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"Unacceptably gross": Peloton cyclist's complaint over relative leaving bike in a sweaty mess goes viral

The frustrated owner of the bike took to social media for advice and says conversations about the state of it "go in one ear and out the other"...

If you're a regular user of spin bikes at the gym, it's common knowledge that leaving the one you've just been on sweaty without giving it a good wipe down is pretty poor form; however for one Peloton owner the problem is closer to home and considerably more awkward, revealing that their sister-in-law who "uses our things" is regularly leaving the bike covered in sweat. 

So far over 4,500 people have stepped in to offer advice and express their general disapproval of the sister-in-law's actions on Reddit, with the bike's owner saying that they've tried to talk to their inconsiderate relative about the problem, but any discussions fall on deaf ears. 

"Am I wrong for being pissed ?? she’s not a child she’s in her 30’s", says the OP. 

There are some quite creative deterrents suggested in amongst the thousands of comments, including using the sister-in-law's clothes to wipe down the bike, removing the saddle and pedals and deleting her Peloton account. 

One added: "Those things are not cheap! At this point I would pull her by the peloton, hand her a rag and spray, and make her wipe it down then and there. She'll be mad you are treating her like a child but she obviously isn't adult enough to behave like one."

While another said: "Show her that picture. Maybe she doesn’t realize how absolutely disgusting it really is after she gets done with it."

While the main issue here is that the offender is leaving someone else's personal spin bike in a sweaty mess, it's certainly not the worst case we've ever seen. Three years ago a bike shop mechanic also took to Reddit to warn turbo trainer users of the dangers of not using a towel and changing your bar tape regularly, after a customer managed to snap his bars due to the corrosion from sweat that had turned to mounds of solid salt... 

broken handlebar sweat corrosion - Griff_Rad on reddit

If you want to avoid a similar scenario, we'd recommend investing in some accessories for your home trainer such as a sweat catcher and at least one decent fan for starters... 

Jack has been writing about cycling and multisport for over a decade, arriving at road.cc via 220 Triathlon Magazine in 2017. He worked across all areas of the website including tech, news and video, and also contributed to eBikeTips before being named Editor of road.cc in 2021 (much to his surprise). Jack has been hooked on cycling since his student days, and currently has a Trek 1.2 for winter riding, a beloved Bickerton folding bike for getting around town and an extra beloved custom Ridley Helium SLX for fantasising about going fast in his stable. Jack has never won a bike race, but does have a master's degree in print journalism and two Guinness World Records for pogo sticking (it's a long story). 

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8 comments

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Jimmy Ray Will | 2 years ago
0 likes

My undertanding of the how aluminium and its alloys rust, is that once the outer surface has oxidised (rusted), the oxidised surface effectively protects the inner material from further rusting. 

I may be completely wrong on this, but assuming I'm not, then a bar will not rust through. 

Avatar
andystow replied to Jimmy Ray Will | 2 years ago
1 like

Jimmy Ray Will wrote:

My undertanding of the how aluminium and its alloys rust, is that once the outer surface has oxidised (rusted), the oxidised surface effectively protects the inner material from further rusting. 

I may be completely wrong on this, but assuming I'm not, then a bar will not rust through. 

Look at the photo in the article of the man holding a corroded through bar.

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mdavidford replied to andystow | 2 years ago
0 likes

To be fair, all we can see is that it's a broken bar with some gubbins on it. We've no way of telling from a photo whether the one actually caused the other.

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OldRidgeback | 2 years ago
1 like

I can think of worse things.

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peted76 | 2 years ago
1 like

Although this is horrible.. I've got to tip my hat a bit, to the lady who sweats this much on a turbo, chapeau!

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adamrice | 2 years ago
1 like

I've got to admit—I've got a bike permanently installed on my stationary trainer, and it's in rough shape. The bottom bracket probably is not serviceable. Admittedly, the bike was over 20 years old when I put it on the trainer…

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steaders1 | 2 years ago
2 likes

I would not like to think what state she leaves the rest of the house in if she can't be arsed to clean the bike afterwards, urgh!

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RoubaixCube | 2 years ago
4 likes

Simple solution.

Either start charging said relative a fee to use of the bike and other exercise  equipment or tell relative to start looking for alternative accommodation because youre not willing to put up with her bad habits and lack of respect for your property.

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