More help for SONGO?

[Fisan]

TL;DR: How can we contribute bike spares to the SONGO initiative?

 

On my commute back home today I encountered one of the SONGO riders struggling with a technical problem: the pedal fell out. Apparently the crank threads were stripped so bad that the pedal won't stay put anymore. As I lifted the bike up to have a closer look the front wheel fell out! The nut of the front QR was missing. The wheel jsut relied on a loose axle!? Whathefu-  ?! My Xhosa from Grade 7 failed me so I'm not too sure she understood what I meant with "no QR= dangerous".

 

Not too long ago I also encountered a SONGO rider attempting to fix a broken chain link with a rock - because he did not have a spare quick-link.

 

If this is the kind of equipment they receive they are better of riding with non-Spez Makro specials.

 

My questions are thus: who is charge of the equipment and who makes sure that the bikes are in a running and safe condition? Secondly, how can we as a community help with this - e.g. donate spare bike parts?

 

This is not to badmouth the people behind the SONGO foundation. I really respect their contribution towards the community. But putting people on dodgy bikes is just very dangerous 

Edited October 10, 2016 by Koei

[Iwan Kemp]

I know there are kit and gear donation boxes at every Specialized store. What happens from on out I'm not sure. Maybe worth asking.

[Rider101]

Hi Koei

 

Thanks so much for your interest in songo and support of our programme. 

 

We 100% agree that it is essential that the riders have bikes that are in good and more importantly safe working condition. Within our programme we have a full time Cytech accredited bicycle mechanic who works under the guidance of a well known pro team mechanic to ensure that the bikes are in good working order. Our team work tirelessly in maintaining the many bikes and over the past few months they have really improved the overall bike maintenance within our programme. 

 

That said, there is always room for improvement and receiving feedback such as yours is invaluable. If I could please ask you to email me directly on info@songo.info, I would like to find out more details regarding the rider & bike concerned so I can investigate further.

 

Each of our riders are allocated bikes for them to use and when they check the bikes in after their ride it is their responsibility to note if something is wrong with their bikes. This allows for our mechanics to prioritise working on that specific bike rather than it continuing in the general service roster.  We have had on occasion that our kids do not report that something is wrong with their bikes because they don’t want to miss a ride – this is obviously not ideal and we are working with our kids emphasising the importance of bike maintenance. 

 

As mentioned by Iwan, we do have donation boxes positioned at the Specialized stores. All goods donated are couriered to us on a monthly basis for us to use within the programme. To date, majority of the items donated are 2nd hand clothing – we would greatly appreciate the donation of parts/spares etc. If you are able to assist in this area we would be very thankful. 

 

As a Christmas present last year, each and every one of our riders received a tool bag which included: tires, leavers, bike tool, bombs etc. The riders in our programme know they are not supposed to ride without having the necessary equipment to fix a basic mechanical. We are all guilty at times of going out without the required / necessary tool but from a programme perspective this is not supported & I will ensure that the no tools no ride policy is enforced more strongly.

 

Once again, thank you for your interest and level of care to raise your concerns. Please could you contact me directly so that we can chat more specifically around the incident yesterday. I would also like to invite you to come and visit us  Kayamandi – it would be great to show you around our programme and the work that we are doing. 

 

All the best,

Kathy Crabbe

General Manager – songo.info