I have my parents' "matched his&hers" Centurion racing bikes that I feel would be a shame to just throw in a dumpster, but I've no idea how to find people who would appreciate them.

So my primary question here is: d'you think these are at all worth keeping? I'm not interested in cash, merely avoiding waste.

Secondary, how do I find a community? Is this it?

They're Centurion bikes, with a sticker near the crank saying "Infinity cr-mo double tapered butted tubing". Silly me took the pic from the wrong side, sorry - Front and rear derailleurs are stamped "Suntour Cyclone 7000", it's a 2*6 arrangement. The levers are on the frame and go clicky-click when shifting.

Craigslist should move them pretty quickly...

If we weren't certain it was a centurion then I would have thought that one in the back was a japanese steel "TANGE Tubing" Bianchi, which would be a rare find.

I guess 80s bikes all just kind of look like this shape, very weird to think about.

centurions are excellent bikes! suntour cyclones are some of the best from the era! what area are you in? id pick one up. otherwise, donate them to a nearby bike org, offer them free on fb marketplace (or another similar service), or sell them to a bike shop for whatever they'll pay

Definitely don't throw then out! There are plenty of people who would love well maintained vintage bikes. Try posting them to Facebook marketplace, Nextdoor, craigslist, offer up, etc or bring them to a local bike shop.

Donate them to underprivileged teens.

There are groups in fb of people who love classic steel bikes. When I had it i was in a group called "STEEL IS REAL! Classic steel road bikes" or something like that. You can try looking them up and posting there if you use fb.

(This caught my attention because colombian flag colors)

These are in amazing shape, don't dumpster them, post them on market place, Craigslist, eBay...you will find a fan of that bike era wants rhem

Where are you located - generally speaking? There is an active bike rescue/repurpose community in Mastodon.

Why the Hell would you throw out an '80s bike?! They're pretty much still just as good as a 2026 steel-framed one!

My local news has a classifieds section (free to list/post whatever you've got for sale). Sold my old pedal bike that way when I got an ebike a couple months ago.

As long as you're not shooting for absolute top dollar for them, a good option.

There's also a couple bike shops near me that'll either outright buy a bike off you and resell it, or use it for parts, or even sell on consignment. Neither were interested in my bike though, partly because I was selling it in August (end of the busy season for them).

That's the thing, I don't. 🙃 But I don't ride mine any more, and my mum really should stop (she's 85). 😅

Good to know! I'm in tiny little Denmark though.

Throw them out for sure, but be sure to use my trash to do so

and my mum really should stop (she's 85).

Why, did a doctor say so?

Otherwise, you should go read this: https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/95-year-old-smashes-cycling-hour-record-on-birthday

Link pls I want to go read there

It so hard to get my parents in there 60s to work out and take care of them selves. If she is riding her bike and enjoying it at 85 encourage her it keep her healthier and happy longer

I once had a situation where I was moving abroad and needed to find a place for my bicycle. I couldn't find anything else, so I went to a local shop that repairs bicycles and sells used ones and asked "how much would you pay for this bike of mine?"

Their answer was "nothing, really. It's not in good enough a condition", so I just asked "okay, would you be willing to take it for free for spare parts?"

And they did.

The bike didn't end up in trash – at least not completely – and a small business got supported a little bit.

I don't know how to do that. But look up AI6YR on Mastodon.

No no, she still plays golf and stuff. But she can be rather reckless out in traffic. She has another bicycle anyway, this is no longer her daily driver. I know, I sound like a concerned parent; she admits it herself and has taken a few tumbles in the past few years - and tumbles from bikes are better when you're 8 or 18, not 85.

Ha! Nice try.

I once posted a shit condition, cheap as hell, no brand bike that was rusting and has a lock I had lost the key for onto Facebook marketplace for £10. People were falling over themselves to come get it first. Bikes seem to always have value.

Fluted seat posts. Dope.

Bruh, those are sick and a very common size. There are many people who would want to rid em. DO NOT TOSS EM.

If you can't sell them, thrift them. Please don't just throw away a (potentially) good bike.

I loved my 80's Cannondale and sold it to another excited person. These bikes last forever, look so nice, and ride well.

Don't throw them away.

Edit: I had a Centurion before that and my lock was cut and it was stolen. At least it shows they are in demand. 😢

The color scheme reminds me more of the early '90s, but perhaps someone can date them more accurately than me.

The levers are on the frame and go clicky-click when shifting.

Frame shifters don't usually do that. Sounds like those are Sun Tour Power Ratchet shifters, pretty fancy!

https://sheldonbrown.com/gloss_p.html#powerratchet

They look super neat! Where from? Canada?

Lbs

Frame shifters did index briefly before Shimano came along.

Contact a local bike shop. If they don't take them off your hands, they should know who will. Tossing them would be a vintage crime.

but I want my bike to crack so I can talk about it in forums.

Gorgeous bikes! Mine got stolen just a while ago. If you’re around Copenhagen I would easily get on a train..

OP DID say Denmark in a comment, I'm sure you guys can arrange something even if they're not close to Copenhagen itself

Ah, a fellow european 👀 if you live near an university campus, they often have self-organized bike workshops. I bet you they‘d gladly take them as a donation.

Donate them? Someone will appreciate them.