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#11
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OMG, The kids these days and their bicycles...
SMS wrote:
Peter Cole wrote: A couple of years ago my son's friend came by with a bike he had been riding that he had found curbside on trash day. The kid knew enough to pump the tires & oil the chain, but when his freewheel packed it up, he was clueless. Well that's fair enough, I don't expect most kids to know how to deal with replacing a freewhel. Turns out it was a screwball Maillard Helicomatic (Peugeot bike) & he was dismayed when I told him it was unrepairable -- no problem, "http://www.yellowjersey.org/helico.html" Yes, I know, but some things deserve to be retired. Besides, what's the value of a wheel off a trash day bike? I replace one with another, don't usually bother with serious repairs, I probably already have a lifetime supply of (free) replacements. |
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#13
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OMG, The kids these days and their bicycles...
On May 21, 9:39*am, Peter Cole wrote:
I blame the parents. If the parents (dads, to be sexist) don't understand simple bike operation & maintenance, how can they teach their kids? It's a problem, all right, and not just for little kids. We're Warm Showers hosts, so we get to meet a fair number of bike tourists. One guy, perhaps 25 years old, stayed overnight a few years ago, riding west from his media job in New York City (although he'd been raised elsewhere). It was his first bike tour. Anyway, all the way from NYC to Ohio, his seatpost had been slipping down as he rode. The bike was brand new and post seemed to be the right size, but there was some burr of metal in the slot that prevented the pinch bolt from doing its job. He was desperate to find a bike shop. Instead I got a hacksaw blade and cleaned out the slot. He was astonished at my skill and my collection of tools. (Wow! A hacksaw blade!) And BTW, that same guy seemed fascinated by the Amish, who have large communities not far from here, right on his route. We recommended some good Amish restaurants to him, but later found out he got nervous and decided to eat in the Burger King instead. He was afraid that the Amish would be mean to him because he was not one of them! He was a nice guy, and I give him lots of credit for doing the tour. But I hope he got inspired to learn a little about tools and about the world - things that should have happened when he was 12! - Frank Krygowski |
#14
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OMG, The kids these days and their bicycles...
On May 21, 7:24*pm, SMS wrote:
Peter Cole wrote: I blame the parents. If the parents (dads, to be sexist) don't understand simple bike operation & maintenance, how can they teach their kids? I blame the Japanese vehicle manufacturers. Here's why. Back in the days when everyone owned American cars (or English or German cars as the case may be), it was very common to do your own maintenance, and cars needed a lot of it. ... Then the Japanese auto companies began exporting much more reliable vehicles that needed much less maintenance, and the U.S. and European companies copied their efforts. Now there's not only a lot less stuff the home mechanic needs to do... That's certainly part of it! My brothers and I had a paper route (delivering by bikes, naturally). When I started the route, we had 49 customers. By the time the youngest gave it up there were hundreds of customers, and the younger brothers were hiring kids to help them. Anyway, the first car I had was an old Fiat sedan. That's where I learned to do brakes, wheel bearings, head gaskets, new pistons, exhausts, etc. etc. By the time one of my younger brothers was able to drive, he was able to buy a barely-used Toyota. Nothing on that car ever seemed to break. To this day, I'm a far better mechanic than he is. He blames the Toyota. - Frank Krygowski |
#15
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OMG, The kids these days and their bicycles...
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