5 Great Places To Find A Free Or Cheap Bike

Written by Lynnette on September 8, 2008 | Comments (0)

Ginger, a fellow 40-something female who (like me) was eager to start biking again after many years away from the sport, recently emailed me:

I am really, really interested in buying a new (used) bike and getting into biking. I think it would be a great activity for me and my daughter to do together, as well as much needed, non-weight bearing exercise for me. All of that said, can you recommend some good places to seek out a decent used bike? I'm a single mom who doesn't have a large budget.

Following is the information I shared with Ginger (...who, by the way found a bike lickety-split and has been biking regularly ever since).

Hopefully this will help others who are considering getting back into cycling as well.

To find a budget-friendly bike, I would go these routes myself:

Craigslist

To keep tabs on all free and low-cost things that appear on Craigslist for my area, I subscribe to the RSS feeds for "free stuff in nashville" and "general for sale in nashville".

If you're not in a hurry, you might just keep your eyes on those feeds for bikes that are posted occasionally.

Freecycle

I also signed up for the Freecycle email list for my area (several years ago), and I've given and receive a lot of items for free!

I'd say that bikes aren't nearly as popular as say, computers, but you'll see a listing for a bike every once in awhile.

The best part about Freecycle is that everything is being given away for FREE. (And no, things usually are not in crappy condition. I've been quite impressed with the many treasures I've found through Freecycle.)

Another good thing about Freecycle is you can post "WANTED: A Bike" -- mention some of the features you're looking for (or don't restrict it at all) and you're quite likely to get emails from a handful of people who have been contemplating cleaning out their garages and passing on their bikes.

Used Sporting Goods Stores

Used sporting goods stores (or consignment stores that just feature sporting goods) would be a great place to check for a gently used bike. One example of this type of store is Play It Again Sports.

Local Bike Shops

All bike shops have a bulletin board somewhere in the store where people post bikes for sale, bikes wanted, etc. I would check there. Be sure to take a thumbtack so you can post your own note describing that you're just looking for a basic women's (or men's or children's) bike.

Be honest and to-the-point in your description, such as "nothing fancy (or expensive)"... because many of the bike postings found in bike shops will be for the more expensive bikes.

eBay

Ebay has a section devoted just to bicycles. You'll find bikes on eBay in all price ranges!

Garage Sales

You really need to be patient if yard sales and garage sales are your chosen method of obtaining a bike. It's a fun process though!

It's just that bikes are few and far between at garage sales. That is, unless you make a habit of visiting yard sales quite regularly... then, you're odds are pretty good.

So, if you're searching for a new "gently used" bike, I hope the above information helps a bit. Hopefully, you will be able to find a bike and start riding soon.

Cycling is tons of fun, and you don't have to be serious about cycling and going fast in order to truly enjoy it. (That's my favorite part.)

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