ypsetihw

I'll try to keep this short because my posts are notoriously long winded . . .

I have an early 90s huffy mixte with almost no miles that was a free gift from friends who moved. It was bought second hand and garaged, and basically in pretty good shape except for wheel tension/true, brake/cable adjustments, and general cleaning and lube. My wife (for lack of a better word) has a very sweet, young, and broke coworker who would like the bike. I have exactly $1.09 including tax into the refurb (excluding my labor), and overall the bike (which is generally a heavy piece of crap) is generally adjusted and safe to ride. I would like to give it to her for a karma freeby, but my nerdy mechanical mind is struggling . . .

I could obviously replace all the cables, further service the headset and bb, and pay more (or any) attention to the wheels/hubs. It could use a new saddle and a real bar wrap instead of the garbage slide-on two piece grips. The brakes could use new, modern pads, if not full replacement. Heck if it were up to me I would replace most of the parts, but then we are talking much more money than I want to spend (given my other projects and the poor resale value), and much more money than the recipient can afford.

So, how much am I obliged to work on it, especially given that this is a gift bike? Is making it passable, or reasonably safe, enough? Am I obliged to do more as I am being trusted to make a trustworthy bike? Or given the fact that this "build" is already a "loss" on the balance sheet, even with labor excepted, should I just pass it along with the knowledge that she might need to put some money into it herself if she rides it for more than a few miles?

edited for spelling, content, and grammar

travbikeman

Think it really depends on how close you and your Wife are to this "young, sweet and broke coworker." Is she a good friend that you and your Wife hang around a lot? Or is she just a coworker?

Is she planning on using it as a mode of transportation or just an occasional spin on the weekends? Really depends on how close she is it you all as a friend. But I'm assuming she must be somewhat close since you are even thinking of reconditioning it the way your nerdy mechanical self stipulates.


Heck, if you enjoy working on bikes I say do it. Recondition it for her and she will think kindly of you for doing something nice for her. You never know in the future when the favor is returned.

Retro Grouch 

Obligation = zero.

"Do unto others as you would have others do unto you." That's a much higher and harder standard to keep.

dsbrantjr

I think that you can pass the bike along to the co-worker with a clear conscience if this is the case.

You are making her a generous offer. Perhaps you could offer to show/help her to perform some of the other replacements if she buys the parts. Brake pads, for example, are cheap and easy to replace. If she has some of her money and work in the bike she will likely appreciate it more and take better care of it. Perhaps with reliable transportation she will be able to get a better job which will help her not to be so broke

techsensei

+1.

I had a friend that had bought a used bike for her daughter's birthday. She asked me if I could tune it up (it was a single speed bike). I went a little further than tuning: I took it completely apart, stripped the blue paint and gave it a new white paint job with black dalmatian markings and 101 Dalmatian stickers, cleaned the rust from all the chrome, overhauled the coaster brake and other bearings, laced the crossing spokes, etc. This friend helped me get a job working for Disney, which is why I went the extra mile.

I've done other pro bono work; how much depended on my relationship to that person.

AnkleWork

Lots of judgement and trigger words. Are you really so sure you know best?

CroMo Mike 

The bike is just destined to sit in/on her garage/balcony/storage locker until it gets given away again. Minimize your personal investment.

FBinNY 

You have ABSOLUTELY no obligation of any kind here. You aren't obligated to give her the bike, nor are you obligated to sweeten the pot by making it a better bike.

The bike is A GIFT, not some payment of a debt or obligation. So it's strictly up to you how much gift you want to give. If you're so inclined, you might put a bit more effort into the bike but only if it improves how you feel about what you;re doing.

So, I was wrong so say no obligation, there is one, to your sense of what you want to give. In your shoes, I'd put some basic effort into bringing it up to some kind of basic standard, ie. true the wheels, and basic adjustments. Not from obligation but out of some sense of pride or whatever.

Beyond that, you might give a donee some suggestions of what it could use beyond the basic needs, ie. tires, cables and brake shoes, and tell her that if she wants to buy these, you'll install them for free.

But, again, even if you do nothing beyond giving her the bike as is, you're still giving her a bike, which is still a nice thing to do.

speedy25

I'll add a slightly contrary view.

Nobody gets ANYTHING for free.

Work out some sort of menial but appreciated task to "pay" for the bike. Add extras for the bike based on enthusiasm and effort to complete whatever you agree to.

Some people just want free stuff. Others are appreciative and deserve a break.

-SP

StanSeven

If you can afford the money and time to fix it up, why not? It sounds like a fun project for you and I'm sure she will appreciate it. You have the knowledge and skills; she doesn't. Do something nice for her (and others you run into), and who knows what good you might do.

JohnDThompson 

You have no obligation to do anything at all, but you may freely choose to put as much effort as you deem needed for whatever reason you may come up with.

I freely give my time and experience in fixing bikes to a local jobs training charity and have not been paid to work on bikes for years now.

Andrew R Stewart 

The real obligation is to have the bike be safe and initially reliable. No more, no less. So do whatever gets the bike to this level. Perhaps the coworker's investment could be a required helmet and lock? Andy.

spdracr39

You are not obligated to work on it at all. I personally would let them buy the parts and do the labor for free. If I had any parts on hand I would donate those for free. But that's just how I roll.

Inpd

Ummm. What else do you call her?

ypsetihw

well we have a child, cohabitate, and she has a ring, but we aren't married . . . so wife is easier than explaining all of that usually

joejack951

90s Huffy mixte? Do yourself and the friend a favor and throw it in the trash. If you really care about the friend, scour ebay, Craigslist, and garage sales for a decent bike for under $50. Spend a small sum making it safe to ride (working brakes and shifters, decent tires, etc.) and at least enjoy getting to wrench on something worth the effort and money. Maybe my judgement of the situation is a bit harsh but in my experience, there is no joy in working on junk and it will only lead to frustration and wasted time and money for you.

Since you paid nothing for the bike, throwing it away is no skin off your back. Start fresh and put the effort into something worth your while. Then if it winds up sitting kindly ask for it back and sell it, likely for a profit.

Bill Kapaun

I'll give something to a friend.
I sell Huffys to total strangers.

ypsetihw

to be fair it is a total pile of crap. in fact, one of my own coworkers, a girl I workout with often, inquired about it, and I told her just that, that I wouldn't even give it to her because, it is, in fact, crap.

with that said, it works. it rides, shifts, brakes, and will be comfortable enough, for free, for someone who doesn't know or care. I know it probably won't be used, but realistically I can't sell it, and I just wanted to make sure there wasn't some nasty juju about giving away garbage (oof I hate even saying it).

the bike is sound - for what it is - and I don't mind if it sits on her porch for 3 years, because hey, it won't be on mine. I'm willing to give away my labor to get it out of my garage, so assuming I won't be hunted by some gremlins in the night, and knowing it's at least safe enough to ride, then it's gone.

joejack951

Ok, don't throw it away. Give it away to someone you don't know, i.e. list in on Craigslist in the free section. Friends don't let friends ride junk. Craigslist bottom feeders get what they pay for (I know that sounds condescending but it isn't meant to be).

Dave Cutter

I'd put new brake pads on the bike.... and gift it (free of charge).

gsa103

New brake pads and if maybe one of your "saddle that didn't quite work out" (we all have that pile). Anything else you should ask for money for parts.

Rowan

Horror of horrors... I agree with you.

bike_galpal

i mean..... can't you find something better for her for free? lol. i had a complete sekai 2500 show up at my house.... lots of decent vintage mavic wheels and stuff laying around too, at least in my area....

i wouldn't really bother fixing up a huffy or a steel wheelset. in any case, the person would also have to show somehow that they really wanted it, and were really grateful that someone would even consider gifting them a bike. honestly thats really where i'd draw the line. do they really need a bike?

billnuke1 

Someone recently gave me an unused, and according to a sticker on the frame, 2008 Magna. My niece needed a bike, so I offered this one. I took it apart, lubed, re-ran all of the cables, and adjusted all of the mechanicals. Everything just horrible from valve stem to the seat! Total lack of any mechanical thought put into the assembly of this bike!
I was very happy with the way the bike performed after a comprehensive build. Actually kinda surprised. She could not have ridden the bike as built. We are both happy with outcome.

jimmie65

No obligation of any kind. Giving her the bike is just a nice thing to do. Doing more work on it would be even nicer.
If I were in that situation, I'd give her the bike and offer to help her upgrade it as she can afford to.

Just yesterday, I picked up an old steel hybrid (a Specialized Crossroad Sport) for $40 just so I could lend it to the kid next door. He needs a bike to ride to work and his old BMX, though I changed out some parts and adjusted the brakes, isn't ideal.
Given the circumstances (he and his mom aren't broke), I just offered to lend it to him and let him buy it after he has a couple of paychecks.