"I didn't buy a bike to oil it!"

[Hip Priest]

The guy must have ridden thousands of miles in 2 months for the lube to run out and the chain to rust.

Dunno about that. I lube my chain regularly, and one ride in proper winter conditions is enough to bring out rust if I don't clean it within 24 hours. It's the road salt I believe.

 

[snorri]

This is what happens in a country where utility cyclists became a rare breed and leisure cycling dominated the cycling scene. Bike buyers placed greater priority on performance and were less concerned about replacing worn out parts and regular maintenance. The bike trade adjusted to demand to the point where they no longer stocked bikes for the utility cyclist and buyers seeking to buy a bike for utility use were persuaded that what they needed was a drop bar racer or a mountain bike by youthful sales staff who had probably never used a bike with mudguards and chainguard and were unaware of the very concept of utility cycling.
I see the bike owner referred to in the OP as a victim of trends in UK cycling rather than an idiot.

 

[ufkacbln]

Cambridge is "different"

The trick is to keep the bike serviceable, but not attract attention when in a bike rack with similar bikes

 

[alicat]

So you do do a bit of maintenance then?

Yes @User13710 I confess I do.

I just don't class that as maintenance compared to the amount my other bikes need, especially I slot it in with the equivalent task on another bike. My Giant Expression n3 is a superb bike!

 

[MontyVeda]

I know someone who used to work in a bike shop. Some of the stories he told me were incredible.

For example:

• Somebody returned a road bike which had a buckled front wheel. It was obviously 'crap' because it folded when he rode the bike at speed up over a kerb stone. He had never had a problem doing that on his mountain bike!
• Another bike was 'faulty' because a tyre went flat after a couple of weeks of riding. When the shard of glass embedded in it was pointed out, the owner insisted that lightweight racing bike tyres 'should be glass-proof'!

I used to work with a complete plank who was telling me how he'd kicked off in Halfords because they were refusing to sort out his flat tyre under warranty. "You took your bike back to Halfards because it had a flat tyre?!" I asked, somewhat flabbergasted.

"F*ck off!" he angrily replied. "It had a chunk of glass in it ...that big!"

 

[Drago]

I hope the Halfords staff extracted the glass shard and shove it between his buttocks.

 

[Pale Rider]

I hope the Halfords staff extracted the glass shard and shove it between his buttocks.

That rather assumes the Halford's staff member knew how to fix a puncture.

 

[steveindenmark]

If you pay peanuts you will get a monkey. :0)

 

[Globalti]

I had a go at doing bike repairs some years ago to see if it could be made to pay. I quickly realised several things:

1 - Bike repairs don't pay and you can't charge a realistic rate to make them pay.
2 - Working on bikes all day made my back and arms ache.
3 - Fixing up a filthy, damaged, neglected bike is the worst job for a good mechanic.
4 - Once you've slaved over a bike to get it running sweetly most owners don't give a damn anyway.

 

[winjim]

OP, when you sell someone a bike, do you talk to them about the maintenance regime required? Do you tell them what they need to lube, what they may need to adjust, which parts will wear and need replacing, when to bring it back to have a proper mechanic look at it? Because if you don't, how are they supposed to know?

 

[Pale Rider]

[QUOTE 4164045, member: 9609"]Bikes are very maintenance hungry in the winter months, they really are out of the stoneage in needing oiled and cleaned after every ride. a 2 hour ride on wet salty roads and I will probably spend the best part of an hour cleaning and oiling it up, i think only horses take more faffing about with.[/QUOTE]

I've seen @User9609's bike - it's a fine example of why you don't need to have the latest shiny new bike to cycle decent distances.

 

[MontyVeda]

I hope the Halfords staff extracted the glass shard and shove it between his buttocks.

They buckled and gave him a new tyre... he's a very aggressive and angry little man. I'm glad i don't have to sit in the same office as him any more.

 

[JPBoothy]

Jeez..

Customer comes in not a happy bunny. Bought a bike a bit before Xmas and it's squeaking and the brakes catch and don't work well, and the saddle moves

Bike of course is a browny-grey colour and nothing like the original colour, and the chain has a lovely powdery red coating. The saddle has a little movement on the seatpost

"Did you bring it back for it's free first service"
- No I haven't got time for that

"The bike squeaks because of the rust on the chain and the pins and rollers are dry. The bolt on the seat post will probably have bedded in, no problem, that'll be nipped up easily enough. Alhough it's past the first service, if you leave it with me, THIS TIME I'll clean up the chain, re-adjust the brakes and give it a full safety check. I can show you which lube we use, if you wipe down and re-lube your chain every week or so, it'll keep it all smooth and quiet. I use this one myself at this time of year (picks up TF2 wet lube)"
- You what? I didn't buy a brand new bike to have to oil it

"Er..well, all bikes need the chain lubing now and again - do you want to leave a contact number, I'll give you a call when it's all sorted

- You're not goin anywhere near my bike mate, you must think I'm a f'ing idiot

Customer leaves, with a rusty chain still squeaking, a brake just needing a tweak (and probably new pads from the state of the grey paste on the rims) and a saddle still moving

But he was right about the one thing. I did think he was an idiot!

Well done to you for keeping calm and professional when faced by such an arse. Would they buy a new car and expect to never have to check the tyre pressure, oil and water levels? (Sorry for mentioning the 'C' word on a cycling forum!) He is probably now getting a kick out of telling other arses how he put you in your place!

 

[MontyVeda]

OP, when you sell someone a bike, do you talk to them about the maintenance regime required? Do you tell them what they need to lube, what they may need to adjust, which parts will wear and need replacing, when to bring it back to have a proper mechanic look at it? Because if you don't, how are they supposed to know?

My greengrocer always tells me how to peel and cook carrots and spuds when I buy them.

 

[Scoosh]

Would they buy a new car and expect to never have to check the tyre pressure, oil and water levels?

And car salespeople always talk buyers through where to put the fuel, oil, and water, and how to pump the tyres up.

These sum up the difference in mentality/ perception of cyclists/ drivers (who don't own a bike). Interesting that they consider bikes to be virtually indestructible and maintenance-free !