What's your policy on loaning bikes, accessories and tools to your friends? I recently loaned my road bike to a friend for a triathlon. It came back with a big chunk of paint missing on the seat tube -- most likely from the universal bike rack. It's cosmetic (and now I can see the carbon) but it sure SUCKS!!!

I let my brother ride my bike one day (with me) and he leaned it up against the brick chimney outside of my house. I wish he'd leaned it up against the bars/saddle but he leaned the frame on the corner. Sure enough, it rolled and left a 4" scratch on the top tube. I didn't say anything but I was a little pissed. I ended up selling him the bike (he needed it more than me anyway...) I dont know, I guess I'd loan a bike to him again but might also remind him that it better come back in the same condition that he took it in. He's really the only person I know that rides so I guess I wouldnt have to worry about loaning to anybody else.

Wanna loan put your toothbrush too????

Heck, I knew a guy for about 4-5 months, had plans of moving out of state. Asked me if he could borrow my tandem to do an out of state in another state before moved.

No need asking what my answer was, I still have my tandem!

fixed

I used to have a pickup truck that everybody wanted to borrow. After getting burned, My official policy became:

Take my truck but leave your car behind

Whatever happens to my truck will happen to your car.

Whatever crap is left in my truck gets dumped into your car's front seat

I'll siphon all the gas out of your car if the tank isn't returned full

You can always rent a truck from U haul if you don't like the conditions. They are nicer & more understanding than I am

Never had anyone borrow my truck after that. I'll never lend a bike. Stopped lending tools after losing a couple.

Depends on who's asking.

As I write this the fork and both wheels off of my tandem are on a friend's bike. A week and a half ago his tandem was seriously damaged when his minivan was rear ended and totaled. Now this is a couple that I've known for over a decade so I'm pretty comfortable with the situation. I have no use for that tandem right now and I know they'll return the favor and make it right. FWIW, their replacement tandem, already on order, is a Santana Team Titanium. Nice!

My sons work on their bikes in my shop, but they know better than to remove any of my tools without asking. If anybody else wanted to borrow bike tools, I'd suggest they bring whatever they're working on over here.

Other bikes I'll loan out but I'm selective about what I'll lend to whom. Basically my feeling is that I'm risking a bike for a friendship. Only my closest friends are going to get the good stuff - basically, people who ride and respect the value of better quality bikes. If my neighbor wants to borrow a bike for a friend or grandkid, they're going to get a beater.

Loaned tools have a weird way of becoming gifts. I quit doing it long ago. bk

No way. My possessions are way more important to me than my friends...

You know, it IS possible to take even a worthwhile thing too seriously.

Some posts on these forums mentioned people lent their bikes to their siblings etc. who didn't lock them properly and the bikes got stolen. Comparing to them, you were luckier--but it truly sucks that your bike lost the big chunk of paint! Whoever borrowed the bike should offer some solution...

I only loan out bikes if someone is going on a ride with me. I have given plenty of bikes away. Tools do not leave my shop, if you need help working on your bike, bring it over.

Aaron

I don't loan my bike, tools, or wife. Kids they can borrow for a while

I have a couple of bicycles that I loan out, not my main ride. One is my 30 year old 12 speed that I rarely use anymore, but still rides fine. It currently has the wheels loaned to a friend that needed one until he got replacements. Another is a 20 year old 9 speed that I picked up cheap. It rides great. It was loaned out most of the summer to a friend. It came back looking nicer than when it went.

Have a few friends that I will always help out but some that I won't.

I have several customers that ride bikes and one of them had his bike stolen a few weeks before a big ride. Just enough time for him to get accustomed to the bike I was Loaning him and set it up for him. I trust him and we have done a few rides together. Day after the ride and the bike was ready for me to collect in his workshop. Immaculately cleaned and as he reckoned he had put a few miles on the bike- There was a package of two new tubes and a Case of Beer. Next time I want a bike cleaned- I will loan it to him.

Have another customer that rides MTB's and he commutes the 5 miles over the hills on Dry Summer days. Seeing the cleanliness of his bike- I will loan him one aswell. He wants to see how road bikes work and we have agreed to go on a ride shortly. He is a bit taller than me so he will have to go on the TCR-C so he will get a bike that will give him a taste of a real bike before he decides if he wants to try these road things.

I will loan out bikes but only to trusted people.

Thanks for all the feedback! He is a good friend which is why I let him borrow my bike even though I had to think about it. I loaned another bike to another friend who's dad was in town so they wanted to go on a ride. No damage done to the bike on that ride. I think I will now change my policy on loaning bikes. But, I agree with the above comments about NOT loaning tools as they don't seem to make it back.

I live in Nebraska, my wife is from Hawaii. Some of good friends from back home have kids going to college here. I have lent some bikes and tools and camping gear to these kids and some of their friends. I lend out the older tent and sleeping bag that I no longer use. I have lent out some tools and even 4 bikes for a day ride. I don't like to lend the bikes any more since I saw that they parked the bikes in front of their house without locking them. But they don't get the good stuff. I won't lend out my carbon road bike, any bike with carbon components, or my lightweight tent or the ortliebs or tubus racks, etc.

No, no, and no.

it is so hard for me to lend stuff out because for some reason
i always have to ask for my stuff back. Loaned my brother my bike stand to work on his mountain bike, he had it for a few months one day I asked for it back he says to me I thought you gave it to me so I sold it with my mountain bike. Of course I told him off and also told him that I WOULD NEVER lend him anything period.

i tend to only loan my tools to certain family members
and to everyone else

When my boys used to race MTBs, they would lend parts and tools back and forth with other racers that we'd see on a weekly basis - never had a problem. It all depends upon who it is.

I like to get people into cycling, so even if I've had a bad experience with loaning my stuff to people I usually wouldn't hesitate to lend my bike to someone else. Last night I loaned my mountain bike to a friend (he got hit by a car and is waiting for a new front wheel for his bike) to ride with me to a show; he stood my bike upside down and walked away from it disregarding my warnings about bike theft, so I know that I will not be loaning this friend any of my belongings again.
But I'm going on a ride tomorrow, and I'm loaning another friend the same bike because he's someone that I do trust to take good care of my stuff and I'll be happy to have his company.

I can lose tools on my own without help from others, somewhere here I have a bag I packed for a trip to amsterdam with all my most usefull tools in, I am sure it will turn up the moment I have finished replacing them.
I'm considering lending these ones out for safekeeping.
I have forgotten about entire bikes I've lent out before, nice suprise when i got it back though.

Your brother sold the bike stand??? Holy crap!!! I just finished changing the set-up on the bike that I loaned back to my likings.