Today is the first day of a number of cycling activities at a local Southwark primary school. Pupils and staff were invited to bring in their bikes for a 'Dr Bike' check up.
23 bikes arrived (unsurprisingly more by a long shot than seen all winter I was told) and the bikes for check up were in the typical condition found in a central London school. Aside from flat tyres, a puncture and rusty chains we had:
Two bikes with the forks put on back to front, so the brake is behind the fork causing the noodle to wear
A bike with the front brake cable run in a way to affect the braking
a couple of missing brake pads
a seat post inserted an inch into the frame, much less than the marked minimum
a bike with no brake levers or front brake
a front brake missing the cable adjusting screw
A bike where the handlebars could turn without turning the wheel
handle bars ready to 'core' you if you landed on them
and a tyre with the side wall gouged by a poorly positioned brake pad (which had been replaced prior to us having a look \at the bike)
Two of use were kept busy for the best part of the day but we managed to get all but two in good running order before the bike club we ran after school. The kids had a great time as did we and we're looking forward to continuing the bike club for the next few Thursdays.
