What is the etiquette to try someone else's bike?

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summerdays

Cycling in the sun
Location
Bristol
Sometimes I'd love to have a go on someone else's bike but I never have the courage to ask. I don't know if it is a done thing or not? I've tried a couple of work colleagues bikes but mainly when they've asked a question about their bikes. Another colleague has a £2000 bike and I wouldn't dare ask to have a go on that... and at some point I would like to try a singlespeed - just to see what it is like.

Would you let friends or complete strangers (ie ones you had got into a conversation about bikes - not ones just trying to grab it) ride your bike?
 

wafflycat

New Member
Well I wouldn't let a complete stranger on one of my steeds...
 

ASC1951

Guru
Location
Yorkshire
Provided it was someone I knew well enough to trust not to pinch it, yes. Ask them.

Anyway, (assuming you do mean SS, not fixed) you don't need to borrow the whole bike, just the back wheel. You can leave your own as security.
 

Eoin Rua

Active Member
Location
Belfast
Would let friends take it for a spin - especially if they knew what they were doing, it would be grand.

Let my girlfriend use my bike last night as her's is in the shop getting serviced - most anxious hour and a half I've had in a long while! Plus she reached the 500 mile mark on the odometer (was at 491 when she started), I wanted to get to 500! :sad:
 
Depends how well they know you and what they think of you. I've lent bikes to people, but only when I know them quite well, and I do that Zen thing of accepting that it will be stolen, mullered, or otherwise rendered unrideable, so it's always nice to get it back.
 
OP
OP
summerdays

summerdays

Cycling in the sun
Location
Bristol
I suppose when I said complete stranger ... its hard to describe but I was in an enclosed area with someone who was getting out his bikes to show me ... and one of them was fixed... I was so tempted to ask - but I didn't. In that situation he would have had my bike as a kind of garenttee and I couldn't have disappeared with it... but I guess I could accidentally scratch or damage it in some way.
 

threebikesmcginty

Corn Fed Hick...
Location
...on the slake
I've never asked to have a go on someone elses bike - not since I was a kid anyway - but I have said to friends they can have a go on one of mine when they've shown* an interest.


*shown or showed?
 

rich p

ridiculous old lush
Location
Brighton
I'd rather someone had a test drive on Mrs rich p than my carbon dream machine:ohmy:


Just kidding, summerdays, you can ride my machine anytime:girl:
 

wafflycat

New Member
rich p said:
I'd rather someone had a test drive on Mrs rich p than my carbon dream machine:ohmy:

Oh dear. Once Mrs RP reads the above, where do we send the flowers?


:sad:
 

rh100

Well-Known Member
summerdays said:
I suppose when I said complete stranger ... its hard to describe but I was in an enclosed area with someone who was getting out his bikes to show me ... and one of them was fixed... I was so tempted to ask - but I didn't. In that situation he would have had my bike as a kind of garenttee and I couldn't have disappeared with it... but I guess I could accidentally scratch or damage it in some way.



You can always just ask, but don't be offended if he said no.
 

Norm

Guest
ASC1951 said:
Anyway, (assuming you do mean SS, not fixed) you don't need to borrow the whole bike, just the back wheel. You can leave your own as security.
Might need to borrow the chain as well, and the cranks and... :laugh:

As for borrowing / lending bikes, I have / had no qualms lending mine to someone who wanted to try a different style. On the other hand, my LBS gives test rides and will happily let me take out anything I want to try. :sad:
 

rich p

ridiculous old lush
Location
Brighton
wafflycat said:
Oh dear. Once Mrs RP reads the above, where do we send the flowers?


:sad:

I'll regard it as an opportunity to try out my stealth camping skills when she boots me out!
 

Globalti

Legendary Member
I'd be more than happy to lend my bike to someone I knew very well and trusted not to damage it.

I sometimes jump on friends' bikes to try them around the car park but wouldn't want to risk going too far in case I damaged them - there's a lot of truth in the old adage "Neither a lender nor a borrower be".
 

Debian

New Member
Location
West Midlands
Any decent bike shop will offer a test ride.

There is no way (well only in a life or death emergency) that anyone else rides my bikes. I would never lend it to anyone, let alone a stranger.
 

Wheeledweenie

Über Member
I've always been surprised by how many cyclists are willing to let me have a play with their machines.

A friend and I wanted to experiment with a tandem and I mentioned this to someone on a FNRttC, he laughed and said of course we must borrow his. He rode my bike to Brighton and we rode his tandem, swapping when we got back to London.

On the next ride I mentioned having problems finding another one and someone I'd met just a couple of times put me in touch with their partner's father who not only lent us a magnificent and rather swanky Dawes, but drove it over to my house and let me keep it for a week so that my mum could have a go (we giggled all the way).

I've been offered a go on a very expensive recumbent (I was too scared in case I broke it!) and various other machines.

There's no harm in asking and as long as you're willing to take no for an answer if they're not keen, you lose nothing.
 
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