bike re'cycling'

Old worn out parts are not totally worthless. quite the opposite, they
are a gold mine of screws and other little pieces that get lost,
stripped or broken on the new stuff.

Why do you think bike shops have boxes of old worn out things in the
back of their shop?

- -

"May you have the wind at your back.
And a really low gear for the hills!"

Chris Zacho ~ "Your Friendly Neighborhood Wheelman"

Chris'Z Corner
http://www.geocities.com/czcorner

On Thu, 15 Apr 2004 18:46:24 -0400, [email hidden] (Chris

Zacho 'The Wheelman') said:

Old worn out parts are not totally worthless. quite the opposite, they
are a gold mine of screws and other little pieces that get lost,
stripped or broken on the new stuff.

Or, if you're me, they're the next free part to go on the
frankentourer project...
--
Rick Onanian

hey all.

The pile of useless worn out components after the last overhaul of my bike
got me to thinking about the waste associated with cycling. Will the new law
affecting motorists and the deposal of old cars affect cyclists? Would
cyclists (you/us) be prepared to pay a premium for cycle components knowing
that perhaps we could reclaim some of the cost by handing in old components
or by reverting to a cycle license scheme like the very old days?
Trying to investigate this gap in the bike market so any views/help with
this 'market research' would be much appreciated.

cheers.

phil

Quoted message said:

Zacho 'The Wheelman') said:

Old worn out parts are not totally worthless. quite the opposite, they
are a gold mine of screws and other little pieces that get lost,
stripped or broken on the new stuff.

True: but most bike shops in my part of the world do not allow the sale or
giving away of used parts or even pieces off of used parts. They claim this
is due to liability issues passed down to them by the wholesalers and the
manufacturers.

Most of the local shops also strongly discourage customers from installing
their new store-bought parts themselves. If you want to buy a derailleur or
whatever, be prepared to be peppered with questions regarding the use of the
part, the other parts on the bike, the age of the bike etc. In fact, the
parts pricing of our LBSs is high enough so that installation is usually
included - again protecting the store and the rest of the supply chain.

Unfortunately for the capable hobbyist, the retail price around here is
about double that of mail-order, and about 10 times that of what a
reasonable price should be for a used but serviceable part. Ask a local
store to install a used part? Ha Ha.

Here is a transcript of a recent discussion with a LBS:

ME: I need a rear skewer for an old 10-speed.

A: here is one.

ME: This is for 135mm mountain bike spacing. Too wide. How about the old
Simplex one in that junk box.

A: Used. Can't sell it. Liability issues.

Q: For $20 in cash and I sign an indemnification agreement?

A: Nope, we have to throw it away.

Q: How about I buy the MTB one from you at whatever you think is a fair
price, then you give me the Simplex one (therefore no legal contract
implied), and then I throw the MTB one away in your garbage?

A: No, can't even give it away.

Q: OK: I'll trade you 5 new Shimano XT rear skewers for the Simplex.

A: Can't trade it away either.

Q: OK, how about you sell it to a pal of mine in the US, and he ships it
back to me - that way you are pretty much insulated from cross-border
lawsuits.

A: Nope: that could really [censored] our suppliers due to franchise
agreements.

Final resolution: I buy a $5 part from the Netherlands on Ebay and have it
shipped half way around the globe. Which is the means by which I've bought
almost every bike part in the last year. A waste.

Dave Mayer said:

Quoted message said:

Zacho 'The Wheelman') said:

Old worn out parts are not totally worthless. quite the opposite, they
are a gold mine of screws and other little pieces that get lost,
stripped or broken on the new stuff.

True: but most bike shops in my part of the world do not allow the sale or
giving away of used parts or even pieces off of used parts. They claim this
is due to liability issues passed down to them by the wholesalers and the
manufacturers.

Most of the local shops also strongly discourage customers from installing
their new store-bought parts themselves. If you want to buy a derailleur or
whatever, be prepared to be peppered with questions regarding the use of the
part, the other parts on the bike, the age of the bike etc. In fact, the
parts pricing of our LBSs is high enough so that installation is usually
included - again protecting the store and the rest of the supply chain.

Unfortunately for the capable hobbyist, the retail price around here is
about double that of mail-order, and about 10 times that of what a
reasonable price should be for a used but serviceable part. Ask a local
store to install a used part? Ha Ha.

Here is a transcript of a recent discussion with a LBS:

ME: I need a rear skewer for an old 10-speed.

A: here is one.

ME: This is for 135mm mountain bike spacing. Too wide. <snippage>

Where are you writing from, Dave? I live in the litigious USA and have
found it easy to find, purchase and use used bike parts of all sorts,
with no warranty expected or implied.

That ATB skewer could easily have been cut down to the length you need.
Possibly you would have to clean up the threads after the cut with a die
or just a triangular file.

--
Ted Bennett
Portland OR

[email hidden] (Chris Zacho "The Wheelman"😉 wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Old worn out parts are not totally worthless. quite the opposite, they
are a gold mine of screws and other little pieces that get lost,
stripped or broken on the new stuff.

Why do you think bike shops have boxes of old worn out things in the
back of their shop?

The local Community Cycling Center (
http://www.communitycyclingcenter.org/ ) repairs donated bikes, parts
out the unrepairable, and donates the worn parts to Resource Revival (
http://www.resourcerevival.com/ ), where it's made into art. Very
little goes in the dumpster.

Jeff

Q. <LostVideos-AT-hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Phil" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:2fBfc.17577$4N3.797@newsfe1-win...

Quoted message said:

hey all.

The pile of useless worn out components after the last overhaul of my

bike

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

got me to thinking about the waste associated with cycling. Will the new

law

Quoted message said:

affecting motorists and the deposal of old cars affect cyclists?

What new law?

C.Q.C.

Not sure it's coming in for a while (sorry, should have said, it's a UK/EU
law). But as far as i can make out, from the little i've heard, the govt
plans to charge big money for car disposal, not just scrap charges but
recycling charges and the like, probably some tax on tires. not sure of the
ins and outs tho.

In article <2fBfc.17577$4N3.797@newsfe1-win>,

Phil said:

hey all.

The pile of useless worn out components after the last overhaul of my bike
got me to thinking about the waste associated with cycling. Will the new law
affecting motorists and the deposal of old cars affect cyclists?

It seems to me that most parts can be easily disposed of as scrap metal,
unless you want to keep them on the chance that there will be something
salvageable.
One exception I don't know how to dispose of: Rims are a mixture of
aluminum (the rim itself) and steel (the eyelets). Doesn't seem to be
right to throw one into either the aluminum scrap or the steel scrap. I
now have a couple of old rims behind a cabinet in my office...

--
Ned Mantei
Department of Cell Biology, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology
CH-8093 Zurich, Switzerland

Ted Bennett <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

Where are you writing from, Dave? I live in the litigious USA and have
found it easy to find, purchase and use used bike parts of all sorts,
with no warranty expected or implied.

That ATB skewer could easily have been cut down to the length you need.
Possibly you would have to clean up the threads after the cut with a die
or just a triangular file.

I live in Seattle. I recently bought a mid 80's bike off eBay - very
nice condition except for 2 rusty skewers. I went to the nearby
Recycled Cycles and pawed thru a pile of maybe 80 old skewers til I
found a pair that matched and looked good and of the approx age as the
bike. They charged $10 for the pair. No mention of liability,
safety, etc. Refreshing.

I also noticed that the shop is changing - they are beginning to sell
more new bikes and gear, with less room for the old stuff. It'll be
interesting to see if the attitude to the old 'junk' changes.