Stickering dodgy bikes

thelawnet

Was just loading up my panniers, thought the bike next to mine looked pretty limp, so I gave the tyres a squeeze, there was no resistance at all, completely flat.

I know the police stop dodgy cars on the basis of faulty brake lights, but wouldn't it be a good idea to inform some of these horrendously maintained bike owners that they should buy a pump/connect their brakes/turn the forks around?

jonny_trousers

Why? Surely they know their bike has flat tyres/faulty brakes/no seat. They are idiots, sure, but what good is putting a sticker on their bike going to do other than show the sticker stickerer to be a busybody with too much time on their hands..

thelawnet

Jonny_Trousers wrote:

Why? Surely they know their bike has flat tyres/faulty brakes/no seat. They are idiots, sure, but what good is putting a sticker on their bike going to do other than show the sticker stickerer to be a busybody with too much time on their hands..

Well they probably know that their brakes are dodgy, but considering that these bikes are often within a few hundred metres of a shop that would sort them out for a few quid, they obviously haven't put 2 + 2 together.

As for the tyres, I don't believe a lot of people have any idea how hard bike tyres are supposed to be - they probably think it's normal.

Headhuunter

I shouldn't think the police have time or resources to go round effectively giving every bike strapped to a lampost across every town and city an MOT! They have been known to assess people's lock technique though, I have had a label stuck to my bike telling me to log onto a website to find out how secure the police believed my bike to be...

jonny_trousers

If you meant the police stickering them then I can see the validity in that. Apologies if I misunderstood.

thelawnet

Jonny_Trousers wrote:

If you meant the police stickering them then I can see the validity in that. Apologies if I misunderstood.

Not necessarily, perhaps the local bike shop could do it. 'Your bike is dangerous, bring it in and we'll repair it.'

Definite public service.

shouldbeinbed

thelawnet wrote:

Jonny_Trousers wrote:

If you meant the police stickering them then I can see the validity in that. Apologies if I misunderstood.

Not necessarily, perhaps the local bike shop could do it. 'Your bike is dangerous, bring it in and we'll repair it.'

Definite public service.

nice idea but realistically whats in it for the bike shop? The odd walk in at best who will probably baulk at being told its £x for tyres pumped and brakes adjusted.

When they get into: by the way your tyres are cracked and worn down, the pads are knackered, all the cables are frayed and need replacing, we can do it for....... oh where did they go?

The sticker recipients are riding these bikes in this condition so aren't likely to be swayed by an 'its dangerous' sticker if not stopping and soft tyres riding like bambi on ice doesn't give them the hint. (edit added)

you're expecting shops to be paying for producing stickers and employing someone to tour the streets effectively telling people that their bike looks rough and they're crap at maintenence in the hope it entices them as customers.

I'd reckon it'd be an excepionally poor expese to income ratio and not worth it. Any decent Bike shop is booked out well in advance anyway and doesn't need to tout for the business

SimonAH

I've a colleague who's a fully qualified engineer working on high end plasma systems worth millions of pounds.

I had to sort his bike out for him the other day as the brakes didn't, the front mech coiuldn't and the tyres are permanently at about 15psi. Had to teach him how to fix a puncture a couple of weeks ago too ffs. Obviously the lesson didn't stick as I had to re-fix one of his innertube 'repairs' a couple of days later.

What can you do?

Confusedboy

The sort of people who ride bikes that they've let get in that state will not react favourably to being told. You can't educate pork.

AndyManc

If any twat stuck anything on my bike(s) I would rip their arms and legs off and stick them in the downtube.

Quite often people will ride a shed so it doesn't get stolen, I'm currently riding an older bike into the ground so I can use it with peace of mind.

Those with a shed of a bike will more often than not compromise their own safety, let them get on with it.


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rjsterry

AndyManc wrote:

If any fool stuck anything on my bike(s) I would rip their arms and legs off and stick them in the downtube..

Always the voice of moderation.

SimonAH

There is a difference between a shed, and a shed that is maintained (however scruffy it may look).

I would no sooner ride a bike with underinflated tyres, sod all braking and gear indexing that will likely sling your chain on the road than I would chop vegetables with a blunt knife.

Air from a manual pump is free, a couple of drops of oil is beyond cheap and a really basic toolkit can be compiled for the price of an innertube. It's not about whether the bike is shiny, new and expensive - it's about whether it is maintained as a tool that is easier to use and less likely to draw blood. The knife analogy is not spurious.

Scruffy bike fine. Badly or unmaintained bike not fine. If you don't know how to do it ask for advice. If you're too stupid to use a pump then I suggest you stick to walking (be sure to put an L and R on your shoes too).

Having said that, I would be most unhappy to find anyone putting a sticker on my bike!

AndyManc

SimonAH wrote:

There is a difference between a shed, and a shed that is maintained (however scruffy it may look).

I would no sooner ride a bike with underinflated tyres, sod all braking and gear indexing that will likely sling your chain on the road than I would chop vegetables with a blunt knife.

Air from a manual pump is free, a couple of drops of oil is beyond cheap and a really basic toolkit can be compiled for the price of an innertube. It's not about whether the bike is shiny, new and expensive - it's about whether it is maintained as a tool that is easier to use and less likely to draw blood. The knife analogy is not spurious.

Scruffy bike fine. Badly or unmaintained bike not fine. If you don't know how to do it ask for advice. If you're too stupid to use a pump then I suggest you stick to walking (be sure to put an L and R on your shoes too).

Having said that, I would be most unhappy to find anyone putting a sticker on my bike!

That's fine ...... for you.

Don't expect others to comply to your own personal set of standards, believe it or not there's a section of cycle owners that don't give a toss what state their bike is in.

The only concern anyone should have is what risk it may pose to innocent individuals , which is absolutely minimal.

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AndyManc

rjsterry wrote:

AndyManc wrote:

If any fool stuck anything on my bike(s) I would rip their arms and legs off and stick them in the downtube..

Always the voice of moderation.

I appreciate your continued support.


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shouldbeinbed

AndyManc wrote:

If any fool stuck anything on my bike(s) I would rip their arms and legs off and stick them in the downtube.

Quite often people will ride a shed so it doesn't get stolen, I'm currently riding an older bike into the ground so I can use it with peace of mind.

Those with a shed of a bike will more often than not compromise their own safety, let them get on with it.


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I agree with the top bit, the bottom bit tho I'm not so sure about. Agree most of the time the only one physically hurt will be them but some time, their shed causes them to be hurt by someone else who then has to deal with the consequences through no fault of their own.

harm isn't just physical

Blue Meanie

Why not:
Take your track pump, some lube and a set of allen keys and set up on a busy commuter route - free air, lube and fettlage with sage advice, if it makes you feel better?

The shop I work for does this ^ a couple of times a year for 'good PR' and I've been lucky enough to be involved, you meet some good characters and you meet their bikes

SimonAH

@ AndyManc

What the hell are you on about? Why should running a bike into the ground compromise it's safety?

Rusty tubes, scuffed paint, ripped grips....I have nothing against this. But running a bike into the ground meaning no brakes (because you won't spend £1 on a set of even the cheapest blocks from the supermarket) or 4psi tires because you just can't be bothered to pump them up makes you an idiot.