robinkd2029

Where do most police auction bikes come from? Probably won't have any spectacular bikes but they might be practically free. There are 2 older ccm bikes and another low end entry level norco mountain bike sold at canadian tire. Are any of these worth bringing to a local bike shop to fix? Ideally I'm looking for something cheap and light but I think most road bikes will be $150+ and will probably be stolen if I leave the bike outdoors at night in the city.


Norco Pinnacle

CCM F40

CCM Targa 5500

JosephG

AFAIK, some of it is used in the course of a crime - maybe a drug dealer on a bicycle, as an example. If they bought that bike using money obtained illegally, the PD can take it.

If the PD has officers out on bikes, it could be their surplus if they cut back, or just older bikes no longer in service.


The only way its a stolen bike going up for auction is if they don't know who the owner is or of the owner never picked it up.

rebel1916

Mostly stolen bikes. My lil bro got a mint GT Performer, back when they were the shizzy, at one.

robinkd2029

I don't know much about bikes but will keep an eye out, any opinion on the 3 bikes I posted links to? I'm hoping to get something under $200 for commutes that are about 45minutes so the lighter the better. I also took a look at craigslist bikes but I'm not really sure what I'm looking at. Some bikes are $150ish others are 300 and I don't really know the difference and their significance.

beerbaron2002

Well most likely anything you buy you are gonna put around 100 into right away tune up new cables cable housing, chain ect.

JosephG

I can't really help on that part, sorry

For me, what was most important was:

• 700c tires
• Wide tires doable
• More gearing options than my 7 speed MTB
• Fenders

Do you know what you're looking for in your commuter? Others here with a lot more knowledge would be able to help narrow things down, but it was helpful for me to establish the needs and wants before I went looking. It let me quickly eliminate bikes I really shouldn't bother with.

rpcleary

Hey, not sure how long your commute is, but if it has any hills look for a road bike that has 2 or three gears on the crankset, and 7 or more on the back hub. Since you're used to a mountain bike, I suggest picking one that has the option to hold onto the top bar if the handlebars are drops, or even opt for a bike without drops at all.

rebel1916

All drops have the option to hold onto the top bar, as well as offering several other positions and a built in way to fight the wind. So I would tend to respectfully disagree with that part of your advice.

WestPablo

I'd bid about $50 on the Norco...That's it! Scrap the others!

rpcleary

It depends a bit on the type of brake lever. If the bike has newer brakes, generally there is a nub that let's you operate the brakes while your hands are up top. On a lot of older bikes with drops, or cheaper ones, the brakes don't have the nub, making it hard to operate them from up top. Its always nice to be able to operate your brakes while commuting

The other reason I brought it up was because the feasibility of someone making that transition varies with how long their commute is. Drops take a bit of getting used to, especially when it comes to comfort. Commuting 5 miles or even 10? Probably won't be a big shift, as long as they are newer drops with the nubs. 15 or 20 miles? Coming from a mountain bike, with a more upright position and wider hand spacing, you're going to feel that.

Hope that clarifies things a bit, especially since its not 2AM this time!

rebel1916

I agree that cheap, older hoods suck. But the longer the distance you ride, the more you will appreciate the many options for hand position that drops provide. IM not so HO.

mconlonx

Police auction bikes in our neck of the woods are usually derelict bikes cut off of public bike racks.

They are usually a bike that no one cared enough to maintain or use. As such, not the best bike to consider unless you can work on it yourself.

Occasionally something outstanding will come up, but for the most part they are dept store wrecks which will cost an order of magnitude greater to fix than the auction price.

Mr IGH

This is exactly what I saw for the two I went to. And the prices were freaking stupid. A couple of the bikes came into the shop I worked at and both were a total loss. There is no value in a dept store bike that sits out a couple of winters (except as scrap metal).

ickyicky

This was my experience exactly. Bought an alu-framed mountain bike for $45 as a beater, two sets of pads, one cheap chain, one sunrace cassette, one Tourney derailleur, one seat and post, etc etc. All-in probably $80 post-purchase but it's my daily ride now. Don't even think about going down this road if you don't do your own work, and don't buy anything you'd see at Walmart or CanTire unless it's crazy-cheap and you have a specefic idea in mind.

robinkd2029

worth $40 plus restore costs? bidding is at $25 but will probably go up. It's listed at a police auction nearby: googled the bike can't find any info on it it's a Canadian company that went under but made ok bikes at the time. BRC Kamikaze 18" (Cr-Mo Steel), gear shifter Shimano Rapid Fire Plus (Altus A10),Front Derailleur Shimano Deore LX, Rear Derailleur Shimano Exage, Brake Lever Shimano Alloy, Crank Set Shimano Altus Alloy, notes from the auction:
Please Note: Rear tire sidewall is damaged, unsafe for riding (see pic) .
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Police Auctions Canada - BRC Kamikaze 18-Speed Basic Bike - Police Auctions

Dave Mayer

I checked every one of the bikes on this auction site. There is not one that I would take even if it was free. These are all department store bikes with a litany of potential problems.

Most would be very poor commuters - cheap useless suspension forks, heavy frames and wheels, energy-sapping knobby tires.

To answer your question, the police auction bikes in my city appear to be abandoned or stolen. I assume some good bikes are stolen from time to time, but after looking at hundreds of bikes in these auctions, I don't know why these never make it to the sale floor.

There is basically zero value in attending one of the live auctions, except for amusement. See the auctioneers demonstrate basically no knowledge about the product; if it has full suspension and a bright paint job, then it must worth hundreds! Watch Type A personalities duke it out in the auction for the priviledge of paying more than Wally World retail! Marvel at the incredibly dangerous bikes heading out the door!

If you are willing to hang around a couple of hours in a depressing environment you may get to the bikes that the auctioneers have tagged as 'broken'. This is where the real value is, because what they think as broken usually means that the handlebars have been rotated sideways for shipping, or one of the wheels is loose because the quick release has been flipped.

robinkd2029

senaca falls pd auction has 2 bikes, a trek lexa 2013, and Giant Dey 3 2009, both 300ish. Not sure about the years but....
2009 Giant Defy 3 - BikePedia
https://www.wheelworx.ie/trek/Trek-Lexa-C-WSD-2013
The defy, has a flat tire, missing pedals anything else?
Auctions International