second life... all sorts of beater bikes are returning to the streets

bikes bikes bikes

the city is seeing more bikes
all sorts of bikes
bikes new and old
more bikes appear on the streets everyday
more of these bikes seem to be older rather than new

the beater is taking to the streets
the beater is back

some people are pulling the old bike out of the garage while some other people are taking two old bikes from the garage and making one
who knows where these bikes are coming from

bike parts are being reanimated
the frankenbike is making appearances all over town

the beater is back
bikes and bike parts are getting a second chance
bikes and bike parts that were long since forgotten are up front and center again

the beater may well be out numbering the department store bike
not working in a shop I do not know about sales
I did read something about 27 1/4 tire sales a few months back
the sales increase of this size tire reflected the return of an older style bike
my guess is this trend has continued

I have always been a fan of the concept of the used market
in my mind some years back was the dream of dabbling in the used market
buying and collecting bikes at yard sales and flea markets
not a fancy refurbishing sort of project
more of a utilitarian effort
but as a business... for profit

DC could do well for a used bike bike shop
maybe a used bike bike shop that specializes in selling used bikes and repairs

a beater bike that costs less than the most basic of car repairs could pay itself back in no time at all
it would be good across the board

how many bus or subway rides add up to one bike?

I would love to see a program that aided to get donations of unwanted bikes that put these bikes in the hands of people who would not necessarily think of such a thing
but once given the opportunity it would make perfect sense
Bikes to Africa or Bikes to the World are great
but what about bikes to the people of Washington DC?

it would be great to see a program that liberated the unused/unwanted bikes from the garages and sheds of the world