Bike auction offers the best deals on wheels

Marquette’s annual police bike auction rolled into town today. The department’s inventory was made up of items that had been lost, stolen or unclaimed for more than a year.

Starting at noon, deal seekers showed up to bid at the silent auction. Organizers say that in the past, items have gone for as little as $1 and up to more than $100, depending on the bike. More than 70 bikes were available this year, and there was even a wide variety of everything from wheelchairs to baby seats. With more than a hundred deals to steal, bidders had a hard time keeping count of their items.

“I’m thinking, one; oh, and an iPod,” Marquette resident and deal seeker Rima Randall said. “One, two, three; four I think, no five, five, five. Some good bikes, sunglasses, a tent, some rings, wheel chair and some tools.”

“I came out here to pick out a couple of bikes so that we could do some bicycling this summer,” Los Angeles resident and boxer Mikaela Mayer said. “I just go by the color. That is how I pick my things out, so I saw a purple and a pink one.”

You could bid on as many items as you wanted, but if you have the winning bid, you have to buy it. Many bidding strategies implemented a pinpoint budget.

“My top dollar amount, then divide that down so that I don’t spend over that particular amount,” continued Randall.

“My coach came in here wanting to bid $25 on each bike, so we just stuck to that,” Mayer said.

“For me, I don’t want to spend more than $30, so that is where I am going to draw the line,” Shawn Byrwa said.

“I don’t know,” Zac Shankland said. “It depends on the bike, probably $40 if I really wanted it and hope no one else needs that size.”

Notifications of winning bids will be sent out starting tomorrow, with pickup scheduled for next Wednesday.