throwaway1

I can't remember actually which bike it is at the moment but it's a mountain bike from walmart. That should sum it up. But he pulls off from a full stop using 3rd chainring and 5th casset and mashes like crazy to speed up. I told him that he would be doing the bike a favor(his legs also but he thinks he is superman) to start at lower gear. He loves cross chaining as well.. He brags about how he broke a bike making the crank arms line up together. He also brags how his legs are so strong he destroyed bottom bracket or something. I mean since he insists so if we were not short on bills every month I'd just be like fine destroy your **** if you want to. But he snapped his front axle, ****ed up the brakes, and somehow messed up the handlebar alignment. On the bike before this one(he has only had the current bike for 2 months) similarly the handlebars, the brakes, the chain, and the bottom bracket... After he messed the last one up he tried to give it away randomly. He stopped locking it up hoping it would get stolen. Then finally when someone gave him a ride he put the bike in the back of the truck without closing the gate and somehow didn't realize it fell out. I forgot to mention he is a lying manipulator who works people to get what he wants. And when he doesn't get it he will tell his sob stories about how he is being abused and used to get even more people to like/pity/help him. I know he had a plan to get a new one(He gave a preacher a sob story). But even now with the new one he is being just as hard with this one. The preacher said he was not helping him again unless he came to church and he has not gone. He isn't even religious he just molds to what he needs to be to get what he wants. There will be no money for a new bike when this one breaks. And he is using bikes to get back and forth to work because the car just died(he manages to destroy those to.. not putting any oil or water in and driving them like a ******..). And when you personally confront him he has this pity party thing where he is like ER MAH GERD I do everything wrong! I'm so stupid! Everything is my fault! In an obviously not sincere tone. When he has been reminded and warned what will happen countless times. He drives me nuts.

modelmartin

I think you should be asking "Ask Amy" or Carolyn Hax. We can't help you here.

spdracr39

Do you feel better now that you have all that off your shoulders ? The next step is to stay away from him. He sounds like a self generating trouble magnet and will suck you down with him if your standing to close.

Phil_gretz

This sounds familiar. I have a friend, father of four with not a lot of money, whose bikes I have been building and maintaining for three years now. He's abou 6'1" and 290 lbs of mostly muscle, a former football player.

And, unfortunately, he likes to bike ride. I've seen twisted and broken chain links, stripped inner XT spider lockrings, bent steel handlebars, sticks dragged through rear wheels/derailleurs, broken spokes, bent rims, failed pedal bearings, and possibly others (I can't recall). I just smile and ask whether he'd like to take up power walking instead. Then I reach into the parts bin(s) and begin the repairs all over again.

He recently brought me a pretty nice Gary Fisher hardtail, saying that he'd gotten it from a Craigslist seller for $100 or something... LX components, nice steel frame, decent RockShox fork... He asked if I could "tune it up" to make it rideable. I said "okaaayyy...?"

Come to find that it had been submerged. Fork requires disassembly, bottom bracket full of mud, etc. I got it working for him, and it's a pretty sweet bike, really.

Hey, this is what we do for friends.