Found/Abondoned Bicycles

Recents are two on the same bike rack. Will probably snag the cruiser as the other is a p.o.s. both have what looks to be LBS stickers on them, and there are a few close by.

I hope its steel. The merchant said its been there for a 1-2 weeks. Flat tires, busted rear derailleur the usual. Its a cheap one, but it has potential.

Where I live, even crappy bikes get parts picked off of them if they sit in public for too long. There was a bike at the shop today that had the seat, seatpost, and cockpit all removed after having been parked for just a few hours. The thief left the wheels, even though they were quick-release.

Anyway, by the time you can be certain a bike is abandoned, there's usually not enough left of it to bother with.

Chalo said:

....by the time you can be certain a bike is abandoned, there's usually not enough left of it to bother with.

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That is exactly how it happens around here. The crank and the frame and maybe a chain are all that is left to become blight.
So was it the owner who lost his key to his lock and only took what he could get? Or another in a long list of bike thief lockups only to be stripped when everybody is looking but not caring?

Seen bikes U-locked and sat complete downtown, and a week later the wheels are taken, then the handlebar assembly a week later. Once it starts it gets gutted quickly. Out in the burbs theres a few all winter long bikes locked up by wheel at train stations that are complete, but old CCM type. So it all depends on the neighborhood, and how close the abondonment is to schools, foot high traffic areas like transit and how many homeless are nearby. I talk to a local homeless fellow that says he finds bicycles in my area of town all the time. Every month he seems to have a different old bike. I tell him where I've seen a few abondoned bikes.

The charity bicycle shop "Goodlife" is struggling to pay its rent, all bicycles are donated and fixed up by volunteers then sold off. They went to a new marketing strategy of having more completely fixed bicycles ready to ride for sale, then selling fixer uppers. I try to support them all I can. Some of the bikes are top notch others are the older CCM type. I've snagged some really good deals there, most recently there were two Electra rear racks, I bought the better one, still in package for $5, countless springy seats $5 each, some worth $100+ new, still in good shape. One item I could never find, were good shifters which they always put on the fixed up dontated bikes for sale.
I hope Goodlife Bicycles get over the March hump, warmer weather and sunnier days, close to a busy transit hub. Landlords didnt like the kind of clientele that frequented the shop, homeless which they had to move several times in the last 10 yrs.

Well that bike I picked up will do me well. Similar frame geometry to my Townie. Back pedal brake, single geared crank, 3 spd hub with broken off shifting mechanism.

I suspect many bikes get abandoned the day the guys dui expires. Or, he goes back to jail. Similarly, bikes get left on or near any college every spring.

But cutting the locks on em,, well, be awful dumb to get caught at it. If a merchant tells you to get that bike off his property, that would be different.

Cordless 4" grinder is the tool for it.

Here, we have the grappler. once a month they come and pick up your large trash. Always take a cruise and shop the freecycle piles that get put out for the grappler. Got a real nice Giant Rincon a few years ago. Usually its just yet another half a bmx bike. the frame pile just keeps getting bigger in my yard.

So the guy with the expensive lock only puts it on the front wheel, which is all that's there when he comes back. You'd think he'd take the lock home with him, even if he left the wheel. But the bike racks pretty much all have the abandoned wheel and lock in them. I guess he figures it's the lock that doesn't work correctly.

Some people never learned the basics of locking a bike up and don't realize the bad guys know all the tricks to remove all or part of a bicycle. I often see groups of creeps in secluded areas of parks and bike paths with full-on chop shops going, piles of frames, parts accumulate in a matter of hours, the cops can't even keep up with it. I hate to make assumptions but when I see a homeless looking dude riding around collecting cans riding a $5000.00 Santa Cruz Nomad I have to get a bit suspicious.

I'm hoping I'm not giving anyone ideas here, but I've bought a range of locks from $2 right up to $79 hardened "bolt cutter proof" ones. But they all had one weakness. They all used one sided pin and tumbler locks with 4 pins or fewer. (One had 2. That one I didn't even have to pick. Inserting the lock pick and tensioner alone in there was enough to open it!)

If you are absolutely certain it is legal to remove the bike and bump keys are legal in your country/state, I reckon the odds of not being able to remove it in under 1 min with a bump key is minimal. Help clean up your town without needing messy angle grinders etc.

Locks only keep honest people honest.

There's a nice road bike that's been locked up for over a year in the bike cage at my work. I keep thinking Q100c every time I see it.

Sunder said:

If you are absolutely certain it is legal to remove the bike and bump keys are legal in your country/state, I reckon the odds of not being able to remove it in under 1 min with a bump key is minimal. Help clean up your town without needing messy angle grinders etc.

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Not once during my decades in the bike world have I ever seen or heard of a bike thief picking a lock. (Not counting the brief episode of people cracking tubular key locks by using Bic pens.) They always go for brute force attacks or else exploit faulty lock placement.

Not suggesting criminals do it. Bump keys cost, and possession with intent is illegal.

I'm suggesting for anyone cleaning up, it might be a bit less messy than leaving just a wheel there, and a bit less destructive than grinding through a chain/cable. For a non integrated one, you might even be able to keep the chain and put your own lock on it. (That can't be bumped/picked.)

Sunder said:

put your own lock on it. (That can't be bumped/picked.)

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Good locks, that can not be easily picked cost $130+
And good locks, can have the insides changed, which would be in the interest of the owner. Then the professional pick locker would have to guess at what you have, in order to snatch your bike. While the crack head, needs a stolen cordless angle grinder.

Masterlocks are an outright joke, I am sure a paper clip would do the job. Oh and theres that U lock that all you need is a Bic pen.

Best defense would be an ugly bike that blends in well, but when the cracked out junkie gets close to it, with a decent double ended lock U lock that requires 2 cuts, would simply move on.

There is this one city I go to every now and then, where it is common to see good bicycles locked with a cable lock.

markz said:

.......Best defense would be an ugly bike that blends in well, but when the cracked out junkie gets close to it, with a decent double ended lock U lock that requires 2 cuts, would simply move on.

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Two heavy U locks on an ugly bike keeps them away every time. :wink:

Around here, the tweaks cut locks using a bick lighter and a set of toenail clippers on the cable. Neither one a bust to carry. Heat weakens the cable, and then they snip it with the clipper. This is a night job, not in any hurry.

Occasionally the pros from dover do sweep by, clearing out the campus bike racks in one night. They use the grinder to cut any lock in a second.

I only suggested the angle grinder for approved lock cutting, like the merchant asks you to clean up his rack. I suppose the master key would be neater, but it wouldn't be as handy around the workshop as the cordless grinder.

I love mine though, because it goes with my welder so great.

they snip it with the clipper.

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Cutting one strand at a time. The plastic around the cable is just an illusion of a thicker cable then it really is, hence melting it down to the wire. I never read about before dogman dan.

Chalo tries to imply that I live in an uncivilized part of the world, yet I never lock my bikes, nor do I feel the need to. Of course just like living in New Orleans for 20 years without incident, avoiding being a target of criminals does require making use of what's between your ears in a common sense manner.

John in CR said:

Chalo tries to imply that I live in an uncivilized part of the world, yet I never lock my bikes, nor do I feel the need to. Of course just like living in New Orleans for 20 years without incident, avoiding being a target of criminals does require making use of what's between your ears in a common sense manner.

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I don't think of Ticos as uncivilized generally-- but their roads are famous worldwide as examples of disorder and chaos. And of course Latin American government comes very cheap to those who are in the market.

Chalo said:

...famous worldwide as examples of disorder and chaos.

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Yet I'm not the one dodging bombs last week. Plus on a daily basis at peak traffic times I can get safely and courteously 20km from one side of the capitol to the other in 20-25 minutes obeying all traffic laws on each ride.

Chalo said:

And of course Latin American government comes very cheap to those who are in the market.

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Corruption is widespread in ALL governments, and AFAIK it's far worse in the US where the common manner in which payment is made is 100% legal.

John in CR said:

Chalo said:

And of course Latin American government comes very cheap to those who are in the market.

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Corruption is widespread in ALL governments, and AFAIK it's far worse in the US where the common manner in which payment is made is 100% legal.

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Not to argue with that but to remind that just because you can buy doesn't mean there's a warranty. Picture the recent presidential candidate that they paid $2 billion for that is known and who knows how much more that isn't linked to her. But they didn't get their paid for president, did they? Latin America corruption seems to come with a guarantee of delivery, anyway.

Ah well, today I saw what I can only assume is an abandoned motorcycle. Or most of one. A disaster, but oh what fun to rebuild and make an electric with. If it's okay for me to drag it away, guess I could try knocking on the door. Did they lay it on the side at the curb to get rid of it or. . . ?

The community used bicycle store was closed as there was a bike swap downtown today, so it being the weekend everyone dumped their stuff at the front door. I was there just before noon and saw 4 wheels and 4 bicycles (a decent road, two matching older steel CCM's and a womens) and 8 tires, 4 hours later the decent road bike was gone and another 10 bicycles added with 6 more wheels and a few extra tires. Nice sunny day, a bit cloudy, jazz festival going on downtown.

That store does a good haul come spring/summer/fall. Though this winter they ran behind in rent and were afraid of gettin' the boot. I looked at their financials as they post it and they do pretty well for donated bicycles and parts. I was quite surprised. I'd say they have about 3 or 4 employee's and lots and lots of volunteers to help repair bicycles. I try to buy stuff from them.

Its amazing because some of the bicycles left, were hardly weathered and the stickers were still on them. Mostly sat in garages and sheds until the yearly cleanout and they get sick and tired of moving the bicycles and parts around that they never use so they dump it off at the store.

I have to repair my Stong GTS frame, the seat post tube is frocked on the bottom and does not allow the seat post to slide out the bottom. So I was on the hunt for an abandoned steel frame today. Thats On my welder'up list now.

Yeah, they call these place bike co -ops - usually non profit, charity type organisations.

Definitely worth looking into, for cheap donor bikes for projects. Yep, have picked up a few from places like this, the most recent an urban crusier style bike which still had the Shimano green dollops of grease on the rear derailleur! Few scratches on the frame - likely the original owner barely used it, fell off it, then dumped it. Their loss, my gain!

I've found they sometimes also have rare tools, like BB thread chasers or proper headset presses - which can be used on projects for the small price of a membership etc. Usually much cheaper than owning the tool and no need to sort/maintain it - super.

maybe is related to this tread-
I have tried to sell nice MTB on Kiji but gave up
I guess so many stolen bicycles sale cheap on Kiji ..

Never know what you're going to see on the curbside, last week spotted an old dilapidated Hardrock frame and complete Schwinn ladies bike along with two freehub disk wheels, one with single speed cog and good disk rotor, one with cassette w/ broken teeth and disk rotor bent badly. Schwinn was hi-ten steel frame and heavy as hell. Everything had grass growing in the spokes, must have been sitting in the back yard for 15 years. Specialized had disk brake still on rear, rusty bolts and cable but functioning.

Brought home, threw Schwinn on repair stand and parted out, all parts economy Shimano stuff but all good and bonus Blackburn rack, there was also another Blackburn type rack in the pile of junk too missing struts. RST suspension fork fit right on Hard Rock frame perfectly, exact same size headtube and bearing set still good after new grease.

Scavenged enough parts from Schwinn to assemble Specialized frame as single speed after greasing rear wheel axel, wheels are perfectly straight, need to hunt up chain tensioner to complete, don't want to donate my singulator to project since that goes with my nice single speed wheel which can be switched for SS riding on my old Voodoo which is killer bike and used sometimes. Hard Rock frame is nice aluminum circa 2000's model, paint is faded looks scroungy, will make awesome urban assault vehicle for somebody that won't attract thieves, perfect shape no dents aside from ugly grey paint color. Tons of battery space in Hard Rock frame, may put in the rafters for future project or give away if somebody needs bike.

When I moved I finally got rid of the old frames and wheels I had laying around. Mostly from the ones left at the bicycle racks outside my office at my old job. Asked permission from the police first. They were glad to get rid of them. I never got around to doing anything with them.
I was a procrastirat. :lol: