crazy people stalking me while i go through alleys lol.

man i was going through some alleys picking scrap today and i got this crazy bastard ina mini-van who started following me. I stopped and got some scrap from this one dudes trash and he starts going off on me how i should be stealing peoples stuff. I kept trying to tell em i have strict rules about what stuff i take...if its not obvious that the resident has'nt put it out for trash i dont take it and if it looks good i always ask the resident if its ok...well this guy keeps going off on me so i just drive off and he follows me for a good six? blocks almost so eventually i took it through some back alleys to lose him lol. funny **** mang.

Originally Posted by 509recycler

i have strict rules about what stuff i take...if its not obvious that the resident has'nt put it out for trash i dont take it

i am always nervous taking bikes. kids will leave their bike anywhere. if they are under the pile, then it's obvious trash. if on top of the pile, i'll take them only if it looks like trash.
i found one last week that was sitting next to the pile. i checked the tires and one was flat so i put it on the truck. pulled it out the following day and only 2 things are wrong with it. the seat is ripped in 2 spots and had a flat tire. other than that this bike looks to be in great shape. i would have never put that bike in the trash... so now i want to put it on CL but in the back of my mind i am wondering if they meant to trash it.
maybe i should just leave all of them and save myself the worries. idk.

Originally Posted by NWOdrudge

i am always nervous taking bikes. kids will leave their bike anywhere. if they are under the pile, then it's obvious trash. if on top of the pile, i'll take them only if it looks like trash.
i found one last week that was sitting next to the pile. i checked the tires and one was flat so i put it on the truck. pulled it out the following day and only 2 things are wrong with it. the seat is ripped in 2 spots and had a flat tire. other than that this bike looks to be in great shape. i would have never put that bike in the trash... so now i want to put it on CL but in the back of my mind i am wondering if they meant to trash it.
maybe i should just leave all of them and save myself the worries. idk.

Im not really sure if bikes are worth it. I have about four or five vintage ones that i'm trying to fix up and sell right now. spring is coming soon though so i might keep an eye peeled for em.

Ive stopped picking bicycles up for this reason..well unless they are totally trashed or on top of trash. In Florida bikes are everywhere and people throw them out for any reason. I picked up a kids bike a few months ago and actually turned around after a block bc i freaked myself out thinking i had stole a bike. well i go to put it back lol and realize it has a flat tire and a little rust so they must have just trashed it.

The next night i go out i see this little pink girls bike in another yard and think, no it was probably left out by a kid. It was a foot from the road by the driveway. Well I have been by this house probably 20 times since then and the bike is always in various spots in the yard and always close to the trash pile. That was lesson enough for me. Stealing bikes is big here and I am really afraid that i will get accused of stealing... its not worth it.

Yeah, sometimes you dont know if its trash or not. I got a purple mtn. bike and stood it up with the kick stand in the truck in front and the dude 2 doors down jokingly asked if im runnin kids off the roads for there bikes.
Also people like to walk away and leave there lawn mower in the street or on the curb between cuts for some reason

i dont bother with bikes to much for the same reason .. dont know if kid left it or not .. there was nice bike on one of my routes laying in the ditch for over a month for they finally picked it up .. kept telling myself everytime not to mess with it some goofy kid left it there . i hvae one issue with somebody watching me and it was subdivision and i had a couple of words for the guy to and never been back there either dont feel like fooling with people like that .. most time people tell me take anything i want its trash .

Please don't hate me for asking a stupid question, I tried to research it but got no answer. How did this thread go from somebody being stalked to picking up scrapped bikes? Anyways 509recycler that guy that followed you for six blocks probably thought you where in his area. He probably had driven down that ally for years and now thieres a new guy driving his area. This kind of thing happens all the time, just don't let him push you around.

Dumpster diving for metal, people always seem to think that I am up to no good. I always keep my concealed carry on me at all times, because you never know when someone is going to try to do harm.

When I get a bike I take down the serial # & bring that into the Police as 'Found property'.

A few have been claimed, which put a big smile on both our faces (The Cops & mine). The rest are lawfully mine unless at some time the owner puts a claim in.

In that case, I have to return the bike or its parts as I found it, or give them the $ I sold it for. Theres not much chance of someone putting a historic claim in though.
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Most citys have some sort of social group that repairs old bikes & fixes them up for underpriviledged people & kids.