We need donations of any of the following
Bikes (whole or complete, preferably the latter and serviceable)
Bike Parts (especially lights, tyres, tubes, saddles, wheels)
Time (To source bikes, pickup bikes, fix them)
Money (Any kind or amount accepted)
Back2Bikes are happy to accept any donated bike delivered to us. Even a cheap bike may yield a bell, saddle and reflectors. We cannot pick up bikes such as Huffy, Dunlop and Kent that are sold in large discount stores. The quality is of a level which makes the bicycle impossible to successfully refurbish.
Our aim is to supply a level of bike to those in need of a quality equal to that which anyone in the general community would expect. The following is a list of the kind of bikes we can easily refurbish both for sale and to donate to people in need. Remember, bikes for sale supply Back2Bikes with the funds to refurbish bikes for people in need.
CLASSIC GENTS AND LADIES BIKES
We love these. The frames were very well made, and while they are a little heavier than modern frames, are very robust, and make a good basis for a practical bike.
They are now fashionable, and it’s getting harder to find them in the hard rubbish, as there is always someone wanting to fix them up.
We can still get parts for them, even down to the 3 speed Sturmey Archer hubs. See the article on Classic bikes
MOUNTAIN BIKES
Most of the bikes we receive are mountain bikes, usually with suspension forks and knobbly tyres. These are easy for us to fix, and we often put slick tyres on them to make them more suitable for road use (it makes them a whole lot faster), and the tyres are still fat enough to cope with dirt/gravel tracks.
HYBRID BIKES AND FLAT BAR ROAD BIKES
These are the most sought after format, as they have narrower tyres than a mountain bike, and larger wheels, so they move along very quickly, and have very good brakes. They are a very practical bike, and are well suited to commuting.
ROAD BIKES
We are receiving more of these bikes including carbon frames.
We mainly fix these bikes to sell as most people we assist want a bike for transport.
We have several volunteers who love refurbishing these bikes and the only limit is finding spare parts, particularly shifters. Back2Bikes really appreciate receiving spare parts for these bikes so they can be made roadworthy.
FIXY
Fixy bikes have been in fashion, but were designed for track racing and are difficult to convert well to everyday use, although they can be altered to be a single speed bike with rim brakes if time and components allow.