Man, the framework on this bike is beautiful. What did a bike like this retail for at the time?
Just curious.

For those of us who aren't world travellers: what's a 'transfer station', and where the hell do you live?

You're killing me, man. True bicycle art: damn outstanding!

I pulled this one out of the trash pile... 1983 Schwinn LeTour Luxe. It was in pretty bad cosmetic shape, but still straight and true. My bike friends laughed at me. (It had the DUI commuter handlebar setup... always good for a chuckle!) Just add a set of fenders, a fresh rattle can paint job, gold pinstripes and voila! I donated it to my daughters' school for a silent auction.

http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/e...7/P3140002.jpg

http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/e...7/PIC00004.jpg

Purple rattle can bike is awesome!

Beautiful quickie resto job: anyone would be proud to ride it!

Nice thread, it's a shame to see bikes get trashed. I've been a garbageman in the SF area for over 25 years and a lot of stolen bikes get dumped when people move. My company's policy is not to pick up bikes without a special order.

[IMG]http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/e...friends008.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/e...friends002.jpg[/IMG]

Well taking the dog for 2 walks a day finally pays off with a bike (or two). The Columbia 3 speed, after putting air in the tires, is passably ridable and the Murry 10 speed may be a parts donor or a quick fix for a super low dollar college commuter.

When I was in high school, my buddy and I had part time jobs baling newspaper and cardboard for the garbage company in Concord, CA. It was amazing the amount of stuff that people would toss rather than to donate. Particularly around the holidays, we would often find brand new merchandise in cardboard boxes that were tossed because it was overlooked and the stores were so busy. Never found a bicycle though.

This is what gets a garbageman introuble with his wife. Local college dumping their semester "leftovers". http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/h...r/P6040026.jpg

"For those of us who aren't world travellers: what's a 'transfer station'?"

In the Pacific NW, its the official PC term for the Dump/Rubbish Tip.

Sweet Mother of Buddha!

^^^^ He must be single. :D

Actually, it's not so much PC as PVF (Property Values Friendly). No yuppie, moving out to the country, wants to live near the country dump - so instead you put together a series of neat, organized spots with trash compactors, recycling stations, and the all important "help yourself" shelter for goods that aren't really bad enough to actually throw away. And you give it a nice neutral name that does not use the words 'dump', 'garbage', 'refuse', or 'trash'.

You should be around one of these places on a Saturday morning - in Montpelier, it's as much a social center as the post office or the local 7-11. And, as for finding usable bicycles there, good luck. You have to be there when the bike is being dropped off to get to it. Both of my finds for this year (the Varsity which was flipped and the GT hybrid which is my current lunch break bike) never even hit the ground - they were transferred from the donors pickup truck directly to mine.

And there were a couple of other people nearby ready to pounce if I hadn't grabbed it.

Boy, I wish I lived near a setup like that - just think, gather in all the discards, fix and flip, and use the proceeds to build up one's personal collection.

And it's a continually recycling loop. Heck, I'm willing to bet you could end up selling the some of the same bikes over and over, year after year. :)

Pretty much the same situation here in rural Maine, although my little town is known for its enormous landfill that takes in trash form all over NE.
Technically you are prohibited from removing items from the transfer station, but I came to an 'arrangement' with the attendants, cemented with a 30-pack of Coors Light.
I've also been known to brace the drivers of pick-ups waiting to get in on a weekend morning.
MP

What part of Maine? I'm real familiar with the Bangor/Bewer through Calais area, as my in-laws live in the former.

If you're driving from VT to Bangor you'll pass through Norridgewock, just before Skowhegan. In the non-snowy months a middle-age guy on an old Atala or Miyata is often seen along the way.
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any thoughts on this - salvagable (for parts?) or too far gone, or not worth messing with?
http://raleigh.craigslist.org/bik/503119889.html

I'll take the fork for $15 but you might not be able to get it out. If nothing else it would look cool as a yard decoration.

cool lookin bike, and price is right too. wouldnt pay to ship it very far being in that condition.

Ive seen stuff like that all spray painted green and in front on some beautiful farm.

It's a fast way to get rid of a bike that has been stolen just for one ride. The same happens to joy-ridden cars, BTW.

trash and dumpster finds for this week alone, I give them to local March for Jesus, and they distrubute to their local programs, and then send rest to Gettysburg Chapter of Pedals for progress

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2411/...e8157670_o.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2307/...981c492b_o.jpg

Grabbed this Stumpjumper today. Lots of rust, but it's all there except rear derailler. http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/h...r/Trash004.jpg[/IMG]