Are you a bike guru/mentor?

[sggoodri]

Do you often find yourself helping other people get started at cycling?

I often find myself helping friends shop for a bicycle, repair or adjust their old bike, choose enjoyable places to ride, and practice handling and traffic negotiation skills. I also take a lot of these beginners on rides tailored to their interests and fitness. I've given away my old bikes to beginners and bought a nice road bike for my niece. I do this compulsively; I find it even more rewarding than riding with other experienced cyclists.

Who else has this affliction? Is there an official club or diagnosis for us? And do you think it is possible to scale such volunteer activity up, or does it depend on personal relationships?

[sbhikes]

I don't fix people's bikes. I can hardly fix my own, but I "sell" a lot of recumbents (don't know how many actually buy) and often people start thinking about cycling to work once they find out I do it. I usually have to answer several conversations full of questions before they give it a try, if they give it a try.

[sggoodri]

I don't fix people's bikes. I can hardly fix my own, but I "sell" a lot of recumbents (don't know how many actually buy) and often people start thinking about cycling to work once they find out I do it. I usually have to answer several conversations full of questions before they give it a try, if they give it a try.


My friend Nancy let me ride her recumbent trike this weekend, and I was "sold!" As I pedaled around with a wide grin, my wife stood next to her muttering, "Oh great, here we go again - thanks a lot!"

[galen_52657]

When my kids where little, I was the neighborhood bike mechanic. Why? Because I had a floor pump! When I would see a kid riding by my house and his/her tire was half flat, I would run out the front door with the pump and pump up their tires (even if I did not know the child). Then I would look over their bike. You would not believe the condition of some of the bikes these kids would ride. Headsets loose, rear coaster-brake hub with so much side play the bearings were about to fall out, hand brakes so out of adjustment that they would not even slow the bike.

My kids all had dumpster/handmedown single speed bikes. But, they were tuned to the hilt by yours truly. Spokes were always tensioned and wheels were true/round, all the bearings where adjusted and the saddle height was within reason for a kids bike. I would buy extra-long BMX seat posts so the kid could stay on a small frame for as long as possible. When ever I went for a ride around the neighborhood with my kids or their friends, I would inspect all the bikes and inflate all the tires before we left. I also had a great collection of one-speed cogs and different sized one-piece and cottered crank-sets. Most kid's single-speed bikes are geared too high, especially for off-road use (which is where my kids rode most of the time). I would take off the 16 or 18 tooth cog that came with the bike and put on a 20 and then the kid could ride the bike up hill as well as through the grass.

Those were the days....

[lebowitz]

Yes I have hooked up 5 people in my office with bikes and I overhaul them when necessary.

[rando]

When my kids where little, I was the neighborhood bike mechanic. Why? Because I had a floor pump! When I would see a kid riding by my house and his/her tire was half flat, I would run out the front door with the pump and pump up their tires (even if I did not know the child). Then I would look over their bike. You would not believe the condition of some of the bikes these kids would ride. Headsets loose, rear coaster-brake hub with so much side play the bearings were about to fall out, hand brakes so out of adjustment that they would not even slow the bike.

My kids all had dumpster/handmedown single speed bikes. But, they were tuned to the hilt by yours truly. Spokes were always tensioned and wheels were true/round, all the bearings where adjusted and the saddle height was within reason for a kids bike. I would buy extra-long BMX seat posts so the kid could stay on a small frame for as long as possible. When ever I went for a ride around the neighborhood with my kids or their friends, I would inspect all the bikes and inflate all the tires before we left. I also had a great collection of one-speed cogs and different sized one-piece and cottered crank-sets. Most kid's single-speed bikes are geared too high, especially for off-road use (which is where my kids rode most of the time). I would take off the 16 or 18 tooth cog that came with the bike and put on a 20 and then the kid could ride the bike up hill as well as through the grass.

Those were the days....

wow, what a great story! :) I wonder how many of those kids are riding today?

[CB HI]

My friend Nancy let me ride her recumbent trike this weekend, and I was "sold!" As I pedaled around with a wide grin, my wife stood next to her muttering, "Oh great, here we go again - thanks a lot!"
:roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao:
Our wives think alike.

[SingingSabre]

Fixing my (grumpy) ex's bike tonight, in fact. Her rear shifter needs to be tightened and apparently something else is screwed up with her ride.

[Da Tinker]

Yep. I advocate, coach, advise folks on types of bikes they may like, serve as ride marshal, but seldom wrench on others bikes, save for on the side of the road.

Above all, I ride a lot & show them it can be done and be fun.

[Tom Stormcrowe]

I dunno, am I? I run a database tracking miles for cyclists and encourage them to ride, my blog centers around health/fitness/weight loss and Cycling and encourage cycling as a weight loss tool. I Advocate, advise and even give bikes away to the occasional person who needs but can't afford (along with a suitable helmet!).

[slagjumper]

I like to think of myself as the bike guy. I have met many folks on the side of the road and fixed their bikes. I taught one woman and 4 kids how to ride. I've organized a church ride last year. I've set up jumps in the alley for my 9 year old daughter and her friend. I gave away a few bikes. I gave a water bottle to a friend so that he would have a more enjoyable time on rides. I talk to anyone about bikes and biking, including conservatives, anarchists, mentally and physically disabled. I got one person to ride to work from my church. Been to public meetings, directed people to apropriate bike shops.

I often don’t say a whole lot if I sense apprehension or irritability and just try to get people focused on having the best time while riding.

[RomSpaceKnight]

I have gotten 4 people into bikes. I have either sold them my old bike or gone with them to pick out a new one. My old bikes were still in good condition and better than any Wallymart bike.

[Bekologist]

I show a lot of people how to change flats, talk about proper bike maintenence, mention how to ride places, how to take the lane, etc. on an almost daily basis.

I get a lot of satisfaction out of empowering other bicyclists.

[galen_52657]

wow, what a great story! :) I wonder how many of those kids are riding today?


zero

[sbhikes]

Do any of you guys do the bike kitchen thing?

[Brian Sorrell]

I try to get people involved when they express an interest. So far, those who have expressed an interest have not actually gotten bikes. However, for those who already ride, I'm Mr. Fix-it these days. I've tuned up friends' bikes, got the neighbor's son's bike worthy and safe enough to ride, gone on rides with the neighbors, mapped out good routes for people who want to try commuting, and -- most importantly -- whenever I see a cyclist on the side of the road, I stop to see if they need help. I always carry a ton of tools and patch kits and such.

It riles me when I see other riders just cruise past people who obviously need help. For example, I was recently riding the path to the beach and I saw two kids pulled off to the side, looking a bit puzzled as they poked the back wheel of one of the bikes. Of course, it was flat. No quick release and I didn't have the correct wrench to remove the wheel, but I was able to pump it up. I gave them a patch kit and instructions on how to repair the tube when they get the wheel off. I asked how far they were going -- they were a mile or so from home -- to make sure they could get there safely before the air leaked out. What bugged me was that as I was approaching the kids, probably four or five kitted out roadies zipped right by them without even breaking their stride. And the kids were really thirsting to know more about bikes -- you could tell. My buddy and I were talking to them about our ride -- they were amazed that we were riding all the way to the beach (it's 33 miles one way on the route we were taking). They talked about how they pushed themselves to ride to Angel's Stadium and how they want to try to go further, and so on. It was pretty exciting to be able to encourage them and give them some tips.

[farnorth51]

When we got our tandem recumbent it opened up a whole new way to introduce folks to the comfort of recumbents. I had been an evangilist for recumbents for years but I noticed how a lot of folks were turned off by the twichiness of recumbent steering. I had the same experience when I got my first one. However I had spent $700 and thought I had better give it time so by the time I had ridden it about 3 miles I had learned to relax with the steering and was beginning to wonder why everyone didn't ride one of these wonderful machines. The Double Vision recumbent tandem solved that by allowing me to control the bike while allowing my passenger to marvel at the comfort of the ride. I now look forward to going on vacation is some sunny place and giving free rides to people who show interest in our bike. I also carry tools, patches and pump to assist anyone who made need it with the understanding that they at least go for a short ride with my on my tandem so I can count them on my quest to 3000, 4000, or more. I have had several of these folks later tell me that they have gone on to get recumbents and how much they enjoy riding them. I have also given several elders their first bike ride ever! What a thrill that is.

[caloso]

I've given some commute advice to a couple of coworkers. I once sent a bottle of lube via intraoffice mail to a supervising attorney on another floor. I heard his chain from a half block away when he rolled up to the bike rack.

[donnamb]

I once sent a bottle of lube via intraoffice mail to a supervising attorney on another floor. I heard his chain from a half block away when he rolled up to the bike rack.

:roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: