bikebikebike

I have a hobby fixing up discards
I am looking for a source for Basic inexpensive parts for restoring old bikes, mostly for kids and folks who just need an inexpensive bike.

Part searching has brought me nothing but ill spent time on this . Stuff is there but it is scattered all over.

Replacing a drive side stripped out crank , for example , eclipses the value of the bikes I work on , often.
And frequently I get bikes that have been partly cannibalized , wrecked or dumped, but could be put back on the road.

Trolling around on the Alley [sic] Express has not brought me any kind of consistent sources And is a giant PITA.
It makes little sense to put high-quality parts on a bike that has a short life and was hardly worth much to begin with.
Does anyone retail bulk commodity parts?

It's a fun pursuit and, since the bikes I give away are frequently stolen , it's like giving a bike to five kids.
It gets somebody rolling and there is a simple goodness in that.
This also begs the question of how inexpensively could one make a commodity bike, new.
Is the big box $100 bike a loss leader?
Thanks for any help or links

squirtdad

look to get donor bikes for parts (stripped cannabilized bike....take the parts off and use for future builds) and checkout any local bike coops and possible LBS about to go to the junk pile boxes

also think of things like using cheap friction thumbshifters for replacing grip shifts, broken index shifters

Basically there are no cheap sources for new, older model parts

revcp 

My go to is usually donor bikes. Craigslist is littered with very low cost bikes with one or several issues, but they often have serviceable components. I've never had much luck trying to pick up specific components on their own.

Pop N Wood

Lots of cities have bike coops that collect donated bikes and use them to teach people how to work on bikes. There are also charities that refurbish bikes to ship to third world countries to be used as basic transportation. Orphan Grain Train is one such charity near me that I am familiar with.

See if you can find such a charity near you than either volunteer your time in exchange for parts or work out some type of deal where you share parts. Sounds like your goals are consistent with theirs.

I've also run across a couple of Craigslist sellers with huge personal inventories. you might try working out some sort of deal with them as well.

One other option is landfills with recycling centers. When I dump things the metal dumpster is always full of old bikes. The landfills won't let people scavenge. But maybe you could contact them, tell them you are working for a charity and maybe they will let you come in during off hours and save what you can.

Last suggestion is a CL or facebook ad offering free pick up of discarded bikes for a charity.

dedhed

https://www.bikecollectives.org/wiki...izations#Texas

bikebikebike

Appreciate the help
Cannibalizing is probably going to have to stay up there a a source, despite it feeling so wasteful.
Where I live there isn't a "Yellow Bike" coop like I have seen in places like Austin.
The LBS folks have been pretty generous, and there is a bike swap meet called "Frankenbike" that I try to catch.
All of which are great community efforts
I have limited space , but running a CL or community newsletter offer could be a winner and be a way to connect with folks that have tools that are costly and infrequently used
again thanks

fietsbob

The LBS here uses J&B as wholesale source for new lower range parts..

Iride01 

Go talk to the LBS's too. Sometimes they have takeoffs that are still serviceable or good and just trash them because they know they'll just take up space and seldom be used.

If this is more about getting low cost bikes to children than it is making a profit, they might be more receptive to helping you out.

JoeTBM 

I run a charity shop rebuilding donated used bikes. Salvaging parts is a source for many parts but things like cables, housings, brake pads, etc. you need to buy new. I find ebay great for this and value from offshore if you can tolerate the lead times. AliExpress I found horrible in comparrison

PJay120

Here is an idea:
gather some low cost or free bikes;
figure out if any of the parts will bring any money on Ebay;
sell some of those parts;
take that money and buy some more low cost bikes.

My guess is that the most value-less part of a bike is the frame. Frame is also the most space-intensive part. So, strip a bike and add parts to inventory, then sell frames as scrap metal.

[The Late Great] Sheldon Brown's website remain on the web. It has a ton of info on bike parts and standards, including a lot of old stuff.

dedhed

The dump.

https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...ump-finds.html

3alarmer 

.
...the old waste transfer station out on Kiefer Blvd here was great, back when they let the public go in there.
There was one section for bikes, and there was a pile of Raleigh 3 speed type bikes in there that looked like it was ten feet high.

I don't even want to speculate on how many of those are under the dirt now, since they filled it all in.

The only way to get bikes from the local waste management people now is if you have a connection with authorized entry.

I know there are a lot of old bikes that no one much wants any more, because I was the donations guy for our local co-op for a while, and it seemed like the supply was endless. Somehow you have to come up with a way, or ways, to tap into it. Here in California, Goodwill has pretty much stopped selling any bikes they get donated in the stores, and just auctions them off by the pallet. But most of the auction pickup spots are inconvenient, and it's local pickup only. OrcasIsland did score a nice older Follis there recently.

dedhed

Beer often used to work as an authorization document. Discreetly offered

tgot 

What's the website for J&B ? Trying to Google it got me to a motorcycle shop.

Thanks.

cpach

https://www.jbi.bike/site/
JBI is fantastic but they definitely will only sell to a commercially operated bike shop (or possibly a properly permitted cooperative).

andrewclaus

I volunteer at a couple of non-profit shops, and an on-going issue is the volunteer time needed to strip, sort, and organize parts. It's dirty, mindless work and everyone would rather be fixing something, especially when kids are waiting for bikes. Storage space and cost is another issue.

fietsbob

I think they sell to Amazon too , if that's your thing..

Jholden

check with Salvation army/goodwill. as bikes sit there too long they end up throwing them in the dumpster. Leave your contact info and offer to pick them up as soon as they are ready to trash them.