Auction Raises Over $2,000 for PBHA

The Phillips Brooks House hosted on Saturday its annual Big Bike Auction, raising over $2,000 in support of the association’s 86 programs.

Auction attendees gathered on PBHA’s front lawn to bid on abandoned bicycles that staff members had located and collected during July and August, after most undergraduates had left for summer vacation.

PBHA members had searched the Yard for bicycles that seemed abandoned, tagging them with a note that warned the lock would be cut and the bike removed if unclaimed by a specific date.

Quad Bikes, a non-profit bike shop located in Radcliffe Yard, also helped out the auction by securing the abandoned bicycles and cutting off locks, according to PBHA Events Fundraiser Nadia L. Farjood ’13, an inactive Crimson editor.

Students at the auction inspected the available bikes, looking for ones that matched their needs and price ranges.

Louise M. Wills—PBHA’s grants, technology, and alumni coordinator—had ranked and priced the items according to quality. Bikes labeled “1” for best were in display under a tree, while the rust-stained bikes with “5” taped to their handlebars lay in the grass, some missing tires or seats.

Some attendees expressed their reservations about the quality and cost of the bikes.

“Some would take a lot to fix up,” said Allison E. Rosenberg ’12, considering her other options. “I’ve heard you can get bikes inexpensively through friends or Craigslist.”

But Yannis K. Valtis ’12 noticed a bike that he hoped to ride home on: a Jamis Citizen hybrid bike, ranked a “1,” with a starting bid of $125. Valtis, who originally doubted that he would be successful, ultimately gained possession of the bike after his final bid of $210.

“I spent more than I wanted to, but when its an auction, you end up spending more than you want to,” Valtis said. “I’m very happy.”

Unique to this year’s auction was the inclusion of a moped with a retail price around $700—but nobody bid on the item, according to Farjood.

Harvard University Police Department donated an additional nine bikes to this year’s auction.