The joy of purchasing a new bike is often met with the dread of dealing with an old bike (or two) gathering greasy dust in your garage, shed, or basement. What do you do with S.O.S. (Surplus Old Stuff): Bikes once their usefulness has expired? Read on to learn how to save or repurpose your old bike and save it from the landfill.
![HARO RESPONSE TRIALS BIKE MID OLD SCHOOL BMX](https://historicclintonantiques.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/SOS-Surplus-Old-Stuff-with-Amy-Moyer-Bikes.jpeg)
Contents
Rusty & Squeaky
I love bikes and biking to a degree. I love living in a city or town where I can get to where I need to go on two wheels instead of four, depending on the weather. Yes, I am a fair-weather biker. Once it starts sleeting, snowing, or raining here in New England, I don’t think twice about tucking myself into my car with a cup of coffee in the cup holder and turning the seat heaters on to “high.” However, if we have a day like yesterday with clear blue skies and temps nudging 80°, I am happy as a clam to hop onto my new Smurf-blue bike to pedal to a kiddo’s lacrosse game across town.
I have not named my new Smurf-blue ride, but I am glad its color resembles a television show I loved as a 1980s kid gorging myself on Cap’n Crunch’s Crunch Berries on Saturday mornings. When I got this new bike about a year ago, I immediately devoted myself to tacking what to do with my old one, as any old bike takes too much space to hold on to for too long.
Luckily, this was an easy task for me as I moved my old purple Trek to our coastal cottage to live there permanently as a “beach bike.” No harm was done—the spokes were rusty, the brakes were squeaky, and the gears were grinding. While I wouldn’t use it for a ten-mile ride, it is perfectly suitable for making a quick half-mile trek to the sandy shores. Moreover, it’s so old that no one would be tempted to steal it.
![1983 BLACK SHADOW RARE OLD SCHOOL BMX BIKE REDLINE FLIGHT](https://historicclintonantiques.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/1716505369_438_SOS-Surplus-Old-Stuff-with-Amy-Moyer-Bikes.jpeg)
The Green Option
Now, for my first recommendation for S.O.S. (Surplus Old Stuff): Bikes—pass them on to a friend, family member, or even a second home to breathe more life into it. Bikes are very functional and useful objects, contributing to taking cars off the road and helping the environment. Why not make sure they have lived their complete life before discarding them? In addition, if you have a growing family, you are familiar with the need for bigger bikes each year your children grow. If you live in a family-friendly neighborhood, you can quickly just put your outgrown bikes “free on curb” for a budget-savvy, grateful neighbor to snatch up.
The Charitable Option
What do you do if your old bike has issues? Rather than passing on your problems to someone who does not have time for them, research a local bike donation charity. Here in Boston, Bikes Not Bombs is our go-to charity for donating old bikes. Sure, they prefer donations in superb condition, but they also have a small army of volunteers tinkering and tweaking minor to medium-sized bike repairs. Many bike donation charities also run donation drives in the late spring and summer, offering a convenient way to drop off old bikes without having to arrange a pick-up or drop-off time. Be sure to get a receipt for tax donation purposes.
![1966 SCHWINN STINGRAY 3-SPEED COPPERTONE GOLD EARLY BANANA SEAT MUSCLE BIKE](https://historicclintonantiques.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/1716505369_482_SOS-Surplus-Old-Stuff-with-Amy-Moyer-Bikes.jpeg)
Check Your Banana Seats
Let’s take a step further back and evaluate whether you have a vintage or antique bike. Are you dealing with a relatively modern ride or a treasured Schwinn your grandfather squirreled away in a back shed? If it is the latter, be sure to do a bit of online research to see if you have a two-wheeled treasure on your hands. Some bikes, like this 1888 Springfield Roadster, are easy to identify as antiques, while some of the Schwinns from the mid-to-late 20th century may look like junk to you but are desirable to collectors.
I remember mocking those old “banana seat” bikes as a kid, but I wouldn’t mock them anymore, given the high price tags some are fetching on the secondary market. This school-bus yellow 1969 Schwinn Fastback sold for nearly $10K, despite its overly nerdy profile.
![MOUNTAIN BIKE HAND CRAFTED RECYCLED METAL ART SCULPTURE FIGURINE](https://historicclintonantiques.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/1716505370_912_SOS-Surplus-Old-Stuff-with-Amy-Moyer-Bikes.jpeg)
Brake Rotor Wreaths
Finally, if your S.O.S. (Surplus Old Stuff): Bike is not a valuable vintage item, something you can easily give away or donate, and not in good condition, consider getting crafty with your old parts. There is many an Etsy shop out there chockablock full of bike chain can openers, brake rotor wreaths, and even clocks made of recycled gears. You can definitely hop on the bike repurposing bandwagon and make some cool items for resale or sell your old parts at a crafters’ marketplace. Either way, you should end up with some cash in your pocket later to invest in your next two-wheeled stunner when the time comes!
Check out how to identify and value specific bike manufacturers from our Dictionary articles on them.
Amy Moyer is the proprietor of Antmuffin: Art, Antiques & Collectibles. She holds a B.A. in Visual Art from Brown University and lives in Boston.
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