Bike time out for service?

[Scotchlovingcylist]

I'm fortunate I have other bikes and a car but if you've only the one then maybe...

Suck it up on public transport/foot for a couple of days, been there myself and its often a nice change of pace.
Borrow/rent a bike/car
Ask a colleague for a lift.
Take a couple of days leave if possible and use the time to do other productive things.
Keep riding with the knackered parts until you find the motivation to fix it yourself.

 

[Juan Kog]

In those dim distant days when I commuted I too was fortunate to have 3 ( fixed wheel) bikes set up for work . My problem is my approach to life not just cycle maintenance, don’t do today what you can put off till tomorrow. So bike A would develop a fault, no bother I’ll just use one of the other bikes .
This could end up with “ do you need the car today “ or “ can you give me a lift “ . Working from home wasn’t an option, it doesn’t work for Train drivers . .

 

[MichaelW2]

You can do at least one of the bike journeys with a pub/station bike left locked at the railway station.

 

[si_c]

Is there anywhere you could get the bike serviced at the work end of the trip? You could drop it in before going into work and then pick it back up after.

 

[vickster]

Is there anywhere you could get the bike serviced at the work end of the trip? You could drop it in before going into work and then pick it back up after.

An issue if the work might take more than a day as he says in the OP…
…:when you have no bike for a few days possibly a week?

 

[Time Waster]

The other bike option is hard all my bikes mean or cost too much too me to leave locked up all day somewhere. Considering they've tried to keep me from getting on with a folded brompton a few times there's no way of getting my bike home on the train.

Home to station is very short journey. Station to work is longer with not enough time to walk. Not good clocking in late for a week. Leaving a bike at the work station is not great. I don't have a hack bike for that. To get one will mean sacrificing a nicer bike. There's storage limit at home and my family is too inconsiderate having their own bike filling the space I could do with using. 😆

It's not a case of learning how to do it but a case of not wanting to. Time is more important to us than the money to pay someone else. Plus it'll take longer to get it all done if I'm did it myself. So right now I'm riding in gears 1 and 2, 3 gets stuck and I have to pull on the hub indicator chain when I change down. + and - is a bit sticky too. Right brake is a bit loose so I'll change that myself, it's an easy job.

You can do at least one of the bike journeys with a pub/station bike left locked at the railway station.

The town end would leave my bike in a high theft area. The home end isn't where I need a bike. I live 1 minute from the station. I work 20 minutes walk from the station with 10 minutes or less to get there.


I think it's likely to be a drive week until I can get it back.

 

[MichaelW2]

A pub/station bike rides OK and looks worse. 3 speeds and singlespeeds for flatland or a 1x 7/8sp for hills. Solid tyres are good enough or Marathon plus. Use an old saddle covered in ductape, plastic pedals. Fit all bolts, no qr. A poor looking bike with a strong lock through both wheels can often survive overnight.

 

[Milkfloat]

If you have a shop near your place of work then you could maybe have it inspected on one day, take the bike home, then take it back for fitting when the parts were ordered. Either that or just get the earlier train and walk so you are not late for work.

 

[simongt]

Get one of my other bikes out and use that instead

Like biggs682, I'm a greedy sod and have a choice of three bikes if one is unavailable; Brommy / Galaxy / Fox.
If you can, get a second bike, Problem solved - !

 

[Time Waster]

If you have a shop near your place of work then you could maybe have it inspected on one day, take the bike home, then take it back for fitting when the parts were ordered. Either that or just get the earlier train and walk so you are not late for work.

I get the first train of the day as I is. I'd have to get the 1028pm train the day before! 😆

Not sure finishing work then going back out in 5 hours every day is a solution. Looks like a week of driving.

 

[CaptainWheezy]

I'm lucky in that I have quite a few bikes to choose from. However, if I just had the one Brompton, an option might be to buy a spare rear wheel and tyre and just swap that out so you can have the worn one serviced while using the spare.

 

[Time Waster]

OMG! I looked out of my train as it came into the station across to the other side of the station platforms where most of the bike racks are. What a dodgy place to stick them! Such a dark area tucked away in the corner where a one way platform starts.

It's located at the northern end of the station in a corner behind the main platform buildings. There's very poor lighting and the only people who'd be up there are people going to morecambe or a few northern main line travellers in a low letter seating area of the big trains.

No cctv that I could see and so dark a thief could easily work unseen if needed. Although they'd probably need a head torch to see what they're doing.

I am definitely not getting a bike to lock up there for commuting. It shocked me how little light there was. It shows how much they give a flying.... about cyclists and cycling with train travel.

 

[vickster]

No better located stands by shops or something close by?
or get a ratty £20 bike and use a hefty D lock

 

[MichaelW2]

No better located stands by shops or something close by?
or get a ratty £20 bike and use a hefty D lock

The problem of vandalism is just as bad as theft. I like to park such bikes away from normal pedestrian traffic, so a drunken yob would have to go to a lot of effort to reach the bike. Eg lockup on the road side of pedestrian railings.

 

[vickster]

Personally, I’ve never had an issue leaving any of my bikes in a busy shopping area/at a supermarket (famous last words), granted mostly but not exclusively in daytime. I don’t usually park outside rough pubs though,
I assume the OP would be collecting his commuter bike before chucking out time on a Friday or Saturday when drunken yobs are more in evidence