Can you sell old bikes for scrap metal? Yes, you can you sell old bikes for scrap metal at any scrap metal recycling yard. The old bike does not have to be functional either.
Most of the old bikes that you may come across while out scrapping will be made of Chromalloy steel. This type of steel is used to create the frame of most smaller bikes because it is stronger than regular steel.
Your local scrap metal recycling yard will also accept larger mountain bikes as well. The frame for a high majority of these styles of bikes is made of aluminum alloy. Manufacturers started using aluminum because it allows them to make bikes lighter in weight.
Some scrappers break bikes down before they bring them to a scrap metal recycling yard. The rims are made of aluminum but the spoke are made of stainless steel.
Other things like the gear cogs can be made with either steel or aluminum so be sure to check your metals before you throw them into separation piles.
Great places to find old bikes you can scrap are abandoned homes, creeks, skate parks and of course curbside usually the night before garbage pickup.
Some scrappers only focus on selling old bikes. With the tires removed, a bike weighs 25 to 35 pounds. You can see how quickly the weight of your scrap load can rise. At 35 pounds each, 50 old bikes all of sudden turns into over 1,700 pounds of scrap metal.
We’ll gladly melt down any metal but before you bring that old bike to any scrap metal recycling yard, do a bit of research. We don’t want you to miss out on any money that you could make above its worth in scrap metal.
Write down the name of the bike on a piece of paper. If you can find a model number on the bike, write it down as well.
Do a quick search online using the information. Check classified ad sites and sites that offer marketplaces where people can buy and sell items.
You never know, some collector or enthusiast may be looking for the bike that you have or at least parts from it.
It is up to you on how much time that you want to spend researching. If you don’t find anything worth your time just bring the bike to your local scrap metal recycling yard to sell as scrap. You can also leave the old bike curbside if your city permits it and I’m sure a scrapper will find it before the morning.