I was off down the local tip not half an hour ago dumping two bags of garden waste, and I saw a really nice mountain bike frame and wheels lobbed in there - nothing wrong with it, just an old saracen frame which was lobbed in there. So, being on the hunt for a freebie as I want to try and get into this cycling lark, but I don't know what I want or if I'd like it, I thought perhaps the best way is a cheapie or better a freebie, so that unlike my mates I don't go and plough 500 notes into evens' till and then have it sat in the garage forever more after a couple of months. So I thought I'd ask if I could have it or make a small donation towards it, now I know that once it's in the skip it's council property, but it's worth a go. So the bloke came over (there was nobody around by the way), looked at the bike I meant and decided to give me some old chat to the same effect, and as I drove off was there spinning the wheels back on! The thing that gets me is the fact it was there to start with. there's enough voluntary projects / freecycle / fleabay people that'll take that off your hands if its working - but to just cart it off and dump it to me seems a bit of a waste when someone else could make use of it. On another note, does anyone know anything about a bicycle frame mfr that went by the name of Coventry Eagle? I've got what appears to be a racer frame, which I was half thinking of restoring as a vintage racer, but I'd like to know a bit more about the frame - what price point they were pitched at, what era etc. if its worth it basically.
nah, been down that road, and not a lot comes up other than they were bought out by falcon cycles, but it's pretty thin on what happened from there.
saracen = good eagle/ falcon = sh!t just because there was a frame and wheels don't make it a good bike...everything else on it could be worn out wheels buckled etc... i recently had same dilema with my 22yo saracen mtb - gears completely worn to the point of not even going forward. could have easily chucked it in the skip and got another, but as i'd just put new brake pads and tyres on, spent £50 on bits and she's back on the road. (edit: saw bike same as mine sell on ebay for £40, with another bike! - that didn't help my decision making process)
That's what I needed to know!! the saracen is a non starter as the bloke down the tip grabbed it. The Eagle frame had sat in the garage back at mums for around 40 years. I just couldn't get that basic summary out of any of the sites, and that's what I was after. if it was a vintage Bianci or Pinarello frame then i'd restore it without thinking twice. Ultimately It's something which obviously would have cost more in time and labour than the sum of the parts but that's not the point if it's got some pedigree as we all know. I was given a crappy bog basic raleigh mountain bike also, and other than some new tyres and brake cable and blocks it'll do for what I want until I find out whether me and using my own calories to haul my arse are going to get along. If it was a racer frame say at the top of its game in the 50's or 60's then I'd restore it just as a nice little tinkering project, but if it was nothing better than a 80 quid starter bike out of tesco or asda now, then there's no point, especially as its all seized up. This is what I was getting at, as it'll involve a lot of corrosion removal and un-seizing.
You'd think. However, previous efforts on freecycle have either had no interest, or you get bombarded with cheeky cnuts expecting you to deliver a free item halfway across the county. Similar with ebay, full of chancers and people expecting something for nothing. We have voluntary projects around here, but they've now started charging to take your items. Right, so you want me to pay you to take my item, so you can give it/sell it at far below real value to some sponging workshy pikey who I'm already paying for through my taxes. Are you having a fucking laugh? Hence you end up in the situation of "Fuck it, I'll just take it up the tip, it's cheaper and less hassle"
