estasnyc

For at least 6 months until now, somebody chained up a pair of Walmart-class kids bikes to the signpost in front of my house, leaving these to literally rust.

Now, somebody cut the chain and left the two bikes, minus a front wheel, on my property because this somebody supposedly presumed that these were my bikes being that I'm the only one on the block who comes and goes with a bicycle.

I have absolutely no use or desire for these. Everything on these scream CRAP but I am surprised at there being very little corrosion on the frames unlike the chain and the steel rims on the wheels. Yes, steel rims. And Ashtabula cranks.

Anyway, the lack of rust on the frames makes me wonder if these might have some slight value and be worth donating to a coop. The frames are steel but might these actually be Cro-Moly?

Here are pics. You tell me what you think.



This is actually not the first time I've seen bikes locked up but apparently abandoned in random locations throughout NYC over the years. It's made me suspect that this was deliberately done by somebody, quite possibly the NYPD, to create some kind of barometer for criminality in the immediate area.

I don't believe that I'm in a low-crime area. More likely that e-bikes are where it's at now when it comes to thievery.

Now, should I send this to the coop or to the landfill?

Koyote

Find a bike coop and see if they want them; if not, those bikes are scrap metal.

Iride01 

No. Absolutely not! Never to a landfill.

If for whatever reason you are able to take possession of them, they should go to a scrap yard where they'll get re-cycled.

PeteHski

Do you not have recycling centres there? That would be the obvious place to take them.

rsbob 

There are organizations that will take the bikes, rehab them and give them to kids/people that can’t afford them. One man’s junk is another’s treasure. See if you can find a community org that takes and rehabs bikes.

veganbikes

I mean see if a local bike group will take them but honestly they are probably scrap metal.

Homebrew01

Craigslist "Free stuff" section.

soyabean

I resell bikes so it would have been natural for me to grind the locks on Day2 and claim posession of them, and prep for resale.

But if someone chained two dishwashers to the front of my house, I'd call for scrap removal. I'm not going to put effort and use my time to haul them to the dump.

Afterall, I'm not in the dishwashing refurb business.

And the OP is not in the bike reselling business.

bboy314

You would cut a lock after a day to steal Walmart bikes to sell for money?

bboy314

Definitely not chromoly. I would make a Craigslist free ad, someone will take them even if it’s a scrapper. Co ops I’ve volunteered in generally aren’t too interested in bikes like these. If anything, they might be interested in the alloy wheelset.

indyfabz

+1. People love free stuff.

veganbikes

Selling a bike on day 2 of it being locked up sounds more like a theft thing. Rehabbing bikes is fine but seeing a bike and not confirming it is actually abandoned could easily be theft and bike thieves are the worst. I know of people who have had to leave bikes locked up for a couple days or sometimes longer and they still want the bikes and still own the bikes they just cannot unlock them right then and there or maybe they have chosen to lock them up outside as they chose not to bring them in or some other situation.

Please don't steal bikes and if I see you near my shop taking bikes I am making some delicious miso paste

soyabean

Mark my words, I will GRIND bikes found ON MY PROPERTY on Day2, not Day180 like the OP.

Just because others put up with crap on their lawn, doesn't mean I do.

estasnyc

The one coop that I know of in NYC is Recycle-A-Bicycle. I sent them an email and a message on their website alerting them about the email, with the two photos I've shown you, in case the email doesn't get past the spam filter.

I never literally meant sending the bikes to the landfill. DSNY does recycling pickups on Fridays. That should give enough time for a response.

Everything on these are steel including the rims. I checked everything with a magnet. I can't remember the last time I saw steel rims although these were common with low-end bikes back in the day.

Going off on a tangent, the main reason you don't want to use rim brakes on steel rims is that braking power goes to just about nil when the surfaces are wet such as during rain. (I don't know if that's still common knowledge.)

Would steel rims offer any benefit on a wheel having disc brakes?

easyupbug 

Look up bike donations in your area ( you should have lots) and send them the pictures and they will advise if they will refurbish for kids or someone who needs a bike to get to work.

bboy314

The only benefit of steel rims is cost of manufacturing.

bboy314

I’m guessing the OP doesn’t own the signpost in front of their house.

CrimsonEclipse

Start a Super Thread combining the sacred topics:
1. Is taking an abandoned bike stealing?
2. Walmart bike, should I upgrade
3. Is steel real?
4. Would you still love me if I was a bear?
5. Does recycling REALLY help the environment?

As they combine... a black hole will open up and sniff out life in this sector.

veganbikes

Assuming you own "your property", have you checked the property lines and confirmed that the bike is locked up within only your property lines?

Chuck M 

I'd think it odd that two bike would be locked up to a sign post or the like on the sidewalk for a prolonged period of time. Anywhere I've lived, the sidewalk in front of my house belonged to the city and is not my property. I still don't think I would just lay claim to a bike left at my front door overnight. So I would probably report it to the police rather than be someone that would steal two Walmart caliber bikes or a top of the line carbon fiber, electronic shifting, disk braked bike or anything in between.

But back on topic... In the case of these bikes where someone left the litter after taking a wheel, I'd still let the police come get them and they can take them to the scrap yard where they can be reincarnated as soup cans or something.

indyfabz

sawyerge

donate to a charity. definitely

Doug64

Make the rideable and safe, then give them to some kids.

Polaris OBark

Make the rideable and safe, then throw them off of a highway overpass.

zandoval 

Somehow I keep thinking...

TRUING STANDS!