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Would you lend your expensive carbon road bike to a colleague or acquaintance?

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Would you lend your expensive carbon road bike to a colleague or acquaintance?

Old 11-14-15, 06:16 AM
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Of course I would. Just the same as my car. With the understanding the borrower takes responsibility for the bike or car in every way above and beyond any insurance coverage. Not understanding that it IS ONLY A BIKE is a serious problem for you.

And by the way, I wouldn't have a spare bike or a primary bike. I wouldn't have a less desirable an a more desirable bike. They are all the same to me, or they are gone.
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Old 11-14-15, 06:40 AM
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I'd never ask someone else, even if it's a close friend, to borrow his carbon bike, regardless of how much it's worth. Not that I don't trust myself to take care of it, because I'd take more caution with it than my own bike, but just don't want to put him in an awkward and uncomfortable position. So, I wouldn't lend it out, and I hope that a close friend wouldn't put me in that same awkward position.

A colleague or acquaintance? Hells, no!
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Old 11-14-15, 06:49 AM
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There are broader questions that are just as telling if not more so. What would you lend to a friend, your cousin, your BROTHER-IN-LAW? Forget the colleague BS. Just friends and family. If this were just about bikes, that would surprise me. How tightly clamped shut around your possessions is your fist? How overspecified and overpriced relative to your finances are your possessions? How jealous of those possessions are you? How thoroughly do they define you? Aren't those the real questions?
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Old 11-14-15, 06:56 AM
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There is one woman in my work group that I would lend one of my less expensive bikes to--after taking out the QR skewers and loosening the bolts that secure the brake cables.
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Old 11-14-15, 07:02 AM
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Originally Posted by indyfabz
There is one woman in my work group that I would lend one of my less expensive bikes to--after taking out the QR skewers and loosening the bolts that secure the brake cables.
How come most of us, but not all, know that is something that should never appear in print, even when followed by a ?
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Old 11-14-15, 07:12 AM
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Originally Posted by borgey007
Earlier this year, I purchased a fat-bike (Norco Bigfoot 6.1).
Since I purchased the bike, everyone asks to borrow it for an afternoon, part of the weekend,... when I may not be using it.
I do lend it out.

Now I have just ordered a Specialized Diverge Expert, a $5000 (Canadian dollars) carbon road bike.

I know everyone at work will want to ride it; or at least "try it". Would you lend your expensive bike to an acquaintance or colleague at work?

If your colleague or acquaintance crashes your $5000 bike, cracking your carbon frame, would you hold him/her responsible?
No.

And my colleagues and acquaintances wouldn't be so rude as to ask.
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Old 11-14-15, 07:19 AM
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This is a fine state we are in: valuing our things more than our friends. Thinking that a request to ride your bike is rude. I have a good friend to whom, by the way, I would lend anything. She has a powerful philosophy that she sums up this way, "It ain't a kidney."
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Old 11-14-15, 07:19 AM
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Originally Posted by Dannihilator
Nope.
Correct. One does not loan underwear or bikes.
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Old 11-14-15, 07:25 AM
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Originally Posted by rpenmanparker
There are broader questions that are just as telling if not more so. What would you lend to a friend, your cousin, your BROTHER-IN-LAW? Forget the colleague BS. Just friends and family. If this were just about bikes, that would surprise me. How tightly clamped shut around your possessions is your fist? How overspecified and overpriced relative to your finances are your possessions? How jealous of those possessions are you? How thoroughly do they define you? Aren't those the real questions?
Nah. There are no broader questions here. Some people are just more, um, possessive than others. Or maybe they just had bad experience with lending stuff out and then having it come back in pieces, or worse.

Quit playing armchair therapist.
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Old 11-14-15, 07:26 AM
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Yes. It's a bike. Also, I don't have a lot of friends that I wouldn't trust to take care of my property.
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Old 11-14-15, 07:29 AM
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Originally Posted by rpenmanparker
This is a fine state we are in: valuing our things more than our friends. Thinking that a request to ride your bike is rude.
This thread isn't about friends ... it's about colleagues and acquaintances.


Fortunately, the most my colleagues and acquaintances will ask to borrow might be an office pen.

They wouldn't have the audacity to stroll up to me and ask to ride one of my bicycles.
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Old 11-14-15, 07:39 AM
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Originally Posted by Machka
This thread isn't about friends ... it's about colleagues and acquaintances.


Fortunately, the most my colleagues and acquaintances will ask to borrow might be an office pen.

They wouldn't have the audacity to stroll up to me and ask to ride one of my bicycles.
Good point. I have just been imagining situations similar to when I would let a close acquaintance (not necessarily friend) ride my motorcycle. He had a motorcycle, too, and we each wanted to see what the other was like, or just "mix it up a bit," because our bikes were different. I even let a perfect stranger ride my motorcycle once. We were in a big parking lot just doing manoeuvering drills. But yeah, a colleague coming up out of the blue and asking to ride one of my bikes for fun? That would indeed be very rude.
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Old 11-14-15, 07:41 AM
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Originally Posted by mcours2006
Nah. There are no broader questions here. Some people are just more, um, possessive than others. Or maybe they just had bad experience with lending stuff out and then having it come back in pieces, or worse.

Quit playing armchair therapist.
Therapist is a total misnomer. The job of a therapist is to help people. I am just ranting and trying to get this stupid thread closed.
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Old 11-14-15, 07:50 AM
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Originally Posted by Machka
This thread isn't about friends ... it's about colleagues and acquaintances.


Fortunately, the most my colleagues and acquaintances will ask to borrow might be an office pen.

They wouldn't have the audacity to stroll up to me and ask to ride one of my bicycles.
I'll admit your point. I am pushing the conversation toward closer friends and relations. But as for colleagues and acquaintances I would still be proud that they asked and would be pleased to let them try out my bike. I'm not talking about lending it out for a couple of years.
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Old 11-14-15, 07:53 AM
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Keep friends and family happy, don't let them ride your bike. If you crash our own bike you can only be mad at yourself.
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Old 11-14-15, 07:59 AM
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Of course I would! With the understanding, that if ANYTHING is wrong after their use, the only option they have is REPLACEMENT!

The only exception would be kids and grandkids!
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Old 11-14-15, 08:02 AM
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Originally Posted by kbarch
Good point. I have just been imagining situations similar to when I would let a close acquaintance (not necessarily friend) ride my motorcycle. He had a motorcycle, too, and we each wanted to see what the other was like, or just "mix it up a bit," because our bikes were different. I even let a perfect stranger ride my motorcycle once. We were in a big parking lot just doing manoeuvering drills. But yeah, a colleague coming up out of the blue and asking to ride one of my bikes for fun? That would indeed be very rude.
Originally Posted by rpenmanparker
I'll admit your point. I am pushing the conversation toward closer friends and relations. But as for colleagues and acquaintances I would still be proud that they asked and would be pleased to let them try out my bike. I'm not talking about lending it out for a couple of years.
The majority of my colleagues and acquaintances don't even know I have a bicycle. But if one of the ones to whom I might have mentioned in passing that I went for a ride on the weekend saw me in the kitchen making a cup of coffee, and said, "Hey listen, I'd like to borrow your bicycle this coming weekend" .... No. Just ... no.

Fortunately, they don't have the gall to do something like that.
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Old 11-14-15, 08:03 AM
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Originally Posted by 2manybikes
Keep friends and family happy, don't let them ride your bike. If you crash our own bike you can only be mad at yourself.
+1
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Old 11-14-15, 08:04 AM
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Same reason you shouldn't enter into a business relationship with a friend, if you value that friendship.
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Old 11-14-15, 08:17 AM
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Everyone I associate with is a cyclist, and at least 2 sizes smaller, so the question is moot.
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Old 11-14-15, 08:23 AM
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Originally Posted by mcours2006
Same reason you shouldn't enter into a business relationship with a friend, if you value that friendship.
I love working with people who I also spend time with privately. Mutual understanding, respect and love make most things a lot easier. The problems occur when people expect that being a friend means you should do what they want over your own aspirations/interest. But as long as you respect your friends and take them for what they are, these problems don't occur.


The OP question instantly reminded me of this 5 minute video from a good film:

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Old 11-14-15, 08:30 AM
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Colleague or acquaintance, no.
Friend, yes.
I would lend my bike or my car or just about anything to any of my friends in a second. They have watched my children at one time or another. Why in the world would I not lend them a piece of metal with wheels on it regardless of how expensive it cost?
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Old 11-14-15, 08:46 AM
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The only way you should lend your bike to another is with the understanding that it might break, they might crash, it might get stolen & you're ok with dealing with it yourself. Otherwise don't do it. It's like lending money, don't do it unless you're ok with never seeing the money again. How else can you deal with it if your friend takes your bike & something really bad happens & he says he was just riding along? You see fault, he sees normal use. The frame was due to fail, he did nothing wrong. It's a great way to ruin a friendship, whether he replaces it or not. Either way, one party is pissed. Much easier to just say you don't lend your bike. But if you truly believe that a bike is just at thing and it can be replaced whereas a friendship cannot, then you lend it with the understanding that you may have to replace this thing yourself.
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Old 11-14-15, 08:49 AM
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Here's a good example of what you don't want to happen. JRA.

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Old 11-14-15, 09:14 AM
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My Coworker: Chris, can I borrow your bike Saturday to see if I will like riding?

Me: Sure, can I borrow your Mustang Saturday night to see if I like Fords or not.

He's never asked again.

Yes it's just a bike, but it's my bike, it's expensive and if something happened to it, it would be hard for me to replace at this time in my life. Not to mention if something happened to him while riding it. That would be terrible for everyone.
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