breakdown recovery - RAC for bikes...

[Tynan]

what's a warped tyre?

and how far from home were you and where?

or are you just fishing for an argument?

 

[Arch]

By the time you get to a village, well nip into the pub or post office, and I would almost guarantee that somenone in there will help or direct you in the direction of someone who will. Having had a mechanical in France, the locals could not have been more friendly, a great way of meeeting people. Put your faith in human nature. Unless Hannibal Lectar picks you up, then your zarked

I think the operative phrase is in bold...

I think breakdown services have their place - not everyone can improvise, or is confident about trying things, or even about approaching strangers for help. And yes, you can ring a mate, but if all my mates with cars are in York and I'm on a tour and somewhere in the middle of Oxfordshire or the Highlands of Scotland, it's going to take a while to get to pick me up.. I think if one could rely on a taxi to transport you and your bike, that would be a good compromise, but you need a local taxi number and they have to be happy to put the bike in the boot and then they have to know where there's a bike shop, or you have to get to station and hope the trains will take bikes... If having the peace of mind of such a breakdown service encourages someone to go off further than the end of their street, it's a good thing..

I have to say, sending a truck-recovery vehicle to a guy with a bike isn't very Environmental is it? As far as I know ETA are one of those services without a dedicated fleet, who call on a local garage for you. I'd have thought they could send a small van?

 

[bonj2]

massive, brand new, truck capable of carrying a 10-ton vehicle on the back of it came within about an hour .

Did they manage to fit your bike on the truck??? [/QUOTE]

no, in its cab you tool, it had a row of seats behind the driver and passenger seats and my bike fitted in there. (It was such a nice truck.)

 

[Amanda P]

Had a disaster touring in Cyprus in March. Her right-hand pedal sheered off after we'd spent all morning climbing up into the mountains.

Since there were no bike shops in the mountains, and it's easier to ride a bike downhill than uphill with only one pedal, we had to turn back.

We waggled our thumbs at pickup trucks (very common in Cyprus) and got three lifts back to Paphos. The last guy went out of his way to drop us right outside a bike shop.

(The bike shop was a husband and wife affair, and husband did all the mechanics. He wasn't there - he had another job. But she rang him and they were quite happy to let us use their tools to fix the bike.)

So, blokes who drive pickups are usually helpful. (I'm one myself, and I'm always helpful).

 

[bonj2]

what's a warped tyre?

without wanting to sound obvious, a tyre that's become warped.
It basically just won't sit straight on the rim straight , and the fact that the bead isn't lying smooth punctures the tube. It happened three times in two days and on examining the holes in the tubes there is the pattern of a bite mark consistent with the tyre markings just above the bead, and since I've changed the tyre it hasn't happened once - so was definitely that. New tyre is a lot more sturdy and isn't floppy like the old one.

and how far from home were you and where?

about 5 miles.

or are you just fishing for an argument?

Shut it bimbly, you're a fine one to talk.