Help me. Sad and tragic tale

Kieran_Burns

God. I need help. :oops:

Walking to the train station this morning (car in garage, logistics prevent use of bike :? ) I walk past my neighbour two doors down who is just getting on his commuting 'steed'

Half flat nobbly tyres on a full sus Argos special, and he goes off bouncing down the road, using his heels on the pedals. :shock:

All I want to do is knock his door tonight, sort the bike out and get him some new tyres (pref. a new bike!) and teach him how to use his calf muscles when cycling.

God help me, I'll be standing by the side of the flaming road with dog-eared notebook in hand writing down the make and models of each bike as it goes past next!

Is anyone else this tragic?

bluesacs

No.


What's happened to the bike? Is it the court order after you were caught chasing that girl on the bike in the woods the other week? I suppose it might be an ASBO - Anti Stalking Bike Order

roger_merriman

my wife's pet hate is riding on the instep, mine is totally rusted chain, so the bike squeaks and groans....

londonbairn

I can't believe the amount of commuters who don't bother taking care of their bikes. Few things that come to mind;

- Half flats
- el cheapo tyres (akin to putting Ling Ling tyres on your car)
- Chains blacker than coal or extremely rusty
- Really wobbly wheels that foul the brakes (saw a guy this morning with this)
- non functioning brakes[/list]

bomberesque

arf. I take no care of my commuter bike, at least relative to how I look after my other bikes :roll:

but then I built it to be as close to zero maintenance as possible with an Alfine. It gets a squirt of oil and a puf of air every month or so and it's bloody grateful for it!

I suggest you sneak in and pump his tyres up oil his chain and adjust the damping on his shock without telling him one night. Then watch his face when he gets on his bike the next day. You could be like an all year santa claus maintenance ninja!

girv73

I'm with you, Kieran_Burns. I want to flag people down and offer advice. I want to rescue unloved bikes I see chained up in the city. I want to hang out on the cycle path on a Sunday with a toolkit and several types of lube.

I'd like to stress that I don't actually do any of these things. Yet.

soy_sauce

you guys just reminded me to clean my bike this evening. cheers.

lost_in_thought

I have actually pulled up next to people to tell them that if they just pump up their tyres it'll make their lives so much easier... :oops:

I tend to pick one problem that's easily rectified, you see. If you go in with everything at once they'll get confused and annoyed. Also, especially if half-flat tyres are the issue, they'll realise as soon as they pump them up how much easier it is.

I also tell them that they can go to the nearest bike shop to get their tyres pumped up for free, and point out where that is...

I'm like the flat-ish tyre fairy.

However, I also do lights - it surprises me how many people aren't aware that red = back and white = front.

Kieran_Burns

girv73 wrote:

I'm with you, Kieran_Burns. I want to flag people down and offer advice. I want to rescue unloved bikes I see chained up in the city. I want to hang out on the cycle path on a Sunday with a toolkit and several types of lube.

I'd like to stress that I don't actually do any of these things. Yet.

Just Kieran is fine



You may want to edit out the "toolkit and several types of lube" as people WILL talk :shock:

God knows I have enough problems after the whole "teenage girl stalking" thing :roll:

(by the way I have never seen her down the bridleway since!)

Cafewanda

henry_ho_yin wrote:

you guys just reminded me to clean my bike this evening. cheers.

+ 1 :oops:

girv73

henry_ho_yin wrote:

you guys just reminded me to clean my bike this evening. cheers.

+1 I need to clean mine too!

CiB

I followed a bloke into one of the villages back towards home a week or so ago. It looked like a nice road bike from what I could tell, but the rider - oh!. Seat post far too low, knees still very bent at the bottom of the stroke, feet splayed out, riding on the arches of his feet. The urge to give him a lecture about making his bike fit was beaten into second place by the urge not to have to ride the next 3 miles with him talking bikes. I wish I had tho now.

sarajoy

Mine goes black again as soon as I've cleaned it

What's the easiest way to do it? Last time I did several rounds of WD40 and wiping/leaving to drip, then a couple of rounds of re-oiling. But of course all my cogs are still black, bah.

I do get tempted to tell people to raise the saddle - it's that bow-legged, cycling-on-insteps look, ow ow ow the poor knees. And I have a couple of pictures on my phone of bikes at work that are still basically shiny and new but WOW the rust on the chain!

Roastie

I meant to clean my commuting bike last weekend, but the weather was a bit rubbish, the weekend before, but great weather, so why waste it, and the weekend before, but we decided to spend it in Bath, and the weekend before that, but I knew I was fitting a new fork, so I thought I'd wait until fork fitting time, and the weekend before that but ... :oops:

soy_sauce

lost_in_thought wrote:

I.....
However, I also do lights - it surprises me how many people aren't aware that red = back and white = front.

you just reminded me to switch off my rear light. been flashing since half 8. :shock:

cheers

AllTheGear

sarajoy wrote:

Mine goes black again as soon as I've cleaned it ...

You're using far too much oil. Something chain-specific would be better than WD40, it's far too light, the petrol in it will have washed all the factory grease out of the chain. The black stuff is metal ginding off the chain. Sorry

sarajoy

Well the WD40 I'm using to clean out the chain, not lube it. But yes I imagine the 3-in-1 oil I put back afterwards might not be the best....

EDIT the black stuff can't all be metal grinding off my chain, or it wouldn't be around my wheel rims, and the underside of my frame, and inside my mudguards as well... I assumed it was road-dirt for the most part. Very fine, very black.

But yes, maybe I should get summat better for my chain.

itboffin

Kieran_Burns wrote:

God. I need help. :oops:

Walking to the train station this morning (car in garage, logistics prevent use of bike :? ) I walk past my neighbour two doors down who is just getting on his commuting 'steed'

Half flat nobbly tyres on a full sus Argos special, and he goes off bouncing down the road, using his heels on the pedals. :shock:

All I want to do is knock his door tonight, sort the bike out and get him some new tyres (pref. a new bike!) and teach him how to use his calf muscles when cycling.

God help me, I'll be standing by the side of the flaming road with dog-eared notebook in hand writing down the make and models of each bike as it goes past next!

Is anyone else this tragic?

You should move out of your house and go live in the woods you FREAK!!!

Kieran_Burns

itboffin wrote:

Kieran_Burns wrote:

God. I need help. :oops:

Walking to the train station this morning (car in garage, logistics prevent use of bike :? ) I walk past my neighbour two doors down who is just getting on his commuting 'steed'

Half flat nobbly tyres on a full sus Argos special, and he goes off bouncing down the road, using his heels on the pedals. :shock:

All I want to do is knock his door tonight, sort the bike out and get him some new tyres (pref. a new bike!) and teach him how to use his calf muscles when cycling.

God help me, I'll be standing by the side of the flaming road with dog-eared notebook in hand writing down the make and models of each bike as it goes past next!

Is anyone else this tragic?

You should move out of your house and go live in the woods you FREAK!!!

Did you just overdo the Espresso again this morning?

Aidy

sarajoy wrote:

Mine goes black again as soon as I've cleaned it

What's the easiest way to do it? Last time I did several rounds of WD40 and wiping/leaving to drip, then a couple of rounds of re-oiling. But of course all my cogs are still black, bah.

The WD40 probably won't let the oil "sink" into the chain properly, it normally leaves behind a light residue which the oil will float on top of - and then come off.

You probably want to be using some form of degreaser (there is chain specific type). Personally I tend to just relube the chain periodically, I've never found cleaning it to be that advantageous.

Kieran_Burns

I have one of those chain cleaning kits - aerosol can attached that has three brushes built in. You clip it over the chain and run it through with the cleaner for a few turns, empty and repeat.

The chain is a really clean shade of grey afterwards. Then I just add some chain lube and I'm done.

Donnic

If you've not got a fancy chain cleaning machine, an emtpy take away plastic container, some degreaser and an old toothbrush work just as well.
Fenwicks degreaser seems to get most of the crap off my chain, when I actually clean it at home.

Jay dubbleU

God knows I have enough problems after the whole "teenage girl stalking" thing :roll:

(by the way I have never seen her down the bridleway since!)

And you are surprised by this ?

My main irritation is BSOs with no brakes - cables rusted through or snapped - being ridden on footpaths - saw one of these go smack though a glass bus shelter a couple of months back :x

dirk_van_gently

I try to point out the obvious as politely as possible.

Tyres: Excuse me I think you may have a flat.

Lights: Excuse me, I think your light batteries must be going flat. ( I say this even if it is clear they have no lights).

I too do not subscribe to the junk bike philosophy. Unfortunately whilst there are 69.99 double shockers (full sus) on the market gullible folk will buy them.

NGale

+ 1 for cleaning the bike. Must do mine tommrrow don't have any chain cleaner though, will have to wait until I get paid before I can get that.

Too busy today trying to find all my football refereeing kit for the new season.

el_presidente

At the lights the other day I pointed out to a girl on a dutch bike that her rear tyre had a huge split in the sidewall with the inner tube clearly visible (It was half flat which was why she had escaped a puncture thus far).

"Oh I know it is an old bike" she laughed

"No you don't understand" I said" there's nothing wrong with the bike, you just need a new tyre or you'll get a puncture".

She looked at me in total bemsement. But then the lights changed and I had to go. You just despair sometimes

jimmcdonnell

I'm like the flat-ish tyre fairy.

Hang on; if I understand the use of the term 'p*ncture fairy' correctly, it's a mythical creature who causes p*nctures, right? So logically if you're the flat-ish tyre fairy, doesn't that mean people find their 115psi tyres suddenly go squashy when you pass?

rally200

Know where your coming from Mr. Kieran Burns esq.
Only one decent hill on my way home, and everyday there'll be someone pushing a BSO up the footpath, seat flat down level with the top tube, and stuck in middle ring on the front & a 12 or 14t cog on the back . I'd love to say something but somehow you know its not worth it

Kieran_Burns

Okay - I saw a guy this evening doing just that as I was walking to pick my car up. So I had a natter and explained very poltely how much easier he would find it.

He seemed very receptive, you never know I may have just helped someone.

thelawnet

I think I need some lessons.

laughingboy

sarajoy wrote:

Well the WD40 I'm using to clean out the chain, not lube it. But yes I imagine the 3-in-1 oil I put back afterwards might not be the best....

EDIT the black stuff can't all be metal grinding off my chain, or it wouldn't be around my wheel rims, and the underside of my frame, and inside my mudguards as well... I assumed it was road-dirt for the most part. Very fine, very black.

But yes, maybe I should get summat better for my chain.

Yes, 3-in-1 oil is not the best. It is 'sticky', and so road dirt soon clags up the chain. Also, it washes off in the lightest of rain.

Also, remember you are trying to lubricate the inside surfaces of the chain; so once you have applied your lube, wipe off as much excess as you can.