Found a free bike...need input.

[BC2COCyclist]

Thanks DH is more of the tinkering with bikes type...I might give it to one of our cyclist friends hmmmm

[Seajay]

That bike is a death trap. Please use it only as a practice repair bike or throw it out. Cut it in half so someone else is not tempted to ride it. Do not give it to a friend.
Not being flippant. Seriously. If this were a car it would be a 1970's Pinto with a rag stuffed in the gas tank, no brakes, bald tires and a bucket in place of a seat.

[BC2COCyclist]

I wonder if it possible to recycle it? (haha re-cycle)

[pll]

How about donating it?

http://bicyclecolo.org/articles/dona...-bike-pg67.htm

[Seajay]

How about donating it?

Assuming the local bike donation service is similar to the one in our neighborhood...They likely will not take it.
The bike cannot be made safe as is and none of the parts on it are usable on another bike.
Sure, its technically a donation, but it ends up being a liability because they would have pay to dispose of it.
Better to hand the bike donation service $10 and throw the bike away in your own trash.

Reminds me of our dump run a couple times a year. People are always coming up to us.
"You can't throw that out, its a perfectly good bike"
"Sir, we donate everything worth donating. These are just scrap metal. Please climb out of the pit. We already cut the tubes so no one would hurt themselves trying to ride them"

[luv2climb]

Roadmasters are BSOs ("Bicycle Shaped Objects"). Same with Magna, NEXT, Murray, Huffy, and the rest of the department store bikes.

I have not-so-fond memories of the Murray mtb I bought in 1985 destroying the rear derailleur shortly after purchase. It was used, but still in good condition. Well, as "good" as a BSO can get anyway.

A friend of mine insisted on buying a Wal-Mart BSO last summer, despite my warnings and pleas not to. Guess who got to wrench on that POS when it needed almost everything adjusted immediately? Needless to say, I uttered every cuss word in the book working on that POS!

Even scarier was the e-bike I bought a few years ago from a friend's neighbor. It had a front hub motor on a Roadmaster frame. That thing went at least 20 mph, and the thought of a mechanical failure at that speed caused me to sell it. Besides, I never got into the whole e-bike thing. I always got much more satisfaction from powering the bike myself.

[OakLeaf]

I don't know why you couldn't recycle the scrap metal. AFAIK any ferrous metal is recyclable? If you don't have curbside recycling or a scrapyard near enough to bother with, aren't there all kinds of organizations putting out construction dumpsters for scrap metal drives, like there are here?

[Owlie]

I have not-so-fond memories of the Murray mtb I bought in 1985 destroying the rear derailleur shortly after purchase. It was used, but still in good condition. Well, as "good" as a BSO can get anyway.

I relearned how to ride a bike (in the month before buying my bike) on a Murray mtb. The thing was a death trap--almost non-functional brakes, among other issues. It was borrowed from a friend who got it for $25 at a yard sale. Yeah...

[Irulan]

That bike is a death trap. Please use it only as a practice repair bike or throw it out. Cut it in half so someone else is not tempted to ride it. Do not give it to a friend.
Not being flippant. Seriously. If this were a car it would be a 1970's Pinto with a rag stuffed in the gas tank, no brakes, bald tires and a bucket in place of a seat.

Really? Do provide your sources and facts for "death trap" comment please. Isn't that a bit overkill?
I know that it's a piece of junk... but please justify the death trap comment. Plenty of people use POS bikes for errands, commuters, spare bikes and most importantly, when they can't afford something "nice".
Hundreds of low income people can't be wrong, can they?

[Trek420]

All bikes are good

[Cynedra]

All bikes are good

+1 Awesome comment

[7rider]

All bikes are good

I had an aunt who always said, "There are three kinds of "good." There's good, there's no good, and then there's good for nothing." Which is it?

[Fredwina]

Considering back in the deep dark past, I got started on a Magna (gasp!), I would vote for the first one but then I ride a recumbent.