People are keen to donate their bikes, but we find around 40% are unsuitable for Africa. If we don’t get the right bikes our volunteers carry out additional work to collect and find them a good home.
Bikes most suited to the empowerment benefits of the people receiving them in Africa are those that are;
- of a reasonable age
- in working order, or able to be in working order if given a minimal repair
- not rusty or that have only minimal rust
- with inflated or flat tyres
- adult or small adult size (23 inch and over wheels and/or frames of 15 inch and over size).
Mountain bikes, hybrid bikes, small mountain bikes are best for African conditions and provide the greatest empowerment benefit to those receiving them.
We also take functioning tools, good working spare parts, tyres, wheels in good condition, knapsacks, backpacks, helmets, bells, reflectors, locks (with key or combo code). These are packed between bikes in the shipping container.
Which donations are unsuitable?
We won’t send racing, road, kids or vintage bikes.
However, if they are in good condition we can refurbish some to sell to raise funds for shipping the mountain bikes. Take a photo and check in with us first by sending it to info@bikesforhumanity.com.au
Other organisations who collect these bikes for recycling in Australia are listed here.
Other things we don’t send:
- child carriers of any type
- baskets (space in our shipping container is limited and more appropriate baskets are locally made and purchased at destination)
- specialty bikes - tricycles, tandems, etc bikes with major rust on the frame
- bike frames – Experience shows that frames only aren’t very useful. The spare parts required to build them up are in high demand to repair other bikes, and building up with new spare parts isn’t cost effective. Frames therefore tend to become junk.