Do you own an unsuitable bike?

[ScotRoutes]

This all sounds like a great lark but...
Am I alone in thinking that encouraging people to buy an unsuitable bike for a one off event is not a very sound ethical idea given what we know about the effects of reckless consumption on the planet?

Depends what is done with them afterwards, hence my suggestion that they are donated to a suitable charity/social enterprise.

[Alpinum]

What's SMIDSY

“Sorry mate I didn’t see you” or, when a car pulls out in front of you and you have to brake suddenly

Edit - looks like I’m the slowest typer

Thanks chaps. Hadn't heard/read that before and google said what it was, but I wasn't sure if it was the 'sorry mate' you meant.

Thankfully the penny farthing and its rider can hardly be overlooked and whilst I sincerely hate motorised traffic, it's quite okay atop the high wheel. Drivers must be really afraid of me tipping over and go out of their ways as they actually should.

Gian, your Penny Farthing would be an ideal candidate

Yeah... it's easy to come up with stupid ideas for such a bicycle

[JohnClimber]

I have 3 unsuitable bikes all of which are single speeds.

My folding bike, which I have bike packed and pack rafted on the same over night trip - so that won't count.

My comutter bike with its road tyres might do.

But tucked away in a corner of my garage is what I would bring.

A very heavy 26" beach cruiser (klunker) with cow horn handlebars and it's only break is a rear wheel coaster break.
I just need plenty of notice to get it out and tidied up as it's not moved in 10 years or so

[whitestone]

Better would be to go magnet fishing in your local canal/river and you have to fix (you get (negative) points for how much you had to spend to fix it) and ride whatever you pull out

[Bearbonesnorm]

Am I alone in thinking that encouraging people to buy an unsuitable bike for a one off event is not a very sound ethical idea given what we know about the effects of reckless consumption on the planet?

I would encourage anyone who doesn't already own something (un)suitable to buy secondhand and put it to good use. As Colin suggests, finding any bikes a good home that people don't want afterwards would also be on the cards ... if anything, it's possibly a win / win.

A brief trawl through the likes of gumtree, ebay etc turns up lots of things that might otherwise end up as landfill or blocking up the local canal.

[Boab]

My Dad has a 26" Ridgeback in his garage, hasn't been used in years. Has all the wrong angles, three front chainrings, flat tyres, duff brakes, the works. I think that would be pretty unsuitable...

Sounds very similar to my most regularly used bikepacking bike - except for the flat tyres and duff brakes but that's because I keep it in rideable condition. It is eminently suitable...

Not sure my Dad's ridden it in ten - fifteen years, or how ever old it is. I shudder at the thought of riding it, mainly due to the "suspension" seatpost...

[lune ranger]

Am I alone in thinking that encouraging people to buy an unsuitable bike for a one off event is not a very sound ethical idea given what we know about the effects of reckless consumption on the planet?

I would encourage anyone who doesn't already own something (un)suitable to buy secondhand and put it to good use. As Colin suggests, finding any bikes a good home that people don't want afterwards would also be on the cards ... if anything, it's possibly a win / win.

A brief trawl through the likes of gumtree, ebay etc turns up lots of things that might otherwise end up as landfill or blocking up the local canal.

And if it all goes like that - fair enough.
Maybe that should be made a requirement though rather than a suggestion. Entrants could be responsible for policing themselves in true bikepacking/ITT style.

I must have no sense of humour however because the whole thing sounds less appealing than a triathlon

[Boab]

I wonder if an adults balance bike could be considered unsuitable...?





Or maybe a Raleigh Shopper...?

[Gregsie]

Got a few that might be unsuitable - track bike, Tern folder and a Hercules Commuter that I've converted to SS.

I reckon owt from Raleigh's 'British Leyland' period in the '70s and early eighties when they were knocking out 3 speed commuters and folding bikes in the Raleigh / Hercules / Triumph / Phillips brands ought to fit the bill. You can usually get a bargain if you look on eBay or Gumtree on one if you look hard enough. Plus if you get the right model they've already got a rack fitted.

[lune ranger]

If you want shoppers check this out:


https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cyclist-Who-We ... 0224100203

[slarge]

I’ve a butchers bike I restored a few years ago, just needs a basket and it would fit the bill. Must weigh 50lb as it’s made from “industrial tubing” (that was a selling point!)

[RIP]

Obligatory photo of Stu's shopper now please, as an example of what we're all aiming for .

This thing reminds me of the time I was working for Luton cycle training team and they asked for volunteers to make up a little group for the Carnival procession, riding our bikes. For some totally unfathomable reason I chose a tiny clown-type machine from the bike store - dunno what they're called but it had something like 4" wheels with hard tyres and was about 12" high. But it did have pedals. I thought this was highly amusing and took it along. The course turned out to be about 3 miles long. Ah. But now I was duty bound to ride it or lose face. By the end, the tyres were utterly shredded and so was I.

[Gummikuh]

I have probably a few candidates, I have a Pashley speed 5 which my wife bought me as a birthday present, it is beautiful to look at but plain miserable to ride.
But it would have appeal, hub gears and brakes, upright riding position, Brooks saddle and multi hand positions.
I have a few BMX's which would also be hell to ride anywhere!
I have a Kona Africa Bike, which was donated to me, I use it to nip down to the shops, as no-one would pinch it. Single speed coaster brake, but has good racks on.

[mikejd]

How about this? Hack Bike Derby
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=R94q76ym9l0

[Squirrelking]

I'm well up for a comedy bike or minimum spend event. I bought a 70s Dawes Galaxy for 20 quid last month and have a modern BMX with obligatory pivotal (6"if you're lucky) post. It does have 2.4 tyres so I'm not sure if that makes it a 20" single speed steel fat bike? It's a bastard to ride even the mile into town so dread to think how bad it would be for any sort of distance.

[holdsteady]

A Raleigh Chopper would be utterly awful for bikepacking if anyone has one, glad I tried out a mate 's refurbished MK II a few years ago as put me right off buying one

[gairym]

A Raleigh Chopper would be utterly awful for bikepacking if anyone has one, glad I tried out a mate 's refurbished MK II a few years ago as put me right off buying one

I owned a few that I was renovating waaay back when and they are definitely a great example of form over function - look great fun, ride like crap!

[PaulE]

I've got a 26” trials bike which might even be too unsuitable. Single gear (22-16 I think), very grabby magura rim brakes, 2.5" rear tyre with 1.9" front... But I think the final straw would be the 8" frame and no seat!

[jameso]

A bit too close to Mr Garrison's bike

[jameso]

A Raleigh Chopper would be utterly awful for bikepacking if anyone has one, glad I tried out a mate 's refurbished MK II a few years ago as put me right off buying one

I owned a few that I was renovating waaay back when and they are definitely a great example of form over function - look great fun, ride like crap!

I think my history as a bike design nerd started when riding one of those as a child and instantly thinking it was rubbish, all wrong ..

[PeterC]

A Raleigh Chopper would be utterly awful for bikepacking if anyone has one, glad I tried out a mate 's refurbished MK II a few years ago as put me right off buying one

I owned a few that I was renovating waaay back when and they are definitely a great example of form over function - look great fun, ride like crap!

Although someone once did Lands End - John O'Groats on one, so maybe not that unsuitable?

[PeterC]

Like John Climber I too have a Mango singlespeed (don't ask), however when I lived over on the Great Plain I did use it for a bikepacking trip, twice. On the flatness of the great plain it was perfectly OK and even took in a couple of dirt roads, still flat though and thankfully dry.

Now, my wife has a 3 speed Sturmey Archer city cruiser bike, it's in a lovely fuschia colour, whitewall tyres, Schwable Fat Franks (my dad would have been amused) back pedal brake thing and the bendiest V brake up front I have ever come across, and the rims are plastic coated into the bargain. I could see it being acceptable enough on the flat, but anything pointing downhill would be terrifying, for me anyway, especially in the rain , in Wales!

[ScotRoutes]

I was thinking about this thread earler, particularly the comment about road bikes being unsuitable for some routes, and was riding this at the time.

P1060365 by Colin Cadden, on Flickr

IMHO anything other than a fatbike would have been unsuitable. My conclusion therefore is that it's not the bike alone, it's the combination of route/terrain and bike that determines suitability.

[redefined_cycles]

My initial thoughts are a multi-day ride involving a number of 'check-points'. These would be selected on their unsuitability to be ridden on anything other than a mountainbike*

*It all makes perfect sense in my head

Me and my Earnie are in...

Earnie = Canyon Ultimate carbon with carbon bars and Dura Ace carbon laminated wheels with alloy braking surface (soon to be HedBelgium plus which'll provide a few mm better footlrint) and 28c tires...

[JohnClimber]

Dug out of the corner of the garage, cleaned, prepped and ready for your event Stuart.