General Cycling Discussion - What do I do with old bike?

I just bought a new bike yesterday - Cannondale Road Warrior 2 - and was wanted to know what I can do with my 20 year old mountain bike? Trash it? Play it again sports? or are there any charities that accept old bikes?


Thanks.

Bruce

Keep it and ride it? You didn't mention what kind of bike it is or what kind of condition. If I had a bike that was in decent condition with decent parts that for some reason I didn't want anymore, I would donate it.

There is a bike co-op near me that I volunteer at times. They don't have the best bikes, but there are decent bikes. For example, we don't have any Schwinn Paramounts, but we do have Schwinn World Sports, Travelers, etc. We take the donated bikes and evaluate them. Some go straight to the recycle bins. Some we take the parts that are good, some we keep as is.

Some times we do get pretty good bikes. We have a Trek 520 that is in great condition. We use that as a rental bike.

Clean it up and give it to someone without a bike.

check out www.bikecollectives.org and see if there's a cooperative/non-profit/anarchist shop near you, and donate it to them.

Often the old bike gets reworked to become the "rain" bike or "commuter" or "ride with the grand kids" bike or some other special use.

Keep it as your beater/commuter/rainbike/trailerhauler/grocerygetter/etc.

If it's an old CHEAP bike, then trash. Old good bike, sell it or keep as suggested above.

Twenty years old is getting to the 'vintage" category where value should start climbing.

Put it on CL for 5X its value like everybody else does.

Put it on CL for 5X its value like everybody else does.

I love it! Might be able to make some of the money I just spent on the new bike back.

Turn it into a hot looking single speed and go posing?

I would keep the "old" bike in good condition and use it as a back-up when the "new" one was in the shop.
Otherwise, I'd keep it for other uses.

For instance, I was given a new 21-speed Trek 850 Antelope in 1990. It primarily replaced my "old" Specialized 15-speed Alpino Uno, a much heavier mountain bike which I purchased in 1985. I used the 15-speed when the Antelope wasn't in the shop and for serious off-road biking that the 21-speed couldn't handle.

Unfortunately, the Alpino Uno reached trail's end after completing its last ride on a washed-out abandoned railroad bed in Franklin County, ME. The Antelope 850 I still have and continue to ride after 18 years of use.

If it isn't broken and/or can be repaired, keep using it.

If it's a good bike, donate it. If it's not worth the trouble to put in good enough mechanical condition, cut it in half and mount one half on one side of the wall, and the other half on the other side of the wall and call it "Modern Art". Add a sign that says "I was going so fast that...." :-)

love it, make it pretty, give it to someone who will love it as much