General Cycling Discussion - Not a damn thing to do with politics !

Does anyone else get steamed when they see people leave their bikes outside in the elements during the winter.
A prime example of this is my father in law. Last season he asked me to tune his Canadian Tire bike ( this would be equal to a Huffy to you non Canadians). The man uses motor oil on his chain because in his words "oil is oil". I spent the better part of a day cleaning and adjusting his bike. Now I see it out on the porch in the snow. :irritated
Now I don't say everyone has to be as anal as I am and keep their bikes in their own room, but it does not take much to hang them in the garage or the basement.Since I saw this I have noticed 5 or 6 places on my way to work that the whole families bikes are outside in the weather. Does'nt anybody take care of their stuff anymore?
Thank god there is this place to let off steam.:rolleyes:

There has been a bicycle locked to a tree between Crescent and Mountain on Ste. Catherine street for about 8-10 months now. I find it amusing everytime I walk past. I has been half spray painted orange from its original purple colour.

I used to leave my town bike outside in the winter.... I know, I know shame on me.... But there was a good reason. Take a bike from a nice warm apartment ride it in the snow and muck, the snow would melt on the warm bike, then freeze on the chain, cables, and rims. But now all my bikes stay inside when not in use, they have there own building.

Originally posted by Spire
There has been a bicycle locked to a tree between Crescent and Mountain on Ste. Catherine street for about 8-10 months now. I find it amusing everytime I walk past. I has been half spray painted orange from its original purple colour.

I remember when I was at university, the same bike was locked to the bike rack there for over two years!


In response to the original question, no, it doesn't bother me if people want to leave their bikes outside in the elements. It's their problem, not mine.

There is a "majority" concensus that if you bring a bike inside, better leave it there until it has enough time to warm up completely. In other words, get it in for the night, but not for 10 minutes.

Regarding oil on the chain, I agree with Tourman's father that "oil is oil", but only to a point. The lubricating characteristics of grease, motor oil or bicycle lubricant are fairly similar; what differs is their resistance to rain and their attractiveness to grit.

I notice that in Summer I like a very light bicycle oil, but that in Winter, nothing seems better than wiped-off bearing grease. It sounds horrible, but the amount of salty mist is such that no grit accumulates on the chain, yet it stays rust-free and lubricated.

BTW, I store my bike inside.

Regards,

i'd love to own a junker bike that i can just leave around wherever i feel like it. ultimately i'd feel really bad. you've got to take pride in your stuff!!

i don't know, people can do what they want with their own stuff... actually if i were going to gripe i'd say people who leave bikes in their garages unridden for x years are more annoying than those that sit for a few months outside. i mean at least it gets ridden sometime! (well, usually)

My bikes have their own room. I suppose I'm personally attached to them.

I recently picked up an old bike at a thrift store and have been repairing it. I don't think it had been left outside, but I think it had been stored in a basement and probably not overhauled since it was bought. I find the work very pleasant and the bike is really beginning to look and feel nice, now that the accumulated grime is coming off it and things are getting replaced/properly lubed. The bike is going to make a nice second commuter, I think. So if someone wants to not ride/not take care of their bike, it's fine by me... I might get some enjoyment out of it. It's less likely if they leave it outside, tho, so I'd prefer they leave the bike in the garage if they're not going to ride it. For my own purposes.

Leave that bike chained to a tree long
enough and you'll end up with this:

Marty

Originally posted by tourman
Last season he asked me to tune his Canadian Tire bike ( this would be equal to a Huffy to you non Canadians).
Next time, I wouldn't spend too long on the tune-up.

If you leave your bike locked to a pole on the street in Toronto it will disappear piece-by-piece until there is only the lock and frame is left. :confused:

My ex-partner left her bike un-locked on the street outside of her mother’s apartment in downtown Bergen, Norway while she went traveling and it stayed there for six months without it being stolen. The apartment caretaker finally took it away! :)

In Amsterdam the streets are littered with abandoned bicycles especially around the central station. I have considered fixing one of them up and leaving it locked to a pole to use when I am there. :p

I leave my younger son's Vantage hybrid beater in the driveway, exposed to elements and potential theft. So far, no takers ...

The good equipment stays in the garage, the family room, or my office ...

I remember once when I was about eight and just getting to understand that there are brands of everything, I asked my mom, "What kind of bike did you have when you were little?" She said, "We were poor. I had whatever my older sister outgrew." She wasn't kidding about being poor. Her mother was born in an abandoned box car.

I can't control others, but my bike isn't sitting out in the snow.

It is just as bad here. I once oiled all these bikes chains...I could not stand looking at them rust away like that.

I'd like to know what old lugged steel frameset that is above. Probably worth a fortune if removed. But I like my road bike enough that I hang it from a pulley system above our circular staircase. Nothing else goes up there and it is out of the way and readily available. Also a great piece of modern industrial design/art work.

Originally posted by lotek
Leave that bike chained to a tree long
enough and you'll end up with this:

Marty

:eek: :eek: :eek: is that tree eating that bike?!