Welcome to Recycling, London’s largest selection of pre-used and reconditioned bicycles.
About Recycling
We are one of London’s largest retailers of reconditioned bicycles and have sold or donated over 25,000 bikes in our short but proud history.
We have on display over 250 bicycles ranging from the modern to the old and unusual. Every day our team of mechanics restore between 6 and 15 bikes. We are not tied to any brand and have had most makes and models pass though our doors.
As the name suggests we acquire our bikes from anywhere they are discarded. The majority of our bikes come from local authority waste sites, police & general actions, also seized bikes from car parks. Some are donated or part-exchanged. All have a record as to where they come from, where they go to and the work in-between.
Unfortunately most cycle shops are perceived as being a male dominated environment. Tech for tech sake. This can make female customers feel a little uneasy. We take care to ensure a comfortable enjoyable shopping experience for our female customers. If you need the tech just ask and one of our experience mechanics will help. Over 65% of our customers are women cyclists. We hope this is because of our female friendly attitudes and atmosphere. We are currently supporting the Bike Belles campaign for “safer cycling for women” and are collecting signatures for their petition to parliament.
Our interior and exterior was painted by local students & artists, just one of a number of local community projects that we are proud to be involved with. We take our duty to the environment and community seriously.
We positively encourage community projects to approach us. We have loaned and donated bikes to local primary schools to help with their cycling campaigns. We have loaned and donated bikes or bike parts to students for music videos, plays, photo shoots, art projects and even novel covers. We are looking to encourage more projects, getting more people cycling and promoting better health and a greener London.
Established in 1998, Recycling was born out of my frustration in finding a decent reconditioned bike. There was no inter-web, (imagine that) and the few places that were around resembled places that not only sold second hand bikes but anything that was dodgy too. Little if any attention was paid to the safety of the bike. You took your life in your hands if you tried to ride one home. So when embarking on this journey I decided to avoid the dodgy, and aim for the best.
I get a great deal of pleasure riding my fully restored 1940s Raleigh ‘Forever’ bicycle. Whatever your tastes, I hope that you all of you find a bicycle that does the same for you at Recycling.
This is How We Do It
The bikes generally arrive in a poor state. We Give them a little TLC, a clean up and replace any parts that need it.
Of the bikes we collect we re-use over 95%, putting them back in the community, cutting pollution and congestion.
Need Some Air?
If you need some air for your tires please stop by. We provide a floor pump that’s free for all to use. Don’t use the petrol station air pumps. They release the air at too high a pressure for most inner tubes and can cause the tire too explode.
Try Before You Buy
We encourage everyone to try before they buy. When you visit our store you can try as many bikes as you like without any obligation to buy. There’s a small park and a cycle path nearby where you can test ride for 15 minutes. Please bring some ID and appropriate footwear. We will make any adjustments that you may need before you leave and on your return.
'No Lemons' Guarantee
If you buy from us you can buy with confidence. Our ‘No Lemons’ guarantee means that if you do not bond with your reconditioned bike, if you go off the colours, or just want to try a different type of bike, whatever the reason, you can exchange it for a similar or different model without losing any value on your purchase. You can do this as many times as you care to for up to 21 days after purchase. If your still not happy, you can have your money back. (Terms & conditions apply. This does not affect your statutory rights.)
All our reconditioned bikes are checked before sale. Any parts that are found to be defective are replaced with parts of equal or higher standard.
All our bicycles come with one month’s continuous free service. If you have any problems from adjusting the seat to readjustment of brakes or gears please pop in. you will receive our free priority service for the whole month (excluding punctures and wheel truing).
For the interested or just bored the “Lemons” could refer to an article written in 1970 by respected economist George A. Akerlof, called ‘The market for ‘lemons’: Quality uncertainty and the market mechanism. In it he uses the market for second hand cars is an example of a lemon market. ‘There is asymmetry of information because the seller knows more about the quality of the car than the buyer. The seller of a bad car has a strong incentive to sell it at a much higher price than it is worth and the buyer is insufficiently protected by regulation or warranties in this case. Conversely, it is difficult for the seller of a good car to demonstrate its quality to the buyer. The result is that bad cars tend to out-number good ones in the market.”
It is also slang for inferior or slapdash goods.
Please send your comments and suggestions to re-cycling@btconnect.com
Part Exchange
We welcome part exchange whatever the condition. Even it’s just the frame. So don’t chuck it bring it in. We guarantee a good price if you part exchange, less for cash payments. For bikes built before 1970 we pay a premium price.
Cash For Bikes
We will pay cash for your unloved or unwanted bike.
To get a quote on a bike you wish to sell, please send photo, make, model and serial number to re-cycling@btconnect.com.
You will need two forms of ID, one of which must be a photo based, i.e. driving license. You must also complete a “declaration of ownership’ form. Please ask for details.
Theft Prevention
If must leave your bike anywhere always use two locks. One should be a good D type lock, the other a coil. Use the D on the back, and the coil to the front. Always lock it to something immovable. Most thieves are opportunists, amongst other things, and your locks will make a very uninviting target.
We are now offering a pack lock and light accessories at a discount price for students: D lock @ £14.99, coil lock @ £14.99, twin lights @ £16.99. Total £49.46. Discount Price £35
London
SE17 1LB
020 7703 7001
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Open 7 days
Mon-Fri 10am-7pm
Sat 10am-6pm
Sun 11am-5pm