Basically i would like a bike free or as near to free as possible purely to go to the local shop (3 miles each way)

Where does one find such a thing?
must be large!

council dump

Bristol.

Local canal

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Any town centre. If you’ve got bolt croppers…

Take a stroll into town one afternoon with bolt croppers. There are loads left lying abandoned, or at least not properly secured

The tip will always have a few, or get one for a tenner or so from a car boot sale.

The bike racks under my building, other bloody residents buy £75 internet bikes, chain them up and then abandon them, shocking waste of low grade steel.

But the tip is the more practical option, surprising how many half decent hack bikes get discarded there, if you have a local council recycling centre they may also have some in better nick

There’s a site called freebay or something like that, it’s a website where people advertise stuff they want to get rid of, but don’t want any money (or it’s worthless), you’re usually expected to collect, of course. I don’t know the details about the website, but a guy I know in Harrogate got a free bike, via the website, off some yank who was returning home to the states after working at Menwith Hill. I then blagged the bike off him and now have a lovely old Imported US cruiser bike.

Definitely NOT my local tip (sorry, Recycling Facility) – “More than me job’s worth”

To be fair, they do have a contract with another company to collect all the bikes, for restoration and export.

Bristol University regularly ‘unlocks’ abandoned bikes and take them to a recycling centre. Often see nice ones being taken away 🙁

Look out for a bike recycling centre and see what they have in.

Also look at the Police Bumblebee auctions in your area and put an advert on Freecycle.

BANana – d’yer mean Freecycle?

probably

indeed check your local freecycle website/email, but if your is anything like my local one, there always some-one needing one… so doubt there many left about…

how large ? and where are you ?

Rob I have one you can have it’s an Apollo I think

Picked up a 1989 Kona Fire Mountain from my local “recycling centre” for a fiver. Was well chuffed with that.

xc keith – i am a shade over 6ft

James – any details? road/mtb? size etc? I could collect sometime in the next few weeks?

rr,I have something,it is a SS ridgid mtb,cheapo steel frame,1″ steerer,does the job.
it was given to me with certain conditions,one being I passed it on when no longer needed,the other being a financial contribution to an good mtb cause.
So if you wanted it,i would expect the same. if this is ok,then you’d be welcome to it.

w.mids area btw.