Giving Up "Reselling" Bikes

[huffyrailsarefun]

It's no different here where I live in Appleton Wisconsin. I lived here my enetire life and am 38 years old now. As a kid riding your bike was THE one and only thing you wanted to do. There were so many kids and people out on bikes, walking, jogging and riding coaster wagons down hills. Now when I ride there isn't anyone out on a bike except for the occasional adult on a mountain bike with a pissed off look on their face.

Things have really changed here. I can't sell anything bike related at all anymore. I have two really nice, original, boys banana seat muscle bikes for sale locally on craigslist here in appleton and they are only priced at 80 dollars and 85 dollars.

No one has any money here, either that or no one has interest in bikes here anymore. There is a place at the end of my road called skaters edge, a rollar skating rink. I went there to buy the parts I needed for the wheelie bar I used to have. i needed new rubber and new wheels. They had what I needed and I had brought the frame along. It was a columbia ss chopper bike. The owners little girl, about 10 years old looked at the frame and said out load to her mom who was helping me, "Why would anyone want a bike that ugly?'. I had a picture of what the bike looked like when it was complete that I brought to show them as well and when I showed the girl the picture of what the bike looked like when it was new she said, "Thats the ugliest bike I ever saw, you couldn't make me ride anything that ugly".

Bottom line is kids are lazy, don't care and only want to have everything handed to them, they don't want to work for anything. Pedaling a bike requires effort on their part and they don't want to do it. Thats the attitude of the kids around here. Last year I had a guy on a mountain bike chase after me with a knife trying to get me to stop when I was riding my banana bike. Alot of bad people have moved here ever since appleton started to take extra prisoners in for extra income at the jail. Their families move here to be close to them and bring their criminal ways with them.

 

[Jimmy the Gent]

After reading this thread; all I have to say is this: Man; I'm glad I grew up when I did. 8)

(I was born in 1970)

 

[iven]

I'm young only born 1995, most of my younger child memories were something
Of riding bikes, scooters, playing on the woodsy park area, I'm a born adventure,..

Though I have thought back to when I'm all your age what of my life in my youth full year's will I look back on?

I love to get out and ride if it's nice on the weekends
Just ride where the wind takes me into some new areas
I never been before..

But also being a bike builder my other thing I really like to do is game on the computer or now xbox (PC is still better) I'm a nerd other then a rider, builder.. any love adventure.

Use to ride a lot with buddy's but I don't really have anyone to ride with now since I moved to a different town
So sadly I spend more time on the xbox now then on bike..
Still gotta ride every day to school..

 

[wheelhorseman]

This is a Murray Eliminator that i had advertised on multiple CL sites for 4 months for 50.00. Guess how many calls i had about it. NONE. Sold it to a RRB member who was traveling thru the area.

 

[LukeTheJoker]

An Eliminator for $50? :shock:
At that price it would be worth me paying the postage to get it shipped over here to Australia...
Very hard to find American muscle bikes over here, ended up building my own...

Luke.

 

[Freak!]

South Carolina? How could I have missed this... I'll bet this was in my backyard. That would be perfect for my daughter.

What part of SC are you from, wheelhorseman? I'm about 45 miles south of Columbia.

 

[wheelhorseman]

South Carolina? How could I have missed this... I'll bet this was in my backyard. That would be perfect for my daughter.

What part of SC are you from, wheelhorseman? I'm about 45 miles south of Columbia.

I am up in Anderson County which is about an hour or so north of Augusta .

 

[dragnusa]

Have you thought about building up a bunch and heading to swap meets near the coast?

 

[Freak!]

I am up in Anderson County which is about an hour or so north of Augusta .

Far-western Orangeburg County here... we'll have to ride and have a beer sometime :mrgreen:

 

[vintagebuilt]

An Eliminator for $50? :shock:
At that price it would be worth me paying the postage to get it shipped over here to Australia...
Very hard to find American muscle bikes over here, ended up building my own...

Luke.

I'm from New Zealand and have serious concerns about moving home and being able to continue the hobby!

 

[DIABLO67]

Have you thought about building up a bunch and heading to swap meets near the coast?

That's the ticket right there! Here in North Carolina we have a whole lot of coastal folks that come here from different states. They sail here and want a bike to ride when they reach a port. I can't buy enough during the off season!

 

[Flying Zombie]

Hey all, not sure if any of you Hail in the New England area, but iffin you decide to give a set of unwanted bikes away, Im starting a collection and could always use more parts to work with.
Im new to the whole rat bike build it yourself thing, to this degree.. Most of my work when I was younger consisted of painting my huffys with carplan flatblack and add bandanas around the handlebars, leopardprint fabric from the thrift for a "refab" seat.. dice.. rust toned rims..I tried pretty hard for limited budget.
Im 24 now, and have a million ideas floating around with a lack of parts, and even more lack of work from the temp agency Im working with here, any kickbacks appreciated, even some friendly advice on possible places to check around for parts, outside scrap yards.. the people who work em here dont really like to talk shop. Thanks!

 

[patman73]

wher i live kids ride bikes at the local skate park !

 

[dezzie]

This is where I work in the UK - http://www.recyke-y-bike.org/ maybe an idea for where you are, we get loads of kids bikes nobody really wants, we send loads of bikes to Africa along with bike parts, good decent bikes we sell back to the public after a thorough service and replacing any parts that need fixing, we have 2 universitys and colleges nearby and when the new freshers start we sell them by the bucketload, usually when there finished with they get returned to us after the students move on and get refurbed again, the bikes we cant fix or move on get scrapped, we fill a container full of steel and separate aluminium into another pile, we have a pile of tyres and tubes that also get recycled, we have trained paid mechanics and several volunteers myself included that go down when they have time and spend a day doing the above and getting valuable experience of cycle maintenance and repair, we also run mechanics courses from one day sessions of basic stuff for the public up to full accreditation over months, womens only sessions, wheel building sessions the works, this gives back to the community, makes lots of money, helps out under developed countries get mobile etc, everybodys a winner!

 

[blackdiamond]

Where I go to college I am the only one who uses the bike racks. And I get some weird looks rideing my stingray back and forth to class. They ask me, "why don't you just drive over here?" cause its not that far. Its crazy how wasteful people are these days.

 

[Rustinkerer]

This post gives me a sad!

 

[Wildcat]

Many cities aren't set up for real bike riding, although I've lived in a couple that did have real bike paths. Where and when I grew up, we could stay out riding, only coming home for food and water, dirty and usually scraped up a little. No handle grips and pedals were worn away to just spindles. Lucky to have a padded seat.
It would be crazy to use the painted in paths along the busy roads nowadays.

 

[Flying Zombie]

Rhode Island has a MESS of Paths here, but I honestly would give this place up for the Utah Salt Flats ANY DAY! Open land to go and go and go... what a dream...

 

[Wildcat]

I sold most of my bikes before I moved halfway around the world last year. Couldn't get hardly anything locally for my bikes. My treasured Hercules early 10 speed finally sold for $50. This is where to sell your bikes if you need to.