Fifty Plus (50+) - sharing bikes with visitors

I've often thought of how neat it would be to form a co-op to share our bikes when we travel. For example, I often fly to Phoenix for a week to visit the grandkids and love biking there. We all know the hassles transporting your bike. I've rented bikes advertising on Craigslist. Many of us bikers have many bikes sitting around and I thought it would be great to share your bike with fellow over 50's, when they travel into your area. We live in Northeaster Ohio and would enjoy helping any of you visiting here. What do you think? Would it work? A barter, trading group to share your bikes... Robert

my bike tells me shes the only one she would allow to ride her.

seriously, I would not loan my high end bikes to anyone. Now my schwinn varsity - maybe.

Size , fit, bike preference makes that a difficult chore. I have a couple bikes lying about. Even when close friends who are into biking come visit; they often can't use my bikes. Problems like fit, pedal type, etc. And I wish it would work, cause it would be great to go riding with them. Here, there are rental shops about. But, they only rent very basic city type bikes.

I always have at least ONE bike to loan out. I have 3 right now out on extended loan that I might never see back in the garage. My next bike that may become a loaner is a steel frame built up as a fast commuter bike. It's tough, adjustable, and pretty quick.

To my friends, any of my bikes are available to ride as long as I have a bike to ride. It helps being a mechanic and having all the tools to maintain my bikes.

I realize this isn't exactly what you have in mind, but I found this bike sharing blog interesting. A number of programs are up and running or in the planning stages:

http://bike-sharing.blogspot.com/

Thanks for the suggestions. I wasn't suggesting one shares their beloved bike, just one of the many we have sitting around. I don't know about you but I have several bikes that are used to share with the grandkids or friends. I live out in the boonies and tire of riding alone. Nothing quite gives me the thrill of turning my young grandchildren onto the joy of cycling. In any case, if any of you travel to northeastern Ohio and would like to use a bike for a week or so, I'd be happy to lend you one of mine. It might not be a custom fit, but it sure beats renting. I often travel to Jersey shore from here and flew into Newark last year. After work I took the train down to Asbury Pk where I had prearranged to rent an old road bike from a shop who had it for sale on Craigslist for 60.00. To my surprise, he wanted 29.00 a day for the five days I would be there. With eight kids, three still in college, there just isn't all this disposible income to throw arround. I was just trying to think of a less expensive and more practible solution. Robert

Wow, thanks for the bike-sharing blog. There is a group in Tuscon and my daughter teaches there. I hope to connect with them.

My bikes are my base transportation. Lending them out (or worse, their getting stolen from who I lent them to) means I'm stuck at home, or walking or riding the bus. Plus I'm pretty particular about their care and there's the fit issues. I've put a lot of time and effort into getting the fit right on my bikes.

(I just about whacked a wrench at ang1sgt's shop last night who attacked (or adjusted as he said) my brifters because they "aren't on straight". I know. I can ride the bike only 4 or 5 miles when they are. That's why they're rotated inwards.)

That said, I've offered twice. Once to a friend who's exactly the same size (well, except for her female bits) and again to a friend who owns a Trek Portland the same year and size as mine. In fact, it was his recommendation that tipped the scale for me when I bought mine.

I have one expensive bike and several beaters, and I have teenagers at home with mostly beat-up older bikes. Only the first one is off limits to visitors or guests.

Thanks for the suggestions. I wasn't suggesting one shares their beloved bike, just one of the many we have sitting around. I don't know about you but I have several bikes that are used to share with the grandkids or friends. Robert

I kept my old hybrid bikes around for my grandchildren to ride, too. As they grew older and rode less I finally cleared out the stables last summer and sold the three hybrids. I still have two road bikes and the just turned 16 granddaughter seems to like riding one of them. I'm hoping she decides to do a little biking this summer:)

When RainmanP, a BF member from New Orleans, visited San Diego six years ago on business, I lent him my 1980 Peugeot PKN-10 for a week. I met him at a commuter rail station near my office, rode about 15 miles with him through Torrey Pines Park and the UCSD campus, then pointed him on his way down the Rose Canyon bike path and through Mission Bay back to his hotel downtown. Later that week he toured Point Loma with another BF member. It was a great experience for all three of us, and all he had to bring on the airplane was his helmet, his cycling shoes, and his eggbeater pedals.

If any BFer wants to visit the coastal part of San Diego County, my house is within 2km of a bicycle-friendly commuter rail station, and I have two 55cm road bikes and two old school mountain bikes (17" and 19") available for anyone who can handle friction shifting and toeclips (or bring your own pedals and shoes, as RainmanP did).

I have at least three bikes which I would not hesitate to allow guests to use.

Amongst my circle of cycling friends- we do occasionally want to borrow a bike for a friend or relation to enable them to ride. Not a problem as most of us have more than one bike and it is just approximate the size of the guest and find who has a spare bike to fit him or her. In the past- this has always been Mountain bikes- but the Tandem has been requested several times. That will fit anyone and if you fancy riding an $8,000 bike- then this is the one. The value puts most people off- but it is indestructable. That bike has hit other bikes- Bushes- trees and on several occasions cars and it always come off the better. Only problem is that it only gets ridden by new riders once- It is not the easy ride that most reckon it would be. But if you are 5'6" short and want to borrow abike- I'm certain I could find one.-

Now where's that 3 speed 50's Hercules

I only have 3 or 4 ready for the road, but I have 14 total, and could get a few others up and running pretty quicky if needed.

They're pretty much all available for loan, short or long term. I would appreciate going on at least one short ride with the person borrowing the bike, just for fun!

Ranging in age from a 1955 Schwinn Corvette to a 2003 Giant Sedona. Mostly lugged steel vintage road bikes, entry level to mid range. 56-58 cm. A couple of comfort bikes for shorter riders that can't fit the 56 cm roadies. I have one in 62 for a while until I strip it of parts and barter the frame (barter in progress)

So, anyone coming to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area?

So, anyone coming to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area?

Is it cold there:D:D

So, anyone coming to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area?

Sorry, I've already been there once. No one ever goes more than once.

I have a couple I would loan to fellow 50+ers and would like to even share a ride if time permits. This is about the 3rd one of thes threads. Maybe we should try something new. If you are going to be going someplace post a thread, for instance, " I'll be in NE Ohio next week: anyone want to share a ride." Then if anyone is interested they can reply and hopefully plan a ride.

Is it cold there:D:D

It was 40 during my evening commute. Way above freezing (for once).

Sorry, I've already been there once. No one ever goes more than once.

Hey, in between Scranton and Wilkes-Barre there is Old Forge, the self-confessed pizza capitol of the world.

Wilkes-Barre is the home to Planters Peanuts and Cable Television. In addition, just south of Wilkes-Barre is Ashley, the childhood home of the actor who played the professor on Gilligan's Island. I think I heard once that QVC started here too.

The Wilkes-Barre area is home to two major coal mine disasters, and there is a museum where you can take a trip down into a coal mine. A tour where every guide used to be a coal miner, but since coal mining stopped in the area in about 1960, it is now mostly the children of coal miners.

Wilkes-Barre has two four year colleges in their city limits (Kings College and Wilkes University), and two more campuses that consider themselves the Wilkes-Barre campus (Penn State Wilkes-Barre and Misericordia University). There is also a 2 year Community college in Nanicoke, with locations in Wilkes-Barre, Old Forge and other places.

Within a 30 minute drive you can drive past wind generators, a former coal generation plant that now runs on natural gas, and a nuclear reactor (I can see the steam cloud from my back porch on a clear day)

South of Wilkes-Barre is a site where some of the first concrete housing structures were built... they no longer exist, but there is a sign.

Wilkes-Barre Scranton hosts an arena football team, minor league hockey team, and the AAA affiliate of the New York Yankees.

Every Year Wilkes-Barre is one of the stops on the Trans-Siberian Orchestra tour.

There is an international airport, a horse track with a casino and a nearby Nascar track... There is also an annual hill climb called Giants Despair that is pretty famous for those into hill climbs.

There is a great little bike store in down town Wilkes-Barre too!

I tend to only ride what they call flat around here (rolling hills anywhere else) but if one wants climbs, we have hills that are real challenges (note the hill climb referenced above for one of them).

Within 2 hours drive you can be in Philadelphia or New York City... and half way to Philadelphia is a velodrome (which hosts two big bicycle swap meets every year).

If one were to float down the Susquehanna river (the longest non-navigable river in the US), you would pass two major nuclear power plants, the second one would be Three Mile Island.

But, enough about Scranton/Wilkes-Barre... Anyone want to borrow a bike?
:p

If one were to float down the Susquehanna river (the longest non-navigable river in the US), you would pass two major nuclear power plants, the second one would be Three Mile Island.


My father-in-law's custom steel shop made custom, high precision steel parts that were used in the Three Mile Island repairs. I was there one day and watched him and his staff make a couple of those parts. It was magical to me how they could take a block of stainless steel and cut it like it was a block of ice into a part that was within a few micron tolerances.

"I have a couple I would loan to fellow 50+ers and would like to even share a ride if time permits. This is about the 3rd one of thes threads. Maybe we should try something new. If you are going to be going someplace post a thread, for instance, " I'll be in NE Ohio next week: anyone want to share a ride." Then if anyone is interested they can reply and hopefully plan a ride."

Sorry, during the winter when I rarely ride, I don't visit the forum and did not know this had been discussed. Ok, per your advice, I will be in Phoenix from Mar 11th to the 19th visiting my grandkids. Would anyone like to share a ride? Also, whenever the weather breaks around here, I am offering one of my many bikes to someone to share locally in NE Ohio. Robert

I've often thought of how neat it would be to form a co-op to share our bikes when we travel. For example, I often fly to Phoenix for a week to visit the grandkids and love biking there. We all know the hassles transporting your bike. I've rented bikes advertising on Craigslist. Many of us bikers have many bikes sitting around and I thought it would be great to share your bike with fellow over 50's, when they travel into your area. We live in Northeaster Ohio and would enjoy helping any of you visiting here. What do you think? Would it work? A barter, trading group to share your bikes... Robert

I think it is a great idea, most of us appear to have more than one bike, so we wouldn't necessarily have to share our favorite.

Sorry, I've already been there once. No one ever goes more than once.

Ref: Scranton,
someone should be singing Harry Chapins great song; "30,000lbs. of Bananas" A tribute to driving through Scranton.