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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]https://www.cbc.ca/documentaries/documentary-channel/inside-one-of-china-s-hidden-bike-sharing-bicycle-graveyards-1.6325287

I don’t understand how this is happening.  We tried to buy bikes last year or so an were told there’s a worldwide shortage.[/quote]

First of all, these bikes were made in China, for Chinese local use, in large quantities for Chinese startup bikeshare companies.  Some of the companies went out of business before the pandemic.

Second, the build quality of these bikes was supposedly really poor.  Not suitable for US retail sale.

Third, these were not well cared for during their lives or the disposal process.  They may not be very salvageable.  It might be quite labor-intensive to get them back in shape to be sold.  It would also be costly and expensive to ship them to U.S. consumers who would want new bikes with warranties even from a low-end discount retailer.  And there might be product liability issues as well.

I have a cheap nearly new bike that I got free from my sister.  It cost $125 to get it tuned up (brake  fix, wheel straightening) and the brakes still squeal.  Bike was probably a &lt;$300 bike new.  The graveyard bikes are below that in quality.

Now as for the worldwide shortage...that was likely caused by manufacturing disruptions due to covid closures in China.  And related shipping disruptions which distorted the cost of shipping goods like bikes from Asia to the U.S.  That is easing.

The graveyard is environmentally shocking but if the bikes had value, they'd most likely be moving on to new homes.  Bikes are common in China...that's why people aren't rushing to mine these dumps of old broken bikes.

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