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Pinkbike Poll: Have You Ever Recycled A Frame?

Sep 28, 2021 at 7:31
by Seb Stott  
photo


With environmental issues getting harder to ignore, many discussions are had and claims are made about the environmental impact of different materials. The fact that aluminum can be recycled again and again is often cited as a major environmental advantage when compared to carbon fiber,

There is some truth to this. Aluminum is widely recycled, doing so requires about twenty times less energy than making virgin material and, importantly, it actually makes economic sense to do so. In fact, in some places, recyclers will actually pay you for scrap aluminum. Carbon fiber, on the other hand, isn't often recycled. At best, it gets chopped up and made into a reinforced plastic which can be used for something like a brake lever or the sole of a mid-range cycling shoe, but not another bike frame. When that reinforced plastic reaches the end of its (second) life, it's usually sent to landfill. So even when a carbon fiber frame or component is recycled, this is usually a one-way process, more accurately described as downcycling rather than recycling.

But when companies and commenters lay it on thick about how their aluminum frame is recyclable, it gets me thinking - does anybody actually recycle their mountain bike frame? While aluminum is easy to recycle, bike frames are made of aluminum alloys containing many other metals, plus they're usually painted; this makes it harder and less cost-effective to recycle compared to pure aluminum.

The last time I went to my local recycling centre I saw plenty of rusty and unloved kids bikes in a shipping container destined for who-knows-where, but not a single mountain bike made in the last twenty years. Not even one with a hub axle spacing we now know to be unrideable.

Perhaps some of those classic MTBs are still being ridden, but I doubt many are. When was the last time you saw an Orange Patriot or Iron Horse Sunday out on the trails? They used to be everywhere, so where have they all gone? Have many actually been recycled, or are they just sitting in a loft somewhere?
photo
The Sunday was both a dream bike and a common sight in the late noughties. Where are they all now?

Have you ever taken a mountain bike frame to be recycled?



As long as those bikes haven't been sent to a landfill, there is hope they'll be recycled eventually, But if the average bike is used for say ten years, then sits in a loft for twenty more, that's a lot of aluminum taken out of circulation for a long time, meaning more has to be produced in the interim. So if you have recycled a frame, how old was it at the time?

If you have recycled a frame, how old was it?



How many mountain bikes do you own that never get ridden?



What do you do with a bike when you're finished riding it?

Tick all that apply





Author Info:
seb-stott avatar

Member since Dec 29, 2014
322 articles
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157 Comments
  • 118 2
 needs the "make a lamp/art out of it" option
  • 128 1
 I feel like garage wall art would be a popular choice
  • 30 2
 @SATN-XC: this. i generally ride my bikes into the ground & the frames get hung on the wall when they're broken and/or obsolete. think i've got half a dozen hanging about currently. good art / mementos.
  • 9 5
 @SATN-XC: Or it sits behind my shed/garage and gets overgrown by weeds.
  • 4 3
 That's inherently recycling
  • 11 1
 I like to think that the people who steal my old mountain bikes that have been turned into commuter bikes then recycle them…
  • 6 1
 Have a broken Yeti frame in my garage waiting to be turned into a lamp.
  • 10 1
 What about taking a 20 year old DH bike and strapping a motor on it - does that count as recycling?
Asking for a friend
  • 2 1
 @ou812ic: I’m in this discussion and I don’t like it.
  • 21 0
 I'm almost thirty, trying to attract a lady female. If I wasn't I would build all my furniture out of old bike parts,
  • 6 0
 @nsmithbmx: don't disrespect your lamps like that bro
  • 2 0
 @IllestT: lol everyone at my neighboorhood parks
  • 4 0
 Also needs a give it to the wife/partner in the hopes that they will start riding more.
  • 2 0
 Last handlebar I turned into push up bar
  • 1 0
 @nsmithbmx: As do I. A dh8 to be exact. And a schwinn straight 8.
  • 6 0
 I have a 2009 Trek Session frame, the rear triangle snapped and I didn't have warranty so now I bring the front triangle to races, along with an old handlebar, and make noise for the racers
  • 2 0
 www.pinkbike.com/photo/21422444
  • 60 1
 Remember, despite Pinkbike’s goal to get you to buy more shtuff it’s supposed to be: REDUCE, then REUSE, and finally RECYCLE.
  • 17 1
 When it comes to bikes…
REDUCE : nope
REUSE: over and over and over
RECYCLE: haven’t got there because of reuse
  • 8 0
 @jnicol: reduce : n-1 does not work in bike industry
  • 3 0
 Amen, brother.
  • 1 0
 @nickmalysh: haha in what industry does it work, smartphones? Cars? Shoes?
  • 2 0
 @jnicol: Idk why bit this reminds me of old days and my relationships
  • 1 0
 @jnicol: yes!
  • 54 1
 Anything metal that you leave at the curb around here is gone in an hour, maybe it's recycled? maybe it's used as a crack pipe? maybe it's turned into that new Pole bike?
  • 11 1
 Exactly this! We can talk about recycling all we want but until there is a easy to use pathway with a clear supply chain that goes end to end, it's just talk.
  • 8 0
 At least the crack pipe is reusing the frame!
  • 1 0
 Ya, that's why people don't park their prius outside anymore. Catalytic converters are the new crack.
  • 51 0
 No I just throw it in the ocean.
  • 16 1
 artificial reef good for you
  • 46 1
 Me too, of the coast of Switzerland.
  • 3 1
 Safe and Legal thrills.
  • 3 0
 @cvoc: You can get some extra distance out into the water if you yeet it off the walls of Chateau de Chillon
  • 4 0
 I throw mine next to the car batteries in the ocean
  • 26 1
 "What do you do with a bike when you're finished riding it?" - it stays in the shed in case I ever need it again. Where's the option for just keeping it?
  • 3 0
 yes, the private museum option
  • 23 3
 As a career mechanic working at a shop that sold Specialized and Santa Cruz, I've sawed a lot of frames in half, but I've never recycled any of them. We just didn't have anything in place for such a procedure.
  • 8 0
 We just leave them out the back of the shop/in a dumpster (same with all our dead rims). The local homeless population takes them to the recycling depot or does whatever else with them
  • 4 0
 I should add, you can get decent money for aluminum here.
  • 1 0
 @notthatfast: I believe this is what happens to a pretty large percentage of stolen bikes even pretty decent ones. Sawed up and taken to the recycler to get $5.
  • 4 0
 @notthatfast: I used to work in a shop that took donations and then upcycled them to functional bikes. We had a team of volunteers come in and disassemble bikes and wheels and sort metals. While Aluminium is worth some cash, Brass is where it's at (or at lest was). Yes, they'd separate the nipples from the spokes and we'd sell the brass.
  • 16 1
 If it's magnetic steel, throwing a frame in the trash almost certainly likely leads to recycling. My local trash collectors claim to have sorters who retrieve recycleables from commercial waste. None of it is guaranteed, but using a material which can be recycled certainly increases the probability that it might be recycled. About 10 years ago when working at a mid-sized bike company, I looked into recycling carbon fiber commercially, there were no US facilities capable of recyling it, there were prohibitively expensive options to ship parts to asia for recycling. I only ever saw CF repurposed into small parts at factories where they could be sure it was clean and of its composition. Aluminum is one of the most-recycled metals in the world (steel is #1) with a well established recycling chain. Aluminum more than pays for its own recycling in the consumer and industrial waste stream. Recycling aluminum saves more than 90 percent of the energy required versus producing new metal, and can be achieved domesticallly. On a related note, CF is probably the easiest to repair, then steel, then 7005, then 6061. That's about all I know, but I can put you in touch with a supply chain auditer who would love to speak with you about this if you like @seb-stott
  • 11 0
 Here in Colorado that would be correct for the most part. I have a friend who works for a metals recycler. They literally get train cars full of metal from Waste Management. They sort it and grind it up then send it off to be reused again. Waste Management has a couple large sorting facility’s around Denver where they try really hard to salvage as much metal as possible. They don’t get it all but at least they are trying. The day will come when the old landfills are mined for all the materials we have thrown out over the years.
  • 12 1
 I think new bikes are refined enough, and advancements have started to flatline that I see lesser and lesser advantage to upgrading as regularly. Bikes are finally reliable, comfortable, light, and extremely capable.

new advancements are unnecessary for 90% of us (AXS, wireless dropper, livewire suspension).

Add in the fact bikes and parts are in scarce supply, I think you will see a trend where people will keep there bikes more long term.

The peak in mountainbike record sales is near if not over. IMO
  • 4 1
 unless someone come up with superioost or other standard of the bb, shock or whatever, hanger; it all depends on product support lifecycle, as long as you can keep spare part's - you technically can;

For example forks spare parts and service became harder after 5 year mark; I have 10 y old fork, and I'm finding hard to service it or justify cost of service at all, cheaper to buy new
  • 8 0
 This may happen, probably will happen, but I have been riding mountain bikes since the 80s and I would argue the pace of change has increased in the last few years and standards are changing faster - meaning a shorter period when parts are available for bikes. So I think to some extent the opposite has happened. I have a 90s hardtail that is still easy to get parts on it to keep it rideable, but everything for bikes from 2008-2013 has become pretty much unobtanium. Looking for an axle for that 2009 fork -Ha ha ha ha ha what a caveman. but a wheel for your 97 cinder cone - no problem
  • 1 0
 I 100% agree man! Glad to see others in my boat.
  • 2 0
 I dont think we are anywhere near the peak. Im not sure how its going in Canada but hear in Australia bike sales have exploded due to Covid. People who started riding a year ago, are already upgrading bikes and the sheer amount of new cyclists should make the sport boom even more
  • 1 1
 @cullyen: it is everywhere, my hope it will lead to legalizing a lot of trail, and will give push a lot of aki reaorts to offer lift assisted services during the summer;

In US minimum amount of resort operate w the summer, compared to EU, where anything with ski lift provide lift assisted services for mtb and hikes during the summer;

Which also will lead in more higher focus on the recycling, reusing and reducing
  • 1 0
 @nickmalysh: I thought as much but didnt want to assume. Ski resorts in Oz cry every year about snow conditions and how quiet it is and they barely utilise the areas in summer. It has picked up and more people riding can only mean more legal and maintained trails.
The focus on recycling and reusing is growing in all aspects of life, hopefully bike companies start offering a return reward for broken or old frames outside warranty. That obviously has issues that would need to be worked out, but it would be great
  • 2 0
 @cullyen: while they cry about snow, last year btw covid lockdowns they were crowded as F, and over last 10 years amount of skiers across the glob constantly rising like crazy, same for mtb, hiker, etc so they either Need to adapt - that will be beneficial for resorts and public equally
  • 7 0
 I run one of those charities (though we prefer to be called a community bike shop) where people donate things to be reused. And we do try to reuse as much as possible, but there are plenty of BSOs and worn-out rides that just need to be euthanized, so, yeah, I've recycled many, many bike frames. We just toss them in a big trailer of tetanus and take it all to the scrapyard, where we get about three and a half cents a pound for mixed metal.
  • 6 0
 Anyone else wish the cycling media would do some investigative reporting once in awhile? Seems like all the questions posed in the article are answerable and a poll is just lazy. The poll data just confirmed that not many people understand recycling or bigger questions about carbon footprints and waste at each level of production and consumption. I’m not against field test brand sponsored ‘review’ content, but I wouldn’t mind if I learned something from @Pinkbike.
  • 6 1
 The fact that almost everyone in the survey sells their bike after they are finished riding it means that you're asking the wrong people about recycling it. I have no idea what happens to my old aluminum bikes that I sell, but I bet they're still ridden somewhat. Why don't you ask the millions of non-bike people during the COVID rush who bought an aluminum bike that will sit in their garage unused for the next 20 years? For every one bike that I buy and ride frequently, there are 1,000 bikes that are bought and never used. Now, that's an emissions and energy problem.
  • 1 0
 Rusting in garage it is almost as throwing in the ocean - just delayed for 20 years
  • 6 1
 If its snapped, its scrapped. If its rideable, its sellable. There's only one broken frame that I've still got, and that's my very first kona hardtail frame. Sentimental value and all that, despite the cracked chainstays.
  • 2 1
 depends where you live. snapped and welded frames are regularly sold and ridden for many more years
  • 1 1
 Exactly, it’s bikes all the way down. My around town bike is a 25year old Mona that was top of the line in its day
  • 3 1
 What @maucina said. Snapped a chainstay on a Rune v2 and sold it for cheap to a nice PB'er who took it to be repaired.
I wonder if it's still being ridden........
  • 6 1
 "What do you do with a bike when you're finished riding it?"
My Intense 5.5 EVP Raw is hanging on my wall. Its literally a work of art. And its not broken, just resting.
  • 7 1
 What do you do with a bike when you're finished riding it?
put it on the wall. That shit is art!
  • 3 1
 I am riding the latest Pole.
  • 3 0
 Painted alu is harder to recycle? In the foundry I work at it all just goes into the crucible for the Elaine to get burned off... an the probably into the lungs of the die casters.....¿
  • 3 0
 Elaine??? Paint!!! Stoopid phone....
  • 2 0
 In the Netherlands every bit of metal that ends up in the trash is actually pulled out at the waste disposal site, using a big magnet. It is then sold to a company that melts it into useable material.

I used to work in a bikeshop that had a big container for anything metallic and every month a gypsy couple came all the way from Romania (2-3000 km) to buy it off us for a few euros, probably to sell it again to make a profit. No idea how as is must cost a ton of money just for petrol alone.
  • 1 0
 Steel scrap 200-250e / ton
Alu scrap 1700-1800e / ton

there is a lot of money in this industry
  • 1 0
 Start research for your next article by searching "wind turbine recycling" - because massive numbers of carbon wind turbine blades are being retired in favor of . . . even larger turbines. Bike frames will only be a blip on the scales of these recycling companies, but i don't think they will turn you down - and you all can feel better about those carbon frames.
  • 2 1
 Cracked a chainstay on a fatbike, hung it on the wall for a couple months before I decided that was dumb. Tried to open the crack a bit more and the seat/chainstay tore off completely, which was good because I figured some crackhead might try to sell it if the crack was easily hidden/painted over. Drove that down to the local recycling center.
  • 5 1
 Reusing should always be the first priority, it has the least environmental impact.
  • 2 0
 Apart from not buying it it the first place.
  • 2 1
 No applicable options for this one:

"What do you do with a bike when you're finished riding it?"


I bought a new bike in 1987 (Still have an intact) and another in 1988 and still have all parts remaining (traded out frame). Last bike I sold was in 1988. lol
  • 2 1
 The only problem is aluminum can only be recycled a certain amount of times for a couple of reasons before it becomes useless other than as a filler for cunstruction. 1. Aluminum is not aluminum it is an alloy made mainly of aluminum with other metals. 2. It starts oxidizing and corroding, this depends on the alloy type. 3. The more you recycle it the higher the chance that multiple alloys are mixed together weakening the material. Recycling aluminum works well for places like NSB where they know exactly what type of aluminum they are recycling and it is clean.
  • 5 1
 Does loading it up with Tannerite and using it for a gender reveal count as recycling?
  • 1 0
 As long as the fire danger is low, let it rip
  • 2 1
 while I never recycled a frame, basically sold them, a lot of wear and tear on the bikes gets trash out, like broker derailleur, cables, pedals, hoses, droppers, tires;

Now at least some companies offer tire recycling, however for other part I believe majority put them into the trash;
  • 1 1
 I was just in Whistler and loved they had two different trash cans one for tubes and one for tires.
  • 1 2
 @mfoga: nice, however does anyone ride tubes nowadays?

Jokes aside this is small step forward, hopefully we will see more options in future;

Also i have big question about ski gear? How people recycle old boots?
  • 2 1
 A shop I used to work at would make quarterly runs to the recyclery with all manners of aluminum from roached chain rings and crank arms, bits of trimmed steerers and bars to broken, crashed or warranty frames. degrease and sort by known alloys for best return and least likely to windup in the landfill
  • 2 1
 I finally let my once beloved 1998 Trek 8900 frame go to the recycler over the weekend, finally admitting to myself that I'd never build that awesome 26" commuter I thought I might. Other than that, bikes get passed down, given away, or sold. Old Bullitt will always have a place in the shop though, and will be ready if old style free ride comes back.
  • 1 0
 I work for a recycling company so for my last frame i just seperated it out into its seperate materials ie steel bearings and axel's seperated from the alu frame then just dumped them into there apropriate bins. Parts i generally reuse,give to friends or keep as spares.
  • 1 0
 I'd like to hear from the bike manufacturers on their product end of life plans for carbon bikes and when we'll see a move to thermoplastic carbon fibre. Today's current carbon bikes are almost impossible to recycle due to the resins they use. For an industry that is such a major growth market they should lead the way in developing green technology.
  • 1 0
 Only frame I haven’t sold on was my 1989 GT Teqesta which I stupidly threw in a skip when I was 25 because it would have needed new drive train, new wheels, new everything, which would have cost more than the frame was worth at the time.
Regretted it ever since.
  • 1 0
 Uh..this made me count up my "better than box store" bikes. I've had 10 frames. I still have 5 of them(3 of which get ridden, 1 is just a frame, and 1 is a complete antique). 2 were stolen. I gave one(the first one) to my mom to ride. I gave one to a friend to ride. I got rid of one because it sucked (Trek 9800 OCLV hardtail in '99 or '00).
  • 1 0
 So far for my family it has been:

1) and 2) stolen unlocked in a communal garage, whoops for trusting people
3) stolen locked to a post in same garage, now store in apartment
4) and 5) gave to a gear swap raffle thing, got a bar bag and an MRE in exchange
6) too big for wife gave to mom
7) gave to brother-in-law during the great bike shortage

I would like to figure out if I can recycle any broken parts. Right now have a bent steel cassette but it has plastic spacers. Wonder if I can drill out the connecting pin and recycle the gears.
  • 1 0
 I have a couple of the carbon tubes from a 90s Trek frame (back when "carbon" frames were the front triangle in carbon epoxied to an AL head tube/bb/rear-triangle) that mostly get used as cheater bars over a ratchet handle when I need to unstick a really tight bolt. I don't recall what became of the AL parts of that frame after the chainstay broke, but the top tube was given to a mechanic friend who wanted to fashion a stool out of it. I dunno if he ever did.

That's only the second frame I've ever broke (It being a warranty replacement/upgrade for the steel Trek 830 that preceded it.). Every other mtb I've owned has been given away to friends/family or sold online.
  • 1 0
 Wouldn't it be nice if the big bike companies had a recycling incentive program? Bring in your old alloy/steel frame and get a nice discount towards a future bike purchase. Obviously for older bikes. New one's you'd likely get more money towards a new purchase.
  • 2 0
 A discount wouldn't make sense because it would create additional costs to track for the bike company. It would mean each bike would need to cost more to get it to the recycling station.

I've never understood why all of the bike parts, component & frame suppliers don't include a breakdown sheet with their products for each bike shop.

Information from a manufacturer on WHERE the bits & pieces they make "Go Next" is just Step 1 on the consumer end of establishing a recycling information database.

Seems like one of these e-tailers could aggregate the disposal protocol for each part & sell the database to manufacturers.

Customer comes in with X bike with X parts, employee punches into the database & gets all the strip down info.

Big hurdle...the shop would have to charge the consumer for the service b/c no matter what they pull off the bike to recycle, they're not recouping the labour cost at the sales counter of the recycler. But heck, we all NEED to do it.
  • 1 0
 Turner used to do something like this. I don’t remember the exact details, but basically, you could turn in your old one for a little discount on a new one.
  • 1 0
 @TheR: heh. They inspected them for damage & the good bits were used to provide replacement parts for older rigs.

Intense did the same. Steber would even weld head tubes back on at one point (or at least he did for the guy that I sold my original Uzzi DH to.
  • 1 0
 This poll raises a question I would really like to understand. I've been riding over 20 years and, on average, break a frame every 18 months. This number is not including crash related failures. Nearly all of these are cracks at welds, dropouts, linkages, etc. and have been warrantied by manufacturers.

Yes, bikes kinda sucked in the 90s and early 2000s. Because of that, I have been trail riding big AM/FR/Enduro bikes since 2006. Yet I still seem to break frames constantly. Do my choices in frames suck (looking at you, Yeti)? Do bikes suck? Do pros break frames on a weekly basis? Or do I just suck?

Genuine question and I would love to understand how often this happens to others.
  • 1 0
 @nathanawebster pick a frame, type into Google or even Pinkbike's forum search "My "Insert Brand Here" cracked.

I've not known a single bike to not crack over the years. The only thing I know that didn't was the Turner DHR from day one had zero head tube failures.

The irony of that is that the best DHR ever, the 2011, was doomed by SAPA producing the first 200 DHR frames that year and every...single...one...cracked the very first ride.
  • 1 0
 If you are a 120kg muscle package taking mtb sports seriously, get in touch with a frame builder and let him/her build something adequate. Smile Otherwise... well, there are always more where those Yetis come from.
  • 1 0
 Yep, I found a 2002 Scott strike carbon frame that had be put out for the scrap man because the BB insert had broken out its housing. I brought some 3m apoxy 36 and re glued the bb insert, brought a load of cheap 26er parts of Facebook that most consider redundant, and now I have a 12 kg old skool xc bike. upcycled
  • 1 0
 I have taken in a couple of old or cracke Al frames from friends and use them as stock in cnc and other projects. I have taken the dropouts from a bike and used the diskmount to make a mount for my first bike, a gaint cadex. Used bottle mounts to move the bottle mount foward on my privee so I could mount a tool below it. And best of all used some tubes to make a small cnc router.
  • 1 0
 I always try to revive an old bike before giving it to a friend or family member. I pretty much lose money doing this 100% of the time but it makes me happy to see a bike get a second chance and a person get on a bike that will last a long time.
  • 1 0
 Funny I had that same Green Sunday. I took the dual fork off put a single crown 27.5 fork on it. I gave it to a friend with no money who had his bike stolen. He's still riding it.
  • 2 1
 I have a friend who gave me his old bike because it was taking up too much space in his garage. I now see why he did that because it just takes up space in mine. Ironically it was a VP free.
  • 3 1
 Working at a shop Ive tossed a bunch of carbon frames into the trash, but even more alu and steel bikes in to recycling. Cool story huh.
  • 1 1
 Two things in mind..

First: You should know this one for sure -you have to #hecklersrock: youtu.be/efYZGWkq52M?t=241

And this is the way our broken frames be part of the game: fstatic1.mtb-news.de/v3/21/2134/2134800-zn0pld9vtoxx-ready2rumble-large.jpg
  • 2 1
 All of my kids bikes I've donated once they no longer fit them. I have a 2003 Haro, my first ever mountain bike, on my trainer. That Haro gets ridden indoors more than it ever did on the trails..
  • 2 0
 Where's the option for: I hang on to my broken bicycles forever so I can slowly scavenge parts off of them for the rest of my life.
  • 1 0
 Here's an Iron Horse recycled: front shock location moved up to slack off the front and drop the BB for the 24" wheels. He loved that bike.
www.instagram.com/p/CK0f4o-BKTl
  • 2 0
 I still have my first mtb from 99, built it up in high school with old parts from the bike shop and named it
"the drunk bike". Some good hazy memories with that bike.
  • 1 0
 Does it have ape hangers, all good drunk bikes have ape hangers!
  • 1 0
 Found an abandoned mtb on the side of the road. Fixed it up enough to be ridden by my FIL on bike paths for a year until he wanted something better. Took it to the town recycling center as it wasn’t worth anything.
  • 2 0
 I repaired many steel frames for me or friends. I made gravel bikes in old mtb frames. Filled braze is easy tu use and it opens mind to new possibilities
  • 1 0
 I have got some decent frames off marketplace that were for a scrap uplift built a specialized hard rock for my dad to start riding now that thing looks proper sick kitted out with many good parts and a new paint job
  • 1 0
 I have an 08 Orange Patriot that i used until last year when it got replaced by an 12-13’ish Orange alpine 160… the patriot waits for my 8-yar old to by tall enough to use it, plenty of life still in it
  • 2 1
 where is the repair box i have had a jumpbike frame welded and then had to give it an awesome paint job looks better than new
  • 2 1
 I recycle my bikes straight into the hands of some kid with so they can go bash it around in the woods and have a good time just like I did.
  • 1 1
 The manufacturers typically want their broken frames back, so no recycling. If the frame is not broken, someone will take. Heck, I've had a guy drive a couple hours to pick up my cracked titanium frame.
  • 1 0
 Norco life lol, this year 3 ppl i know cracked their Norco. Apparently Crank it up is too extreme for the Sight loool. Selling a rear Norco Sight triangle.
  • 1 0
 The bicycle industry is a net negative in terms of environmental impact. There are many other more effective places to look for helping the environment.
  • 1 0
 With a little bit of engineering any old frame can easily be turned into a multi bong , wouldn’t advise using carbon frames though , ruins the flavour.
  • 1 0
 The poll "What do you do with a bike when you're finished riding it?" lacks the option "throw it to my garage and wait for decades for the dust to cover it"
  • 1 0
 what about an option of recycling by grabbing an old bike that no one wants, fixing it up with spare parts and continue using it?
  • 1 0
 I ain’t that old yet.

But

A GT Sanction noisemaker remains in the quiver
  • 2 1
 @conoat Yeah I agree I used a old giant bike frame as a shelf and just have a old diamondback frame hanging on the wall
  • 2 1
 If by recycled you mean sold it for 85% less that what I originally bought it for, then yes.
  • 2 2
 I've never done it but I have friends who take the frames to the desert and fill it full of holes with an assault rifle and then hang it in the garage.
  • 3 1
 I think there needs to be a “keep the bike” on the last question
  • 1 1
 Was hoping this would be an article about how I can put my old frame in the curbside recycling bin and it would get recylced.
  • 2 1
 I think that giving the bikes to friends and family is recycling. It's not going to waste.
  • 4 2
 They go on a wall as a wall piece not in the trash u sick fuks
  • 3 1
 this one was almost in the bin... www.pinkbike.com/photo/21343754
  • 1 0
 You were gonna throw a new Pole away!
  • 1 0
 I find you typically have to hacksaw them up to fit in the bin. Aluminum cuts up a lot nicer than plastic.
  • 1 0
 I just figured that all bikes ready to be recycled ended up on the buy/sell page.
  • 2 0
 all my old frames are on my wall.
  • 1 0
 I've put plenty of haggered old parts in the recycle bin but never a frame or a bike.
  • 2 0
 Many moons ago, re-cycling bikes and parts was how i kept my bike rolling.
  • 1 0
 My Sunday is still my go to DH bike. I’ll likely be recycled before that bike needs to be.
  • 1 0
 How to melt your mountain bike frame at home:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjJGjlpMfv0
  • 1 0
 I have two frames hanging from the rafters in my garage, the rest were all sold.
  • 1 0
 By giving it to charity means stolen then yes.
  • 1 1
 Probably will never rid myself of my Sunday frame! Such a sweet rig. Even just to look at, let alone shred!
  • 1 1
 Depends on the brand; some shit bikes belong in a dumpster, others are wall art.
  • 2 1
 I have re-welded and saved-from-the-container frames in use.
  • 1 1
 whats the better option for the planet: give(or sell) a bike to someone else to use or scrap it?
  • 3 3
 Buy titanium frames. Lasts forever. Out riding my 30 year old hardtail last night!
  • 1 1
 Sold most of mine , surprisingly people will buy them knowing they are broken ...for parts or art ect...
  • 2 1
 Every iron horse sunday need to be refurbished and ridden to death
  • 1 0
 i got a free trek with a old bomber z2 for free at the dump lol
  • 1 0
 Does chopping off the BB and mailing it in to the warranty dept. count?
  • 1 0
 Yes it's called pink bike buy and sell.
  • 1 0
 Still have 2 hanging up on the wall since they cant be sold. Good memories
  • 1 0
 I've never recycled a bike. But, I've also never thrown away a bike.
  • 1 0
 Every Trek Frame i break goes back to them and they recycle it
  • 2 0
 That’s a good argument to buy trek frames, since some of the btands require u a photo of damage , destroying bb area an that’s it to get new frame
  • 1 1
 Bicycle recycling at its best.


m.youtube.com/watch?v=KWunKA-ovpM
  • 1 0
 Need an option for "stolen before I was finished riding it"...
  • 1 0
 The proper answer was "goes up on your wall and looks cool"
  • 1 0
 I believe most of the frames are reCycled to its original intend.
  • 1 0
 Does the ol' annual Trek warranty replacement count as recycling...?
  • 1 0
 Missing the "Cover the cracks with stickers and sell" option
  • 1 1
 If repair count as recycle then yes one carbon frame







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