Over on The Bike Lab we are doing a series called “Budget Build” where we are building up a bike from scratch using a tight budget with which to get our parts with. This led me to explore the way of Blue Collar mountain biker and “Take Off” parts.

“Take Offs” are the parts that often times get swapped out at the puchase of a new bike for upgrades. These parts then are either put out for resale or are languishing in the nether regions of local bike shops. “Take Offs” can also refer to parts salvaged from used bikes and trade ins that still have a useful life left for the lucky guy or gal that discovers it. I used both types of “Take Offs” on the Budget Build.

This surprisingly comfortable saddle was a “take off” from a new SE Racing bike and the post was in the hoard of a bike shop owner. Both were had at a fraction of the cost of new parts.

The first and most commonly found “Take Off” is the saddle. Many original equipment saddles are deemed as “pain wedges” by the general cycling public. (Sometimes they are dead right in that assessment!) This can lead to some nice scores on saddles if you are willing to do the legwork. I scored the SE Racing saddle shown above for a paltry $10.00 and guess what? It is a really nicely made and comfortable perch. The seat post attached to it was a score from the hoard of a local bike shop owner for $15.00. Sounds merely “okay” but when you find out it is a carbon fiber post that originally sold for over a $100.00, it becomes much more than just “okay”. It worked perfectly for the Budget Build too, since it was a 400mm long post.

Then you can sometimes score great parts off old salvage bikes and trade ins that bike shops get. I scored a Sugino 110 BCD ring, perfect for single speeding, for $10.00 that looked barely used. Nevermind that it came off of an 80’s era steed, it didn’t matter at all for my needs. Then as another example, I found a great STX RC crank with the rare removeable spider,like late 90’s era/early 2000’s XTR, which makes a great single speed crank. It has a sqaure taper interface, and forged aluminum construction, so it should be perfect for another single speed project down the road. I paid next to nothing for it too, because of the square taper interface. Score!

So, if you have the time, and you have a great relationship with the local shop, you may want to check out the deals to be had behind the counter. Who knows what “bike booty” lurks within?!!