Wanted: Free or very cheap bikes

Hi! I am an American student studying in london for the term and possibly the rest of the year. I desperately need a bike, but they are so expensive! I am wondering if anyone might have a bike that they would be willing to loan out (I'd even pay a deposit to ensure you get it back in good condition) or that they would like to sell for cheap cheap. I am willing to ride anything at this point (I miss my bikes in the states).

Please let me know!

thanks!

--Olivia

I can sell you my girlfriends old mountain bike for £30....

Hi, I'm also on the lookout for parts or bikes on the cheap to make a single speed. Checking ebay etc. but if anyone here has any unused bits and bobs, please post! On the offchance, anyone got a frame for a 6'5"er?

If your at uni, where are all the bikes parked and does anyone 'police' them. We (I work at a uni in Surrey) have a system where all the old bikes are tagged every summer and if not moved withing 2 weeks are claimed as lost property and 2 weeks later sold on (monies to a charity). It seems many foreign students buy a cheap bike and then just abandon it at summer on the campus. you can often pick up a reasonable bike that just needs a service and little TLC for £20, frames and bits go for small change. Does your uni operate any system like this?

yeah, i work at a large uni and last week they tagged all the 'ghost' bikes. there must of been at least 50+.

I Have a new track frame that would be good for a 6'5" person
£50, no fork but I can sort that easy and cheap if needed.

Olivia, the two places I would recommend are Gumtree and Ebay.
Gumtree unfortunately has lots of dodgy / stolen stuff, but also some genuine, and you can find an old bike for cheaper than Ebay.
Note that these days nobody seems to want women's bikes (the frames without the top tube), I was watching a couple on Ebay and they went for £5, in the London area. This also means they're less likely to get stolen.

Olivia, it would likely be less costly just to have one of your bikes shipped over, and though it be a for-gone possibility, it is plenty inexpensive to pack one up and bring it on the plane- maybe next time.

craigslist

I'm not sure if its the same in London but here in Brighton the council tag abandoned bikes for removal (they've normally been trashed or stripped) anyway the council remove them all on one day and if you ask nicely they'll let you save any frames etc from going to the dump. A high end, new GT mountain bike F&F is just sat at the end of my street just waiting to go to the dump. its very sad.

Shall we liberate it rich?

do it.

i also am on the lookout for free/cheap cheap/bits and bobs/frame/complete/anything to make me a fixed (up look sharp) bike.

i am quite short. maybe 5ft 7?

Walthamstow has a bike recycling project where you should be able to score a bike for about 50 quid. Don't know how easy it is for you to get over there.
http://www.lbwf.gov.uk/index/transport/parking-roads/road-safety-home/rd-safety/cycling/cycling-recycle.htm

Olivia - if you don't mind getting an old wreck and fixing it up, there is a decent looking, lugged, ladies, road / hybrid in a charity shop at the NOrth end of Lamb's Conduit Street. £25 but I bet they'd take an offer. I've mentioned it in the other thread here.

Might be worth checking out, if you are in the area.

I'm a teacher and the police gave us a bunch of recovered stolen bikes. they;re pretty shit though and most of them are BMXs. i think the idea is that someone comes in to teach the kids to fix up the bikes and then ride them to school - don;t know i don;t have anything to do with it. Anyway, my point is that other recovered bikes (more suited for adults) must go somewhere. police auctions? don;t know anything about them but it would be worth pursuing this line of enquiry.

might be worth checking out the police auctions too be honest mostly full of pile'o'crap hundred quid special full suspensions, but worth the occasional look.