The scrapping of old bikes ! *****YIKES *****

Got this out of the metal skip yesterday at my local tip





Not hi-end or retro but my 11yr old son was over the moon!

Gave it a good going over only needed two new brake cables

I bet he was! even that out of a shop new would cost at least a hundred quid surely? how something like that is getting thrown away i don't know.

Brakes weren't working so i assume the thought was "it's broke, bin it"

Why do people just throw away stuff like this :roll: :roll: :roll:

I bought a Raleigh last year as the chap was getting to old to turn the gears
he wasn't unfit at all and the bike was the problem! The BB was seized up.

Well, I've been 'at it' again.


Popped down to my 'place' earlier, first time in a few weeks that there was anything, well, apart from a very low rent Peugeot from the late 80's a couple of weeks ago. It was £25.....was way too scruffy for that, even had a cracked wheel.


But, caught some good stuff today, first of all spotted a Claud Butler 531 frame and forks, with chainset. It has been 're-enamelled' by somewhere in Yorkshire in the past, but the paint has some marks now it has been through the tip. Also got a beautiful Peugeot Record Du Monde Competition, again, 531, but was missing a front wheel, and had some nasty modern straight bars. I managed to blag another wheel, which is a really nice alloy one from the 70's which I can't remember the name of......it has large flanges on the hubs, I'll remember.

Of no interest here, I also got a Raleigh Honey, Peugeot Antibes and a Raleigh Prima, all ladies bikes.......first one very retro, second a nice 80's town, and 3rd one a racing.


They aren't mega cheap anymore, and all have problems, maybe bits missing, rust and marks on frames and chrome, poor tyres, but I spent £70 on 5 bikes, and I'm planning on the Antibes and Prima paying for the lot, so 'free' bikes for me

This is a throw away world that discards its old treasures in favour of new Tat. Out with steel in with plastic (sorry I mean Carbon)

For the past year I've been rebuilding bicycles that people have donated rather than tip them or send them to scrap. Most are resold at low prices, others used for parts and I've even increased my own bike collection.
It never fails to amaze me what people keep in their sheds, garages and barns, or rotting away in the garden. The best bike was a sandy, dust covered Carrera, aluminium frame, disc brakes and nexus internal gears, there have been a few horrors that make you wonder how people rode them. For my part I now have 3 Sid Motram lightweights that arrived in pieces, an early Viking frame and a 5 gear Sun Solo. I also have a ever growing pile of new and used parts. All bikes I drooled over as a çhild/teen and poorly paid apprentice TV engineer.
Sadly still see to many on the back of scrap vans and at the local tip. I must do a leaflet drop for the bike recycling

My mate was at a local re-cycling centre and spotted a fairly decent bike in the pile of steel, so he started to sift through it
to get at the bike! He was stopped by a council bloke and said no one is allowed to touch the steel as its all re-cycled
my mate said i'll give you £20 for that bike! The bloke replied no its to be re-cycled! What a chump :roll:

I have the same problem with our recycling centres, more than their job's worth to sell you anything

I've said it many times before - Councils hide behind nonexistant health and safety rules frightened of being sued for anything. Its absolute bullshit.

It makes the blood boil.