Bicycle hoarding really can be for the greater good...

[Tri Girl]

I gave away one of my commuter bikes at one time to a friend who gave it to a client of hers (she's a counselor). This girl is in high school and needs transportation to get to school and her job. Her family life is horrible and her mom drinks so she cannot depend on her to take her to work and school. She started working at 15 so she could save money to buy lunch at school, clothes from the thrift store, and save some money for college one day. 2 years later and she still rides that bike to school and work every day. Makes me feel good that I'm a bike hoarder! Whenever my DH moans at my bike acquisitions, I remind him that we need to share our blessings.

and I was loaned a bike once. I wanted to try out a tri bike and a friend of mine lent me her nice TT bike for 4 months while I decided if I liked it. I did and bought one.

Give and receive.

[warneral]

love these stories

I can't even bear to sel off my trek 800 MTB from 14 years ago. I told DH that we could give it to ds when he gets big enough. It's still a good bike and wouldn't sell for much at all!

[chicagogal]

I only have 2 bikes because I sell bikes to buy bike stuff . . .

However, friend commutes to work by bike, but had her bike stolen. She had no idea how she was going to get to work, until I offered to lend her my "winter bike". She was very grateful and road it for several months until eventually buying herself a bike and giving mine back just in time for winter!

[Cataboo]

love these stories

I can't even bear to sel off my trek 800 MTB from 14 years ago. I told DH that we could give it to ds when he gets big enough. It's still a good bike and wouldn't sell for much at all!

The bike I gave to my Mom was a trek 800. I've been keeping an eye on craigslist for another one for myself, but haven't found one yet for the right price.

[arielmoon]

I am on the receiving end of the equation and I am very grateful! My attorney is a mountain bike racer and he insisted that I borrow his "old" bike so that I could find out what the big deal was. I have had to wait to get more healed from my accident but I will be out on the trails more this fall and winter.

Yay for people like you!!!

[Cataboo]

So in the further adventures of Dave - he rode the bike like 10 miles to go see a girl he had a date with. He got there, she told him she was too busy or something, he rode back home - hit a gulley and crashed, ripping up his hands (I told him to wear his gloves)

A few days later, he came home and had somehow bent the chainrings on the crankset. R hammered them back flat.

This morning, he rode one of the commuter buses into the city with it, got off the bus, and the bus took off before he could get the bike off.

So, in 2 months or so - 2 crashes, 1 ripped tire & warped wheel, 1 set of bent chainrings (????), and a missing bike.

[Melalvai]

My daughter's bike that is too small for her, and my husband's bike that he has not ridden in over a year came in really handy when our nieces & nephews were up visiting one day and I took them all to the park. The older 2 stayed home by themselves and I distributed the younger ones on all the different bikes plus one in a trailer and we had exactly enough and more or less the right sizes. We still have those 2 bikes "just in case"!

[colorisnt]

I wish I could show my mother these stories. My father and I are bike hoarders and this summer, we took in a bunch of "orphans" to fix up. Our garage was bike-laden to the brim.

Mom said, "Get those bikes out of there!", so we tried to sell a couple. Couldn't. So, we ended up giving them to the organization that I was working for this summer that has a family involvement dept. A lot of kids got some great bikes. One got the nicest one and is now commuting to and from school (which is a big deal because he lives in a really low income area and his parents don't have a car). It means that he now has independence and can ride. Last I heard, he is loving the bike.