Unused Bicycles

[PedallingNowhereSlowly]

This is an old article, but a BikeFarmer video I watched last night got me thinking about it:

https://www.cyclist.co.uk/news/data-suggests-there-could-be-38-million-unused-bikes-in-uk

There could be as many as 38 million unused bikes sitting in homes around the UK amid the current bike shortage.


A study by the Bike Club, a kids’ bike monthly subscription service, found that 34% of British adults have at least one adult bike that has fallen out of use while 15% have at least one kids’ bike that’s no longer used.

That figure seems a bit high; other sources claim there are 20 million bicycles in the UK.
There are roughly 8 million people in the UK cycling regularly (> once per month).


So either way, that's still a lot of unused bikes.

Pity.

 

[biggs682]

Some people own more than 1 bike and you can only ride one at a time

 

[DCLane]

A couple of things, given I can't see how they collected their data despite having a wider scoot around, and it being mentioned in several publications since 2021:

- There's no definition here of an 'unused' bike. That means their data is irrelevant. It appears to be a YouGov survey but no link to that is anywhere, not even on their website blog.
- Their existence is to rent bikes out, so they don't want people buying a bike. As such their marketing push around an unwanted and therefore unused bike will be biased.

I've more than one bike - yes, I know I'm at one end of the range. Two haven't been ridden this year for various reasons. But they're not 'unused'.

 

[Drago]

37 million of these unused bikes are in Bigg's garage!

 

[Ming the Merciless]

37 million of these unused bikes are in Bigg's garage!

Plus 13 million un paired socks

 

[fossyant]

Plus 13 million un paired socks

That are in my drawer.

 

[Gillstay]

Needs to go to the counting programme on radio 4, they would shoot that down, no trouble at all.

 

[Big John]

We never, ever go short of donated bikes at the bike charity where I work. The pile of bikes which we either do up to sell or scavenge for parts mounts daily until we have no more room to store anything. Then we have to scrap some. This has been the case ever since the place started which is over 14 years now. Where they all come from is a mystery. In the course of a year it must be close to a thousand bikes if not more.

 

[ianrauk]

@biggs682 's garage

 

[Punkawallah]

Plus 13 million un paired socks

No, 6.5 million paired socks of different types.

 

[Punkawallah]

We never, ever go short of donated bikes at the bike charity where I work. The pile of bikes which we either do up to sell or scavenge for parts mounts daily until we have no more room to store anything. Then we have to scrap some. This has been the case ever since the place started which is over 14 years now. Where they all come from is a mystery. In the course of a year it must be close to a thousand bikes if not more.

Ditto where I volunteered. We regularly went up to the storage unit to separate sheep from lambs.

 

[PedallingNowhereSlowly]

I've got six seven bikes, three of which I've never ridden. They are awaiting refurbishment. So definitely not 'unused'.

I was thinking more about two things, which I should have mentioned in the OP.

Sustrans recent missive about the poorest in society having no access to a bicycle (paraphrasing) and, well ... the number of bicycles that crop up on faceache market place because people bought them with good intentions but decide they need the space back.

Just seems odd that bicycles are so scarce but at the same time so prevelant.

 

[biggs682]

@biggs682 's garage
View attachment 749178

Harsh in fact I only have 15 bikes

 

[Drago]

@biggs682 's garage
View attachment 749178

I see he's had a tidy up and a bit of a clear out. Good on him.

When I was last in his garage I heard a Japanese voice whisper from the darkness, "is the war over yet?"

 

[ColinJ]

When I was last in his garage I heard a Japanese voice whisper from the darkness, "is the war over yet?"

Don't you mean...

戦争はもう終わったのか

...?