What We Collect

1.  Any serviceable complete (or nearly-complete) bicycle, adult or children’s, accompanied by a suggested minimum $10 per bike donation to defray a share of the costs in getting bikes to quality programs overseas and get information back for donors and the public. Flat tires or a missing seat or pedal matter little. Fat-tired mountain bikes and one-speed "cruisers" are the most-desired models.  We also accept tandems, recumbents, adult tricycles, trail-a-bikes, and even unicycles.

We welcome children’s bikes, because (1) they get children to school, (2) servicing a kid’s bike overseas generates mechanic employment just as an adult bike does, and (3) they fit well into the interstices of a shipping container (and increase the value of the shipment)!

2. Usable bicycle SPARE PARTS and components, including tubes, tires, wheels, chains, pedals, saddles, cables, and mountain bike handlebars (but not “drop” handlebars). These items fit well within the shipments of bicycles, adding value without displacing bicycles.

3. Usable bicycle accessories, including helmets, pumps, locks, gloves, chains (for locks), bicycle books and manuals, and hand tools including general tools such as wrenches and screw drivers, as well as specialized bike tools. As with spare parts, these fit easily and add value within our shipments, and are much welcomed.

4. We also collect good-quality metal portable sewing machines in working order, or close to it.  Older Singer and similar machines are high-value, in-demand items that fit in small spaces in the shipping containers without displacing bikes.  Like bicycles, sewing machines represent a “productive asset” for a low-income working person. Most go to the same vocational programs receiving our bicycles.  As with bike donations, an accompanying contribution of $10 is strongly suggested.

We DO NOT generally accept: 

1. Bikes with lots of rust and/or seized seatposts are not accepted.
   Surface rust is okay if it is something that could be cleaned with steel wool. But bikes with steel cranks that are rusty or handlebars that are just covered in rust are a no-go. Also we don't ship bikes that have seized seatposts. If the bike is otherwise good but has a very rusty chain we chop the chain off and then the bike is acceptable for shipping. We do not ship bikes that have seized cables because that would mean the cables and housing would all become trash. Our goal is to NOT send trash or broken parts because we don't want to place a burden for disposal on partners.
2. Do you take bikes with brake cables that don’t move?
   See above. We don't ship bikes with frozen cables, especially brake cables since v-brake noodles and/or canti brake straddle cables are very hard to come by as spares in rural parts of the developing world.
3. Do you take bikes with derailleur cables that don’t move?
   See above. We don't ship bikes with frozen cables
4. Do you take bikes where the front suspension fork is seized?
   These are acceptable assuming there isn't rust or corrosion on the fork. Many seized forks have rust towards the bottom of the fork legs due to water intrusion and expansion that has caused the fork to seize. If this condition isn't present and the fork is simply frozen in its un-compressed state, that is fine.
5. We do not accept kids bikes that have plastic headsets or any scooters or small tricycles.
6. Bikes with cottered cranks, 26 x 1 3/8" wheels, stem-mounted shifters and proprietary parts are not accepted.
7. Non-functioning e-bikes are not accepted. E-bikes are only accepted if functioning with a good battery and motor and with the correct charger and key. E-bikes with dead lithium batteries are not accepted with the battery as we cannot dispose of those.
8. NO TABLE SEWING MACHINES – they require too much labor and space to transport, store, and pack.  And no off-brand plastic sewing machines--they break quickly and are hard to repair.

We NO LONGER COLLECT cell phones, nor do we accept sports equipment.