Mountain Biking - Bay area? anyone throwing away a bike?

Well I've been searching for weeks now. Just starting looking through craigslist to see if anyone is giving away any old free bikes. An experienced rider who helped me fix some things suggested I find some old bikes and completely take them apart and try to put it back together. I never even thought of this, to help me figure out how to learn about bikes.

I was wondering if any bay area riders have any old crappy bikes, anyone throwing away or wanting to get rid of anything? I'll take anything.

Anyone know of any other sites like craigslist that lists things peolpe are giving away?

If you get one hand it down to me when you done ^^ much better working on an old bike and not my brand new... what ever I buy when I finaly get it.

Just hit some local garage sales, you'll find something cheap.

Why not take your bike apart. That way its all clean, lubed, and tuned when you are done, and you will actually have to ride the bike you worked on.

Why not take your bike apart. That way its all clean, lubed, and tuned when you are done, and you will actually have to ride the bike you worked on.

The thought is to learn to work on a beater bike, so that your bike isn't out of commision. If you screw something up on your good bike, you might have to drop it off at the LBS for help.

With a beater bike, it doesn't matter how long it takes to fix it up.

Here's an idea. Find old beater bikes, fix them up and then sell them to neighborhood kids for what you spent on the parts to fix them.

Anyone know of any other sites like craigslist that lists things peolpe are giving away?


Don't know whereabouts in the Bay Area you're located, but there's the San Jose Freecycle. Go to Yahoo! Groups and look it up. It's not just bikes, but anything that's being given away for free.

I saw on craigslist that someone in sf had put a box out with a gary fisher frame and all its components on the street a few days ago. So at 11:30 at night I went into downtown, of course it was like right around the corner from tons of hotels and there was no way it was still there. I had to look and satisfy my curiosity.

But yea, the point is I can do this at my pace. Ill clean all the parts, lube things correctly. I was thinking I could use the frame to learn how to do a paint job. Hopefully looking better at the end.

I don't really care if I get a crappy xmart bike or not. But if I was to find a really old name brand for free I would be so happy.

I dont think I have ever seen anything on that craiglist.