Would you let your Kid or Neighbor or Friend borrow your Bicycle?
 

Would you let your Kid or Neighbor or Friend borrow your Bicycle?
I would let my Kid try the bike when I'm watching but I don't think I'd like to see my prize Bianchi Pista outside Dairy Queen leaning against a Bench.
The Bianchi needs constant attention and the chain tensioned and it has only one brake, so I doubt I would let a Friend use it.
Our neighborhood just formed and no one really is close to anyone.
One new neighbor . seems to constantly borrow my tools and it starts to get annoying. (When I was younger I worked on Cars a lot and still do maintenance.)
I'm polite to him, but I think he's really crossing the line.
And I'm curious, does anyone else have a neighbor like him?
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...5a4b4ea298.jpg

"Never a borrower nor a lender be."

Which bike?

I ride a lot with my oldest son. After I wore the newness off my Tarmac, I did once let him ride it for twenty minutes when we were out together for a ride and I rode along on his bike.... inferior aluminum Trek Emonda <grin>.

Generally I wouldn't care about anyone riding my previous bikes that I still have, but for the one I ride the most, which currently is the newest, will be a special person to get my blessing to ride it. <grin>

It completely depends on the kid, neighbor, or friend. If they have repeatedly demonstrated the skills, knowledge, and respect required to ride and care for it properly, yes. My kids aren't there yet (one might, one won't). I have a neighbor who rides the 'hood with his family on decent-quality city/MTBs, but I don't know enough about his skill level to trust him with any of my bikes. I have a number of friends who I would not hesitate to loan any one of my bikes. All of them have been riding and racing for at least a couple of decades, and have had tons of experience with their own high-level machines. I have other friends that are a definite "no".

Some people I would definitely lend a bike to. Most people, no.

I have no kids but a friend at my workplace asked if I had a bike his daughter could use in a tri event... any bike he said. I let them use my '93 Bianchi Cross Terrain. I removed the lights and accessories (and gas can:lol:) but not the rack and fenders. It worked, they were happy and the bike came back with no issues. I wish I could've seen her in the race!

Lend out my best bikes? Not as likely.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...cdfaf60360.jpg

Sure. They're just bikes. They're meant to be ridden.

I let the neighbor kid ride one of my bikes when he was home from college for the summer a few years ago and just getting into cycling. The kid rode that bike 3,500 miles that summer including a few rides with me. He crashed a few times so it was in pretty rough shape when I got it back.

One time I brought a bike to a 1000k for one of the volunteers to ride during the day while he was waiting for the riders to come in. I had never met him before I gave him my bike.

I gave my daughter one of my bikes to ride while she's at university. She keeps it outside so it won't be nearly as nice when I get it back as it was when I gave it to her. It has dynamo lighting and she rode it with the front qr undone so all the wiring got wrapped around the axle and I had to rewire the whole thing a few weeks ago.

I gave my daughter one of my bikes, and her fiancé, the other. Good excuse for N+1. :thumb:

I’ve ridden with my son and he used one of my mountain bikes because he was out visiting.

On a ride with my brother, we swapped bikes for a while.

The only bike that was stolen, was one I had loaned out. It was an old GT MTB that was given to me. I went through it, rode it for a while. I wish I still had it so others could use it, but I didn’t have a lot invested in it.

But at this point, I wouldn’t loan any of my, or my wife’s, bikes out.

John

Really depends on the bike; my old Giant 600 equipped bike, my Blue gravel, Trek 7100, or a couple others; sure and I have. My Museeuw or especially the Rock Lobster cross, never gonna happen.

As to tools, really depends on the tools. Gardening tools I almost never use and don't care anything about.
Hand tools I have multiple sets, sorta. I wouldn't hand someone my Snap-on wrenches, any of my Wright tools and especially the ratchets which I love the feel of, any SK or most of my bike tools.
But the SO, Wright, and SK all replaced cheaper tools I bought when I was younger and I'm more then happy to loan out those old, cheap tools. Sure I'll lend my cheap hammers just don't touch the leather handle estwing, installed plenty of roofs in the past with it.
Course some tools can't be loaned out and can only be used under direct supervision like my bandsaw, suckers over 6' tall and 300lbs.
As to my kids, the middle one just got craftsman screwdrivers for Christmas, won a really nice set of german made allen wrenches in a pretty display box, and has a set of asian made metric sockets and ratchet. He takes very good care of them and is respectful with my tools when I supervise. I suspect he won't be an issue. The youngest is a wait and see, the oldest doesn't like to get her hands dirty.

Nobody touches my bikes.

Probably my Orbea Terra gravel bike but any of my others... no.

I've held onto the heavy comfort hybrid I resumed cycling with in 2015 as a loaner.

But last year I got tired of it taking up space in my spare bedroom. A neighbor who has little or no money had an old mountain bike that was falling apart, shifters not functioning, brakes barely working, tires crumbling. So I gave that comfort hybrid to him. It was in much better shape with everything functional, good heavy duty puncture resistant tires, and a sturdy rear rack for errands, decent head and tail lights.

A few weeks later I discovered the bike -- well, most of it -- abandoned behind the dumpster, minus the seat post, saddle, rear rack and lights. He kept the rear rack and lights, and apparently the saddle. I found the seat post dumped a few days later.

Odd experience. I thought if he didn't like the bike -- too heavy, wrong size, color, whatever -- he could just say "Can I just keep the rack and accessories? The bike isn't quite right for me." That would have been okay with me. The guy is a little odd, like... hard to say, not brain damaged or mentally ill, but a bit... off, somehow. Anyway, I suppose it worked out okay. I've seen him riding his old bike, with the rear rack at a weird angle because he didn't adjust the support struts to match his frame geometry. I thought about offering to straighten it, but... nah. It's a reminder of why it can be so difficult to help some folks who need it, but don't want it or know how to cope with anything complicated.

Anyway, I have that bike as a loaner... again. Minus the rack and lights. I put another saddle on it, which is more comfortable than the original anyway. A couple of friends lead a casual ride group a couple of times a week, so I might see if they have space in their garage for this bike as a loaner, since new folks join once in awhile. But they usually rent a city bike, which rides pretty similarly.

Get a twenty dollar beater at the Salvation Army store. Tell him "Sure, it's the bike I lend when relatives visit. Doesn't look like much but it's a fine bike." I do have my own cheap Trek Skye beater for when there's salt on the roads, and that's the real one for when relatives visit, unless they have bikes back home as good or better than mine. Lending books? I lend books to no one, yes no one, without a deposit that will replace the book plus ten. An "advance library deposit" and a return by date index card bookmark I insert. I eventually learned this discipline from experience over fifty years plus. I'm a slow learner I know. I've also used something I learned from a famous older person who was a specialist in my area of expertise, who replied when I asked if I could read two of his books, said "Certainly Jim. Give me a call and you're welcome to come over when it's convenient for both of us." I admired that.

Not a chance.

Lend my Waterford RS33 with Campy Record? No!

Similar story here. My folks told me about a young guy attending their church who was recovering from drug addiction and was looking for a bike to get to his job. I gave him a clean Raleigh mountain bike that was completely tuned and now sporting pavement worthy tires. We hung out for a day and he genuinely seemed excited about riding to work and improving his situation in life. I found out a couple months later he sold the bike in pieces to buy drugs.

On two separate occasions I have lent bikes (Peugeot PKN-10 and Bianchi Campione d'Italia) to visiting BFers for a week at a time. Both experiences, including a couple of rides together, were satisfying.

I also lent out a lower-end SR "10-speed" a neighbor had given me, and it was stolen while in the borrower's possession. I told her not to worry about it, since I did not have that much invested in it, anyway.

Only if I can keep them in sight.

OTOH for me, the best way to promote recumbents and trikes is to let friends and neighbors ride them. Guys and especially women, after riding my trike want one.

Lucky for me, I happen to be 6'-3" with long legs and the few people that have brought up lending them a bike were shorter. I would explain to them about frame sizing and crank arm dimensions, and seat height, and triple chain ring shifting, and blah, blah, blah. "Never mind." The very best one though was a guy at work that complimented me on my health at an advanced age. He was thinking maybe about taking up bike riding too. "Have you seen what a good bike is costing now days?" he asked. "You can drop three to four hundred dollars on a new bike!" "Maybe I could try out a few of yours to see what I like. Walmart won't let you just try them out in the parking lot!" I brought up our height difference, and seat placement, and.........closing with noticing lots of bargins on Craig's list lately. I retired last summer and have yet to see him out on the local trails. Must not have found the right color grips yet.

I have 3 vintage bikes and there’s me and 2 teenage boys to ride them. We’re all close to the same height so nothing more than a little adjustment to the seat and any of the bikes will work for any of us. They can ride them anytime they want, although it’s pretty much when I say let’s go ride.... 😂

My kids yes, a neighbor on the other hand just depends which ones but all my neighbors are pretty cool, our street is awesome, so maybe...

I seriously feel bad for anyone that wouldn’t let their own children ride their precious bicycle.
Assuming the children are old enough to ride responsibly.

I lent one of my favorite bikes, the 1980 Peugeot PKN-10 to my elder son permanently, because it fits him better than me. He has put it to good use. He really appreciates the 34T grannie chainring I added when he is pulling both boys up a hill. (He wanted a higher top gear and a lower bottom gear than I had, so it is now geared 52-45-34 / 13-26, in a 3x7 configuration, with a long-cage Simplex rear derailleur. I previously ran a half-step-plus-granny 48-45-34 / 13-24 in a 3x6 configuration with a short cage SunTour Cyclone II rear derailleur.
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...96226888a6.jpg

This bike? No.
That one? Absolutely not.
This one over here? Yeah, OK.
What about that one? NFW.

If a neighbor's build mimics my own and he were to fit to my bike, then I'd loan any one of them. Why not? They're bicycles.

My adult neighbors are highly responsible people, so I'd have no problem loaning a tool either. If their problem is bike related, then they can bring me the bike and I'll fix it for them. The only tools that I'd be concerned about loaning would be torches and the like. I'd like to see competence and safety measures before I'd let them burn down their homes. Maybe I'd come over and do the work for them.

EDIT to add that none of my children or their husbands could fit my bikes, so... As for tools, sure. Again, both husbands are respectful, mature, skilled and trustworthy.