Classic & Vintage - Going to the dump...

It seems like a lot of you get bikes at the dump, and I'm just wondering if you'd mind sharing the details of that process with me. I hate asking lots of questions and seeming like I have no clue what I'm talking about, so help me out with:

...do I look up "landfill", or should I just call my trash company?
...do I have to pay them? per stuff or by weight?
...are bikes just mixed in with mountains of trash that I get to climb?

Any other info would be much appreciated as well. I've got a Bikes at Work trailer on the way, so my capacity to drag more crap home is about to expand exponentially:D

I began doing what you're talking about around 6 months ago, and (in my experience) the hardest thing to overcome in the process is finding places that will allow you to rummage through the thousands of tons of scrap metal and toxic wastes. Normally you'll find bikes in scrap yards (not auto yards or landfills) where people take their scrap metal (normally steel) to be sold by weight. I've not been asked to pay a cent to any of the yards I visit; normally they're just happy to get rid of what is pretty much useless in their business.

Expect lots of awkward silences and denials, and unless you live in a small town, also expect to drive a ways when trying to find a yard. Wear clothes/shoes/gloves that you really don't care about, and be careful when you're climbing to the top of a 50 ft pile of rusting scrap metal. Also, if you see a bike that is accessible, grab it if you're able to that day. The piles in yards change nearly every day, so get what you can while you can. That also means that the bike you spot through the cracks of that 50 ft pile might be a lot easier to get tomorrow, so don't bust your balls trying to get at something that would endanger you.

Either way, good luck! It's a lot of fun.

Not every dump is the same, and most won't let people "scavenger hunt". In fact a lot of dumps simply demolish all the steel goods they get as they sell it to scrap yards/recycle centers and needless to say they dont want people taking what they have. The only way you're gonna find a good bike is if they havent gotten around to trashing it yet and if you're going on a sunday when its closed and jumping the gate... frowned upon but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do mr superhero.

I'm lucky enough to have one dump in my town that has a lil recycle center where they sell various "goods" people drop off including bicycles. I check mine out once or twice a week [pretty pointless in winter, the best time to go is during the spring], rarely anything good, lotta bottom of the barrel falling apart department store junk but I found some descent stuff before and they usually sell cheap $10 bucks a bike.

In my neiborhood there's a world reknowned pre-owned materials handling center.
Last Chance Mercantile they call it.
It's HUGE! What do you need? They have it.
But bicycles...it's there..it's gone!
You would just have to go regularly and hang around.

But adapt to your local yard/dump/recycling center,..and don't take no for an answer.
How could you let a nice old Raleigh become a man-hole cover?;)

Keep in mind 2 things,
1) Yard bosses worry when a "non employee" is climbing around scrap metal piles/bins/etc.
So if the grab is easy, just get it. If it's in a fairly tricky spot, ask an employee before climbing/diving.
A "Sir" or a "Mam", plus "if you have a minute, I'd like to grab a piece really quickly" Thank You's at every uterance.;)
2) Pay cash, it usually "greases the wheels";)

The only way you're gonna find a good bike is if they havent gotten around to trashing it yet and if you're going on a sunday when its closed and jumping the gate...

Should I bring some old steaks in case they've got junkyard dogs?

Should I bring some old steaks in case they've got junkyard dogs?
My dump experience is limited to a small NH town where we have the "Stump Dump." Along with yard waste and brush, scrap metal is accepted, which includes bikes. It all gets mixed up into a big pile that 3-4 times per year a metal recycler comes and hauls it all a way. I can stop by any time to see if anything is worth keeping. BTW, the water department is next door and the office manager keeps her two Golden Retrievers there during the day. The two dogs often follow me around the scrap pile. They are very friendly. :D
http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p71/pastorbobnlnh/Hercules/ThePile.jpg
http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p71/pastorbobnlnh/Hercules/FateofHercules.jpg

Haha there you go. Problem is when you spot something under a 25 foot high mountain of twisted jagget steel, ya can't get it out! I saw a nice old CCM cruiser at a dump I visited once which was under tons of metal, couldnt get it out of course, and it was all smushed up anyways.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/99/306982376_e3f1cfcd7d.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/107/306982378_1a556d3d84.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/160/357536405_39f6c06f6a.jpg

That last photo I took today, I was doing a long ride and happened to be passing by there, that pile you see is usually 5 times as high.. I guess not to long ago it was all hauled off.

They are very friendly. :D

you should bring them steaks!

I'm in PDX too, and I'm not aware of any dumps (but let me know if you find one!)
If you haven't been to the bins, check that out, they have about 20-30 bikes that change daily all under $20. It's down in sellwood on milwaukie and ocochoo.

Haha there you go. Problem is when you spot something under a 25 foot high mountain of twisted jagget steel, ya can't get it out!.
That's where, with a few of the right tools in your pocket, it's pick-n-pull free parts time.;)

Another good way to find stuff (at least here) is to just walk around on trash day. I've found perfectly good wheels, tires, etc sitting on the curb. Sometimes you can also find stuff in dumpsters near buildings that are being cleaned out to be converted into condos.

In addition to bike stuff, I've found couches, chairs, tables, and all kinds of other items that were still completely functional. I visited a friend over New Years who I hadn't seen in a while, and he still had a really nice leather office chair I found in a dumpster eight years ago.

The guy next door to me recently threw out a oven/range, a dishwasher and a few other appliances. He even put a sign on them that said: "Scavengers: The oven and range still work, as does the dishwasher."

I'm in PDX too, and I'm not aware of any dumps (but let me know if you find one!)
If you haven't been to the bins, check that out..

I go there at least a few times a week. And I'll let you know if I find any dumps/scrapyards where we're allowed to poke around.


Another good way to find stuff (at least here) is to just walk around on trash day.

Over half of what I own came from a dumpster or someone's trash. Most of the rest came from ^"the bins".

My transfer station has several 20 ton dumpsters for scrap metal. It also has two attendends paid to frown upon pickers. A 30 pack of Coors Light apiece has them seperating out bikes for me. If things are slow they even help me load the truck......;)
I've also been known to go through the gate (locked against vehicles but not people) at 0500 to check things out if I heven't been by in a couple of days.
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The county I live in has guards at the local garbage dumps who will arrest you if you dumpster dive. The metal is hauled off regularly, probably more than once a week. I've been there a few times. I'm sure if I saw a nice bike I could offer the guard a few dollars to reclaim a bike, but all I've seen are Huffy's, Magna's and 20 inch kids bikes. Usually in bad condition. The best bike I saw was a beat up Mongoose. The chrome QRs were worth salvaging, not much else.
But yard sales around here, now that's another story.

But yard sales around here, now that's another story.
One step ahead of the game...if it doesn't sell at the yard sale, it goes to the dump!;)

The people that run the local landfill don’t know the difference between high and low quality bikes. They collect and try to resell them at stupid prices. As an example if the bike has a Schwinn label on it anywhere they try and sell the bike for $300 even if it cost way less than that new at the local Wally world. Last time I was disposing of refuse there I noticed they had a matched pair of his and hers Sears Free Sprit bikes for $800. I have no idea why they price bikes like that as they eventually go into the scrap heap anyway. I have found thrift stores to be a better place for finding good quality bicycles. I recently found a 1989 Raleigh SuperCourse without a scratch on it. Someone had broken a spoke on the drive side rear wheel and had measured a spoke from the non-drive side and so had replaced the broken spoke with one too long. The nipple jammed on the threads preventing the rim from being trued. They gave up on it and donated it to the thrift store. I cut the spoke out and replaced it with the correct length spoke and trued the rim and absolutely love that bike.
http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/3829/raleighsccl5.jpg

around here I have found 5 scrap yards. 3 say no way isurance wont allow it, the other 2 just say be real careful and stay on the ground. I go in baggy cargo pants sweat shirt and work boots so I give the impresion of being comfortable around this type of place. 1 place has a cute young girl in the office that lets me have stuff free if I dont take too much and asks how much do I want to pay if I find a couple good whole bikes 5$ for a raleigh and a wilson isnt bad

The people that run the local landfill don’t know the difference between high and low quality bikes. They collect and try to resell them at stupid prices. As an example if the bike has a Schwinn label on it anywhere they try and sell the bike for $300 even if it cost way less than that new at the local Wally world. Last time I was disposing of refuse there I noticed they had a matched pair of his and hers Sears Free Sprit bikes for $800. I have no idea why they price bikes like that as they eventually go into the scrap heap anyway. I have found thrift stores to be a better place for finding good quality bicycles. I recently found a 1989 Raleigh SuperCourse without a scratch on it. Someone had broken a spoke on the drive side rear wheel and had measured a spoke from the non-drive side and so had replaced the broken spoke with one too long. The nipple jammed on the threads preventing the rim from being trued. They gave up on it and donated it to the thrift store. I cut the spoke out and replaced it with the correct length spoke and trued the rim and absolutely love that bike.
http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/3829/raleighsccl5.jpg
Nice find!

You have a kick stand just like mine! :)

Hey tolfan, that cute girl part sounds good to me!

That's where, with a few of the right tools in your pocket, it's pick-n-pull free parts time.;)

I ALWAYS carry a small tool selection in the car glove box with me, just for this reason. A small adjustable crescent wrench, a phillips and a flat blade, a pair of diagonal cutters, and a small set of hex keys is all I need to liberate most any part........ :D

And you'd be surprised at just how handy a Leatherman tool is, all by itself! ;)