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Students in the distance eye used bikes for sale at Transportation & Traffic Management’s annual used bike sale Sept. 24 on the plaza outside of Knowlton Hall and Hitchcock Hall. All bikes were sold for a $40 flat rate ‘as is.’ Credit: Brandon Merriman / Lantern photographer

Some students rode away with the bikes that others had left behind in the past on Wednesday.

For the third time this year, Transportation and Traffic Management hosted a used bike sale after collecting abandoned and impounded bikes around campus. The bikes are kept for 90 days before they are sold at a used bike sale.

There were 69 bikes sold at Wednesday’s sale that raked in $2,760, Administration and Planning spokeswoman Nicole Holman said in an email. Each bike is sold for a flat rate of $40.

The money will go toward covering the cost of “bike initiatives, including clearing racks of abandoned bikes and bike parts, saving for additional bike education and bike repair stations/bike lockers and supporting Pelotonia,” she said.

Pelotonia is an annual bike ride founded in 2008 that raises money for cancer research at the Ohio State Comprehensive Cancer Center. 

Prior to Wednesday’s sale, there had been 122 bikes sold at various sales put on by TTM, grossing about $4,470 including tax, Holman said. 

The used bikes were parked by the east side of Knowlton Hall on Wednesday, blocked off with barricade tape. TTM officials managed the line flow, and inhibited those who hadn’t waited in line from entering the area.

Omer Sanabria, a third-year dental student, was fourth in line and had been waiting since 7:15 a.m. He said the first person in line had been there since 5:30 a.m. 

Sanabria said the red bike he bought was worth $500. Another student approached him after he made his purchase and asked to buy the bike from him for more than $100.

campus_bike_sale_2Carl Miller, a graduate student in mechanical engineering, said the bike sales are a good deal.

“Even on Craigslist you can’t find bikes this cheap,” he said. “It’s definitely worth it. Even if it needs some work and energy, it’ll be a solid bike for years.”

Miller, a seasoned buyer of TTM’s used bike sale, said Wednesday’s sale had lower quality options than usual, and said he expects a better selection of bikes at the end of the school year.

Brandon Simon, a third-year in business finance, said he enjoyed his first experience at the sale, considering he didn’t get a bike last time he went because he was too far back in line.

“I wasn’t picking (the bike) for the value because I’m not planning to resell it,” he said. 

Simon said the bikes are worth the money and he walked away with a 6-speed blue and gray Roadmaster. 

“It’s really a great event for students who live far away. The bikes are relatively cheap compared to their quality,” he said.

Logan Hickman contributed to this story.