Cycling UK Forum

driving into town last sunday I passed a bike at the end of someones drive, so pulled over and went back the lady was gardening in the front and she said it was out for the scrap man.

Today being somewhat inclement I stripped it down and rebuilt it with stuff from my bits and pieces box with a trip to the LBS and £25 spent I know have an 18 speed hybrid that will do for nipping to the shops, commuting and will probable live on the turbo.

It started life as a 12 speed Falcon "team Bannana" racing bike and its very yellow. has reynolds 500 chro mo tubes.

Regards
Matt

Well done! I believe there are thousands of bikes languishing in sheds, having been abandoned after a few miles on getting their first puncture. I'm sure I read somewhere that a well known high street retailer estimated that the average riding time of the bikes they sold was something like fifteen hours. At least your Bannana model must be at least twenty years old

Hi,
I have already save three bikes from death last year one on the trainer, one for off road training, one to sell.
One to sell, looking at the rims hardly a mark on the braking face
The other day near the canal same two frames sticking up in the marsh, one had better gear changers than mine.

There must be something in our head which says I want to fix up its not scrap
Then others look and see rubbish for the bin or dont see nofthing at all...............................

P.S. could'nt help myself, bought on out the paper for a tenner, wheels for training gear changers for spares on my MTB, or ride.

123ttam wrote:... and will probable live on the turbo.

It can sometimes be human nature for people to 'want' something they see another person throwing away, or 'not wanting'. This can make people feel good, a bit like feeding the ducks can make people feel good, and people even post on website forums about just how good salvaging something from a skip can really be. What this phenomenon says about 'skip surfer' types, I am not quite sure, but they are often people who want things that they do not actually need. Greed?

I think that's a little unfair. But I think it's more do to with the concept of 'free'. There have been many studies done into this and it's shown that we will often take something we don't really need or want but the fact that it's free changes everything!

Any before and after Pics

not letting things go to waste maybe?

It cant be Greed as my wife was with me when I Found it.

and in my defence I would like to point the learned Man at Rule 12

http://www.velominati.com/the-rules/

The antithesis of fishing stuff out of skips and using it is well expressed in a scene in the (otherwise somewhat dubious, if flamboyantly directed) movie 'The Fifth Element' where an example of flagrant waste and destruction is justified since it 'creates activity'. It is my view that very much 'retail/economic activity' in the World we live in is driven by the whims and impulses that are normally more usefully reserved for, say, buying an ice-cream. The 'products' that are 'consumed' thus are often just as ephemeral, even if they are made of metal and other scarce resources.

Some people (rightly IMV) regard such waste as somewhat sinful, and will rescue useful stuff from skips even if they give it away later. To describe this as a form of 'greed' is a completely perverse view.

cheers

Brucey wrote: Some people (rightly IMV) regard such waste as somewhat sinful, and will rescue useful stuff from skips even if they give it away later. To describe this as a form of 'greed' is a completely perverse view.

+1

LollyKat wrote:

Brucey wrote: Some people (rightly IMV) regard such waste as somewhat sinful, and will rescue useful stuff from skips even if they give it away later. To describe this as a form of 'greed' is a completely perverse view.

+1

Quite so....I rescue bikes now and then, I tinker with them and quite often pass them on to others that need them....how does that constitute 'greed' - I make no real material gain and people who were already looking for a specific thing get that specific thing.