Well, that’s a complicated topic. I’ve had several bikes which their former riders refused, saying that “it keeps breaking” and “doesn’t ride well” etc. After I’ve taken care of such bikes, most of them then served well for a long time. I still have one, that my sister put away and bought a new one several years ago. The bike intended to be scrapped now serves as a simple “city bike” for errands and so. It is quite small for my stature, but that comes handy in busy traffic or when “parking” in the streets. 🙂 // On the other hand, the “new rider” (or someone who has borrowed the bike for a while) may immediately notice some problems with the bike which the “usual rider” got gradually used to and doesn’t deal with them (like for example that not-so-precise shifting, which one doesn’t repair, but learns to deal with by special fiddling moves of the shifters… 🙂
Of all the bikes in my “fleet,” only one was bought and built up new. The others are on their second or third owner. Most were retired by their previous owners in favour of something newer and flashier. i took them and dialed in the fit and components and they all ride beautifully to my mind. i wouldn’t expect that they’d feel “right” to another rider unless they got to set them up to suit.
I bought a recumbent that had been sitting in a garage for 4 years. The shop that had set it up did a crappy job. It’s a much better bike after I fixed the maladies.
Well, that’s a complicated topic. I’ve had several bikes which their former riders refused, saying that “it keeps breaking” and “doesn’t ride well” etc. After I’ve taken care of such bikes, most of them then served well for a long time. I still have one, that my sister put away and bought a new one several years ago. The bike intended to be scrapped now serves as a simple “city bike” for errands and so. It is quite small for my stature, but that comes handy in busy traffic or when “parking” in the streets. 🙂 // On the other hand, the “new rider” (or someone who has borrowed the bike for a while) may immediately notice some problems with the bike which the “usual rider” got gradually used to and doesn’t deal with them (like for example that not-so-precise shifting, which one doesn’t repair, but learns to deal with by special fiddling moves of the shifters… 🙂
Of all the bikes in my “fleet,” only one was bought and built up new. The others are on their second or third owner. Most were retired by their previous owners in favour of something newer and flashier. i took them and dialed in the fit and components and they all ride beautifully to my mind. i wouldn’t expect that they’d feel “right” to another rider unless they got to set them up to suit.
I bought a recumbent that had been sitting in a garage for 4 years. The shop that had set it up did a crappy job. It’s a much better bike after I fixed the maladies.
In “Harry Potter”, the wand was said to choose the wizard.  In the cycling world, the bike chooses its rider.
-“BB”-
I like this thought.