Cool bikes you’ve/I’ve given away

[NWisGooderest!]

Bike are fun and all but they are always best served when they are actually doing what they are doing what they are designed to do - getting sideways and loose!
Built up so many nice bikes in the past and some were not in my size (18/19”-ish).
Selling is ~”ok” but doesn’t it bring joy to one’s heart to gift them to a deserving soul?
Gifting my to small Cook Design Mt. Palomar to a pal since it’s just collecting dust and he’d actually ride the damn thing. Feels good - it’s an altruistic vibe thing perhaps.
Besides, doing a good deed only means something even cooler is going to come your way soon. Any others share this attitude?
“It’s a tool, not a trophy dammit” is the old adage said by many a professional racers trying to earn a paycheck.

 

[KayOs]

I don't normally give any of my bikes away for free but I have sold around 10 of my bikes in the last few years. I always try to find a fair price that still covers my expenses. The cost of the old bike, new tyres, drivetrain parts, cables....

After all, I want to help finance the hobby with the bikes I sell, but it's not my main source of income.

As my friends don't want old mountain bikes, there has never been a question of giving one away for free. Except for one time when it was actually a gift.

So far, I've always had interesting buyers who have planned and done a lot with the bikes. From tours through Scandinavia to work and travel in Germany to getting into mountain biking or simply the daily trip to work and the supermarket. So far, nobody has complained about anything and nobody has wanted to negotiate the price down any further.

The bikes so far were 1 road bike, 1 gravel bike, 1 trekking bike and about 7 or 8 mountain bikes from Specialized to GT, Giant, Marin and so on, mostly steel from the early 90s. I still have the pictures and I miss some all of them.

To cut a long story short, I haven't given many bikes away for free yet but I've sold many very cheaply and, yes, it feels good to bring joy to others and you get to know great people and great stories.

 

[bikeworkshop]

Conversely its my job to try to make people appreciate bikes enough to enable the Bikeworkshop staff to earn a living!
Its not that easy.

A lot of great bikes have passed through our hands in the 30 years I've been doing it, including several thousand older models.

Closest to "giving away" would be twintube titanium colnago dura-ace racers under a thousand, and early lugged carbon Looks for a few hundred. Many Bright kleins likewise, and hundreds of lovely lightweight British racers, almost worthless then, sadly not much better now after a brief rally


Absolutely fascinating, someone's you can watch a bike run right through that value curve of luxury item, to almost worthless obsolete, embarrassing thing, to cherished collectable!