Bicycle & Equipment Donation Guidelines
The mission of the Mike's Bikes Foundation is to promote the culture of cycling in developing countries. Donated bicycles, parts and equipment get screened for fitness and subsequently packed into containers and shipped to workshops in various African countries.
Some of the bicycles are donated to charity projects but the majority are sold locally. This assigns an important economic value to the bikes which in turn creates employment opportunities through sales and servicing. Each one of our sister shops is responsible for the refinancing of the freight costs and import costs associated with a container filled with bicycles.
This promotes entrepreneurial activity, long-term sustainability and improvement in the quality of life in communities. Some of the Mikes Bikes Sister Shops have been operating for 10 years (and more) and we’re proudly keeping the wheels spinning in Africa since 2008.
HOW IT WORKS
Step 1: Bicycles are received at any Mike’s Bikes Store for donation.
Step 2: Bicycles are then vetted for suitability for the foundation. Bicycles that are not usable will not be accepted.
Step 3: Donation certificate based on an approximate value is issued to the donor and can be used as tax deductible expense
Step 4: Bicycles will be transported to Mike’s Bikes Distribution Center for dismantling, storage and finally packing onto shipping containers
Step 5: Bicycles are shipped to MB projects
SUITABLE BICYCLES
Mountain Bikes (full suspension, hard-tail, rigid)
Road (all types)
Kids (all types)
City & Cruiser
BICYCLES WE CANNOT ACCEPT
E-Bikes
Tricycles (incl. Kids tricycles)
Trailers
GENERAL RULE FOR BICYCLES
Donated bicycles should be complete and fully functional. Exceptions confirm the rule, for example it is possible to extract spare parts from higher value bikes even if they are no longer ridable. If one or both wheels are missing, but the rest of the bike is in good order, then this will fall under the accepted spare parts category.
NOT ACCEPTABLE BICYCLES
Major damages on frame, drive-chain and/or wheels
Lots of rust on moving parts (suspension, bearings, hubs, drive-chain)
Seized suspension or bearings
Sticky decoration or major dirt/grease (unless the bicycle is cleaned before donation)
GENERAL RULE FOR DONATING GEAR & ACCESSORIES (E.G. HELMETS, SHOES, CLOTHING, PARTS)
The keyword is “economic value”. If an item is no longer functioning, very worn or badly damaged then it is of little or no economic value to the receiving Mikes Bikes sister shop. The Mike's Bikes Foundation is supporting small bike shops and business owners in Africa because we believe in the power of the bicycle to transform lives. Each bike shop is responsible for refinancing the freight costs of a container. Hence all donated items undergo a basic screening according to a simple rule: if it's not worth a few dollars at home, then it's probably not worth sending it across the world. This is our way of keeping the wheels spinning beyond our local neighborhoods.
EXAMPLES OF UNSUITABLE BICYCLES
DISMANTLING OF BIKES AT THE MB WAREHOUSE FOLLOWED BY LOADING
