Thomson wrote:
Don't know where everyone is, but AD Carson in Wisconsin is always looking for used steel frames. He uses them to make recumbent bikes, giving new life to old stock. His website is Recycled Recumbents. I know that distance may pose a problem, and I didn't ask him about this, but I would expect him to be interested in aging steel frames.
On Wed, Apr 16, 2014 at 1:05 PM, mpattisall <mike.pattisall@velocitycoop.org
wrote:
Hi Andy, We have an agreement with the local solid waste management company. After we strip the bikes, he picks them up for us. He is being generous, as I don't think the metal is worth much, so we are calling him an official sponsor and show his logo at events, etc. If you were able to come up with a similar arrangement you may avoid this Craigslist problem!
Good luck, Jennifer
On Wed, Apr 16, 2014 at 5:05 PM, mpattisall <mike.pattisall@velocitycoop.org
wrote:
We have a local independent "scrapper" pick up our left-over metal of any kind. He makes his living by sorting and selling the metal to a metal recycler/dealer.
.............. Sheldon Mains SPOKES Bike Walk Connect www.SpokesConnect.org www.fb.com/SpokesConnect Minneapolis, MN 612/618-7149 Three ways to donate to SPOKES:
- Volunteer. 2. Donate repairable used bikes. 3. Financial donations
always welcome. Check www.SpokesConnect.org for details.
On Mon, Jul 21, 2014 at 11:54 AM, Jennifer Kay jen.louise.kay@gmail.com wrote:
at the SLCBC, scrap that isn't dangerous (i.e. damaged) can be taken by the antisocial, the odd, and the otherwise disinclined to enter our shop. What they do with it is up to them. We have the benefit of having sales receipts, which defrays liability should someone pull a 'I got this from the bike collective and it's broken!' song and dance.
Davey
On Wed, Apr 16, 2014 at 1:44 PM, Andrew Shooner ashooner@gmail.com wrote:
I guess I should complete that qualifier: With categorically unsafe stuff we make damn sure it can't be used as a bike component again.
On Wed, Apr 16, 2014 at 2:28 PM, David Eyer Davis < davey@bicyclecollective.org> wrote:
Don't waste your time cutting frames. The way to differentiate your good bikes is the use of high quality shop stickers, with your logo. Your snickered bikes are done, safety checked, and have your name attached. These are the ones that future customers and donors will notice and evaluate as your quality creation.
Cutting old frames is useless work, and ruins any downstream use of long tubing,,,
Bill Wright Burton
On Apr 16, 2014, at 1:30 PM, "David Eyer Davis" davey@bicyclecollective.org wrote:
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You don't have recycling pickup as an option, I take it? Our truly miserable stuff ends up in the scrap bin, and from there to recycling. If not, grinder the frames into rear-triangle stools and sell them for fundraisers.
On Wed, Apr 16, 2014 at 4:53 PM, Bill Burton librarybike@hotmail.comwrote:
participants (11)
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Andrew Shooner
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Bill Burton
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David Eyer Davis
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Jennifer Kay
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Josh Bisker
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Mark Rehder
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mpattisall
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Scott Thomson
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sheldon mains
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Steven Bradley
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veganboyjosh@gmail.com