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Can we talk about the state of used parts bins lately?
Six months ago, I could find a decent 9-speed derailleur or a set of V-brakes in the shop's bin no problem. Now it's just a pile of broken plastic shifters and seized seatposts from department store bikes. Feels like the quality of stuff people are donating or trading in has really gone downhill. Anyone else's shop seeing this?
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hayden_craig951mo agoMost Upvoted
That bit about "department store bikes" hits home. I wonder if it's because people who bought decent bikes during the pandemic are actually still riding them, so they aren't getting donated or stripped for parts yet. The stuff cycling down to the bins now is the truly worn-out big box stuff that sat in a garage for two years after the hype died. It's like we're seeing the bottom of the barrel because the mid-tier stuff is still in use.
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hugos461mo ago
Totally disagree on the "bottom of the barrel" idea. I'm already seeing a TON of mid-level pandemic bikes for sale cheap or left out. People bought a $800 hybrid, rode it three times, and now it's just taking up space. That's not worn-out junk, it's barely used stuff getting dumped because the hobby didn't stick. The department store bikes were already trash to begin with.
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aaron_mitchell1mo ago
Exactly, and hugos46 is seeing the other half of it.
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