Fifty Plus (50+) - What to do with "didn't work" bike stuff

Hi,

When I first started participating in this forum, I thought that getting "dialed in" meant little adjustments to the bike. A little higher here, a little lower there. Maybe a new stem. I know better now. Getting dialed in means trying out pedals, shoes, saddles, miscellaneous equipment, clothing, etc., until you find what works best for you. Oh, and maybe a bike or two while you figure out the kind of riding you prefer.

We've got a small pile growing, so I'd love to know: What do you do with all your perfectly good but "didn't work" stuff?

I usually give things I know I'll never use again to the local guy who organizes races for the neighborhood kids. They can always use spare parts, and I like to see the little guys flying down the road. :)

you need an all the above catagory. Depends on how much it cost, if my wife knows I bought it, likelyhood I might think of something to do with it later, if someone else needs it, and general coolness of the item.

you need an all the above catagory. Depends on how much it cost, if my wife knows I bought it, likelyhood I might think of something to do with it later, if someone else needs it, and general coolness of the item.

:lol:

I had an "all the above" but changed it to "select more than one answer" I'll see if I can change it.

I voted other for "all of the above". I never know what is going to happen with "less than optimum response/performance" hardware. Very often that which doesn't work straight away works better on something else or begins to look really great after sampling a cross section of equivalent parts that are much much worse.

After a while I sell it (cheap), loan it out for others to test or trade it with someone else who has different "less than optimum result" stuff to see if their stuff is better than my stuff.

Put it in a box for someday when you start another project and it deserves a second chance.

I say you can't have too much stuff...until you move, then your wife has too much stuff. :D

"All of the above".

I'm trying to sell my shoes. We're keeping some stuff in case we want/need it one day, or want to sell a bike with the original piece on it. And I'd swap or give something away if someone wanted/needed it more than me.

Anything of value I sell. I cleaned out the garage and organized the bike stuff. I threw out a bunch of obsolete equipment. We have finally transitioned from the old technology to the new. I cannot wait for the new Shimano stuff to come out so that I can do it again. One cannot have too much bike schwagg.

I prefer to swap it for other stuff. The tricky part is finding somebody who wants something that I have who also has something that I want. Once in awhile it happens. I have two pair of old style Ultegra SPD pedals that I traded for other stuff.

Sorry. I guess I am just not into the upgrade or change game.

Except for old tires (which are hard for me to throw away - "You never know."), My Hardrock, Lemond BA and Windsor Leeds are all excatly as purchased. I've never changed a pedal, seat, etc., and when the Chain Rings and cogset were replaced on my Hardrock, they put exact replacement parts and the shop did whatever one does with old ruined parts.

So, I don't really have any parts or "didn't work" stuff to worry about. Everything seems to have worked just fine the first time.

My bikes are mostly "as built" - I rarely replace anything. I have an old wheelset from my Simoncini (anybody want a traditional mavic wheel set that is beyond trueing?) and an uncomfortable but new saddle from my Specialized and one old speedometer - that's it and this thread will probably get me to ebay the saddle and throw out the wheelset. Now - when I rebuild the Simoncini (hopefully later in the summer) I will have a lot of 12 yo Veloce stuff with about 10K miles on it - that "junk" will probably go in the trash as well.

In general I am a pack rat - but when I clean house, watch out!

If you don't like something on your bike, use it until it's worn out, then upgrade.

Yup, throw them Kool Stop brake pads away. the person you may give them to won't like the squeal either. Landfill, that's what they are. bk

If I have been conned into buying something that is not good enough -or just doesn't work- I wait until some one needs a repair to their bike. Then all of a sudden I have a fantastic pair of *Bar ends* (insert whatever else you want to get rid of) that will cure their Back ache/ leg strains/ low milage on a ride. Then if They complain that it did not help their problem- then I plead all innocence and as they weren't charged for fitting the parts- they got a good deal and they can now sell it on- or back to me till I can find another Mug.

Unlike some others who posted above, I change parts on my bikes quite often. Sometimes it is to replace worn out parts, sometimes to upgrade parts that work but not as well as I would like. Sometimes I'll be changing the style or function of a bike and good parts will be replaced just because they don't fit the bike's new purpose. A pure stock bicycle strikes me as evidence of a lack of imagination. ;)
If the parts are worn out, they go in the trash. If they still have some useful life left in them, I'll keep them in a box or on a shelf. Often these old parts will fit a later build or conversion project. Sometimes they end up being used to replace broken parts on a friend's bike. On rare occasion, like when I'm scrounging for money to pay for a new project, I'll sell off some of the old parts, but I hate to do it and often regret having done it.

I have a pretty good selection of seats and I loan them out to friends who are looking for something different. I don't like to part with them because they may be just what my next bike needs. Same goes for my old but far from worn out pedals, you never know what they might work on. I have started throwing away some old stuff that I will never use. One of my sons sells a lot of stuff on ebay and he is aways happy to help me clean out my old stuff if it is worh at least $10.

I like to swap for something I can use, but will help out a POOR kid with a freebie, if they're polite. (politeness is more important than wealth to me)
If I can't swap, I tend to sell with very "affordable" prices. I recently had 4 generic (cheap) MB knobby tires on CL for $2 ea. A guy showed up, driving a rather old looking car and wanted all 4. We talked a few minutes, and you could tell that he was proud his kids would rather ride their bikes than play video games! Even though I could use the extra $3, he got them for $5. He got a super deal and I got rid of them. Win-win!
I've benefited from similar situations, where someone else was willing to give a fellow "cyclist" a break.

Put it by the curb with a "For Steal" sign on it....

Often things that don't quite work out on one bike eventually work on another one. When things do get upgraded on the better bikes, the old parts often find their way to upgrade one of the beater bikes.

Some stuff is worth keeping for other projects. As for the rest I've got these two big Rubbermaid containers........

I really need to offer up some of the choice older stuff to the vintage guys since I'll never use it.

If the parts are worn out, they go in the trash. If they still have some useful life left in them, I'll keep them in a box or on a shelf. Often these old parts will fit a later build or conversion project. Sometimes they end up being used to replace broken parts on a friend's bike. On rare occasion, like when I'm scrounging for money to pay for a new project, I'll sell off some of the old parts, but I hate to do it and often regret having done it.
+1
I'm always tinkering, and boxes of parts are necessary. It's as much fun as riding. I've haven't had a bike in a shop for repair since having a headset or two installed years ago.

I am one of those "allways tweaking" kind of guys. I started because my primary riding partner is mechanically declined. If I didn't maintain his bike, we would be getting stuck on the side of the road. I won't change the oil in my car, but I love to tinker with my bikes.

Ergo all my friends bikes are adjusted, upgraded and lubed by me. I buy tires 6 at a time now. every spring I have 4 bikes to reshoe. My friend just got a top end tri-bike sent to him by a friend and of course I will have an extra set of wheels to make it all work.

In the last 6 months, I have put 2 saddles, 3 sets of tires, 2 packs of bar tape, and 2 cassettes on friends bikes from my back room supplies. Oh yeah, I finally ran out of the good tubes with the just right stem length.

Ebay

I usually sell, but the price I ask is like giving it away. So far, I've only had bikes and one bike stand to make the bike a stationary bike for indoor use. It assuages my guilt for wasting money if I can pass stuff on, while getting some modicum of the money back. So far, I've sold bikes that cost me no more than $300 for $100.00 on Craigslist. Usually, I try to sell to offset the cost of the new thing I want/need and to make me feel less wasteful. For example, now I want a new bike that costs $830. I never, ever thought I would pay anywhere near that much for a bike. If I can sell my current Townie for $150, that brings the price of the other bike down---in my mind. Maybe, finally, I'll get it right this time and can keep the bike. :lol:

I always find that about a week after I get rid of something, I find a use for it.

I had a new cheap 7 speed chain with no guide ramp thingys (what are they called?) on the outer plates to protect the derailleurs from the rivets and some cheap alloy MTB pedals I bought and decided against for a road bike. Last weekend I got a free Mountain Bike (http://backroom.hardsdisk.net/antelope830.html) and used them both to replace beat-up and worn-out parts.

I'll probably replace the chain again but it allowed me to get the bike up and running.

I do all of the above ...keep, sell, give away, re use. I hate wasting stuff so I hang onto things but once the pile gets too big I try to unload it one way or another. With a couple of vintage bikes around I can always find a use for something. I have also pulled some parts of vintage bikes that arent functional for me but are worth something to collectors so I sell off the pieces of value on eBay.

Oh yeah, I finally ran out of the good tubes with the just right stem length.

So what do you have for tradeing stock? I have some inner tubes with 48mm valve stems that I'd gladly trade for tubes that have 36mm valve stems.

Three piles:

1. ebay: smaller items, easy to ship with known marketability.

2. Craigs List: Larger items that might be a pain to ship.

3. Goodwill/Thrift Store: Items with limited marketability, but in good condition.

I'll try to sell leftover parts I didn't, or used only slightly, but with what they bring, usually end up keeping much of it. The only thing I've changed on my road bike so far has been the seat--I'll keep the original in case I ever sell it, then I'll put the original back on. I have two seats (saddles) that I've tried to sell. One is a Selle Italia road seat-narrow, hard as a rock, tried to sell it a few times, no takers, the other is a Terry Women's Cite saddle-couldn't sell it either. Tried selling some Shimano shoes and M-520 pedals/cleats, but no luck locally, and I'm not into the e-bay thing, though that might be next on the list. Seems, at least around this area, if it isn't a "high-end" part, it won't sell (regardless of how cheap the price is).

My choice was "other" because I do different things at different times. Sometimes I trade. Sometimes I save for a future build. Often, I donate to my LBS who build bikes for those with limited income and make gifts of them during the Christmas holiday season. In rare instances, I sell. And every once in a while, I'll give parts to my son who incorporates them into sculptures. Despite all of this, I still have way too many extra parts and bits in the bike shed (three frames waiting to be built up, five saddles, three crank sets, four sets of pedals, three sets of wheels, four stems, three handlebars, three or four dérailleurs, and the list goes on.)

I had to vote "other" as I don't have a set pattern for dealing with things that didn't work.

The LBS sells the good parts that I've had changed on the bikes. I don't plan on doing major maintenance or replacing parts myself so there's no need for me to keep them.

I've sent old bikes to the local bike guy who refurbishes and gives bikes to kids.

I sold my hybrids at a very low cost to people just starting into biking. I recently sold my first road bike to a single mom who was getting back into biking. Last report from her was she loves it and she's beginning to learn the shifters:thumb:

I have quite a collection of saddles, lights and bags for the bikes. I usually keep the saddles as I like changing them occasionally when the current one starts aggravating me:mad: I like having different bags to choose from for different types of rides. I could probably start a bike accessory shop from the inventory in the garage:) I recently loaned a set of lights to a friend for a night ride. I've also loaned out the saddles and bags when someone needed them or wanted to try a different type saddle.

In addition to the bike accessories there's the equipment needed for touring - tents, sleeping bags, duffel bags, etc. I haven't made too many duplicate purchases in this category as I've done a lot of reasearch and picking of friend's brains for their recommendations. Last year was my first week long tour and my purchases seemed to work fine.

When I started back into biking a few years ago the bike equipment occupied one shelf in the garage. It just keeps growing each year and has overtaken the garage.

I had a bike room full of 'trinkets' left over from bygone years and tweaking attempts.
I now get togeather with a fella who has an eBay online shop and let him sell my unwanteds.
(Who knew a fixed outer chainringed sugino super maxi schwinn crankset would bring $50!)
At this stage,I pretty much know what works and what don't.

I usually keep the parts I take off. I change because I'm trying to make the contacts and other features of a group of bikes match, for more comfortable riding. Parts that don't work for me one day for one bike oftwn work well on another day on another bike.

Here is a great place to send your unneeded bike stuff. Soldiers in IRAQ are looking for parts so they can keep bikes going for troops stationed there.

Here is the link on MTBR.com

http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=418322

Send to:
SSG Daniel Ortiz
Aco 1/10th BSB
10th MTN Division
APO/AE 09338

I used to hold unanounced contests.....:(

I used to hold unanounced contests.....:(

I remember those:)

I never did figure out how you chose the winners:(

I remember those:)

I never did figure out how you chose the winners:(

The method of selecting winners was unannounced....:lol: Most winners would not accept the prizes (or at least they would not reveal their secret identities to me for postal reasons) so the contests sort of petered out.

DG got some nice bar ends though and Terrierman got a set of almost brand new Bontrager 700c wheels for a hybrid.

Perhaps at some unannounced time in the future I will bring the contests (if there ever were any) back..................or not.

Other - decide quickly if the item is going to work or not and, if not, return to vendor in saleable condition for refund.