Club mates brake etc

[Philip Benstead]

I know this forum is populated by club cyclists but I wonder if you have been surprised by the poor mechanincal state of any members of your cycling group/club bike particulary the brakaes?

[PT1029]

Yes, but only one member in particular.
I managed to engineer me repairing his bike up to scratch in exchange for him getting my computer working after one of Mr Gates' upddates killed it some years back. To give you an idea of the bike, 2 bikes locked at the local hospital, his partners Brompton was stolen, they left his Raleigh Randonneur at the schene despite breaking the lock.

In general, I often notice things on people's bikes when riding in a group. Often at coffee or some appropriate point I'll say I noticed this or that, and it should be seen to at some point/soonish/tomorrow. As I repair bikes for a living they take notice, particularly as I don't suggest I could do it for £x.00.

[Ride-sleep-repeat]

All the CCs I've been a member of have a disclaimer along the lines of 'your bike should be roadworthy/in good order'etc.Unfortunately this is not always adhered to nor policed.
I will help anyone if a mechanical happens but tend to step back if it's a serial offender who just appears not to care and expects someone else to sort it.
Usual suspects are brakes,worn tyres and knackered drive-trains

[rogerzilla]

I rode the 2009 Dunwich Dynamo with a work colleague. He said his bike had been serviced by an LBS just before the ride. The front brake was dragging badly so we fixed that, and a few other bits, on the train to London.

Then he broke a Look cleat pulling away from the first set of traffic lights in Hackney, so couldn't pedal properly for another 112 miles.

[Mike Sales]

We found mid-ride that a new member had converted his quill system to ahead by changing only the stem. That is, the stem was clamped around a short stub of threaded steerer.

[peetee]

Not the brakes but I have often heard other riders gears grating, clicking or noisy because they are cross chaining. I was the ‘new boy’ in the group and most riders knew I was a bike mechanic by trade so I had to be careful what I said lest I was thought as a busy-body big head.