MetaChat - It followed me home....can I keep it?

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30 January 2011

It followed me home....can I keep it? So while out walking Coya tonight, I saw that one of my neighbors had put (what appears to be) a pretty damn fine bike out with their trash. A Trek 3900, to be exact.→[More:]The tires (which are Bontragers, probably stock) are completely flat, so I'll air them up sometime this week and see if they hold. The front and rear brake lines are both active. The seat could use a cover/replacement, but that's the only obvious repair. I'm not sure yet whether all of the gear-shift mechs work, but the pedals turn just fine.

It may wind up being a bit small for me (it's a 16" and I'm 6'3") but I figure at the very least I can sell it for a couple of hundred bucks, right?

post by: ufez at: 22:45 | 8 comments

Wow, what on earth made them discard it?! You can sell it to me for a couple hundred bucks, if it comes to that!

The shipping might impact the bargain pricing, though. Unless I were to come get it and ride it back.

Have fun fixing it up! I love good trash finds.

posted by Miko 30 January | 22:59

I have no idea, Miko. They're not exactly the most conscientious people. They've got a pair of Weimars that get out *all the time* and love to come charging out. Coya's stood down their male more than once, and I've found them wandering around the neighborhood a few times and wound up wrangling them back to their house.

However, looking at sizing charts for bikes, a 16" frame would be far too small for me, so I likely will wind up fixing it up a bit and selling it off. Extra cash is always nice, but more than anything, I hate to something so useful wind up in the dump.

posted by ufez 30 January | 23:20

Ah, there's nothing quite liked shopping the curb! I've posted about it several times previously.

posted by Orange Swan 31 January | 09:11

How great to have saved that from the landfill! When I see a treasure atop the rubbish like that, I always assume that the discarders put it there hoping someone would scavenge it. Maybe I give people too much credit.

posted by Elsa 31 January | 09:53

Maybe it's haunted. GhhooOOOOOooosssSSSSt biiIIIIkkke ... BOO!

posted by jabberjaw 31 January | 11:25

Sccooooooooooorrrrrrrre!!!!! It's like winning a tiny lottery. I always think it's weird that people throw away good stuff, but I'm glad you retrieved it.

posted by theora55 31 January | 11:41

I always assume that the discarders put it there hoping someone would scavenge it

I definitely put things out sometimes with exactly that intention. My last town had a great "Freebie Barn" at the dump where you could take things that were still good and you just didn't want any more. We don't seem to have that in my new town, so I've just placed things out and watched them go.

posted by Miko 31 January | 14:06

Sccooooooooooorrrrrrrre!!!!! It's like winning a tiny lottery.

A couple years back, on back-to-back days, I found a sweet Fuji Royale mixte (which needed some work, but I sold for $50 before repairs) at the curb on garbage night, and a 1973 Schwinn Varsity at the city dump (which I still ride as my grocery getter).

Scrounging bikes is the only way to go.

posted by Doohickie 31 January | 22:12

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