Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 44,138
Likes: 6,363
From: New York, NY, and High Falls, NY, USA
Bikes: 1962 Rudge Sports, 1971 Raleigh Super Course, 1971 Raleigh Pro Track, 1974 Raleigh International, 1975 Viscount Fixie, 1982 McLean, 1996 Lemond (Ti), 2002 Burley Zydeco tandem
It really doesn't matter if you remove it or leave it. Really.
Since you're going to pass the bike on, it's probably better to leave it on. They do prevent accidents, you know. Sometimes I feel foolish for taking mine off, because I do have accidents from time to time.