The bike swap attracts throngs of cyclists every year, with eager bargain hunters standing in the cold for a hours early Saturday morning to get the first chance to scour the inventory.
The Park City High School mountain bike team hosts the swap. Head Coach Pete Stoughten says the team keeps a portion of the bikes sales to support the program.
“We take 20%. We cover our costs of running the program and running the bike swap,” Stoughten said. “We're grateful that the Utah Film Studios is donating the space. And so that's a really big cost offset. But we do fundraise for our scholarship riders to maintain our low program fees and the other kind of costs associated with a 240-person team.”
Stoughten hopes to raise at least $10,000 over the two-day sale. The swap collects all bikes in working condition, gently used equipment and clothing, including trailers, racks, shoes and accessories. Helmets may be sold, but they must be brand new.
He suggests, to get the best price, sellers clean their bikes and make sure everything works.
“No one wants to buy a dirty bike or sell it according to the condition that it's in,” he said. “A lot of us, especially myself, have an affinity for our bikes, but sometimes others may not appreciate it to the same extent. So, pricing it ready to sell is really important. We also do have a low, a high price and a low price. So, people can sell it on Saturday for their high price. And then all items typically go down in price on Sunday because people don't want to pick up their goods. And they want to actually sell it.”
For those with equipment to sell, they can start the check-in process at home and then drop off items at the Utah Film Studio at Quinns Junction Wednesday, April 24 through Friday, April 26 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
The bike swap is open Saturday, April 27 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, April 28 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. There is no entry fee.
If an item doesn’t sell, it must be picked up Sunday between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. Items not collected will be donated to the team or The Bicycle Collective.
The high school mountain bike seasons starts June 1 and Stoughten says the students have been out training. He said about 20 are competing in early season races.
