Ex Hire bikes

[Cush]

I am writing up my notes on my recent trip and I have got to the bit where I was at the Cafe-bike hire shop on the Tissington Trail. I marveled then at the variety that was available for hire. This was in the second week in May and the bikes etc loooked as if they were brand new and I was wondering what happens to them at the end of the season, are they sold off or put in to an auction or just scraped, has any body bought any of them?. I ask this because I could do with a "Step Through" bike for every day use (Arthur Ritus gets in the way of me mounting like a Pony Express rider) or / and a top spec tourer that is reasonably priced or even an adult trike but do not want to buy new after what I have just spent on the Khara - Kum, two other places I noticed that had large byke hire areas were Camelford and Cambridge, again what happens to all these bikes and are they a good buy if they come up for sale.

 

[corshamjim]

I know the bike hire place at Clumber Park used to sell all of their hire bikes to the public at the end of the season. My sister was thinking of getting bikes for the family that way - I can't remember if they ever did or not in the end.

I would think they should be a reasonably good buy as they are unlikely to have been involved in collisions with motor vehicles! Watch out for bent derailleur hangers etc, though. Take a test ride before buying if you can.

Claire and I are hoping to go up to Tissington in October - I must check whether the season will be over by then though!

 

[Cush]

The day I was on it there were not a lot of people there, as it was very windy and at times I fair bowled along with loaded panniers and at other times I had to watch the cross wind. I would say that if I was about to take the stabalisers off a little ones bike for the first time I would choose some where like the Tissington.