How do you make sure you get home?

[ColinJ]

I'd like to add broken pedal spindle to that list. From experience!

I did mention broken pedals ...

The most likely problems are not showstoppers (all these have been successfully coped with by me and/or my riding companions)

• ...
• Broken crank/pedal - a serious problem, but I broke a crank once and rode 5 miles home pedalling with one leg! Remember - it is also possible to use your bike as a scooter! 10 miles would be a pain. Much more than that and I'd probably be mono-pedalling/scooting to the nearest railway station.
• ...

Yes - a serious problem, but you can cope with it for a short distance on the flat or downhill. A one-legged ascent of a major climb wouldn't be much fun though!

 

[BrumJim]

I did mention broken pedals ...


Yes - a serious problem, but you can cope with it for a short distance on the flat or downhill. A one-legged ascent of a major climb wouldn't be much fun though!

Oops, sorry!

 

[fossyant]

Crikey - I go with Cubist above - look after the bike and it looks after you.

I have only ever once had to phone home for the Mavic Service Vehicle in 27 years ! That was last year when the rear rim exploded on my commuter bike. Wear and tear. I did forget that the bike rack on the roof was locked, so had to pull the bike to bits to get it in the boot - wheels, guards and pannier rack off !

I carry:-

Multitool
'P' Kit
1 or 2 tubes
Tyre Levers
Pump
Phone

That's it. Don't need more.

 

[MacB]

Firstly it's worth learning how to do the most obvious bits yourself, practice at home on changing tyres, replacing gear/brake cables and move on from there. You can always pick up a knackered bike for a couple of quid to practice on - my local tip lets them go for £10 max. If you're not mechanically minded and have no intention of becoming so then tyres, tubes and puncture repair are the minimum.

If you are then be warned that you can quickly rack up the spend on tools, both for home and for carrying on the bike. I'm not quite at some levels but carry:-

Dummy storage bottle - contains 2 spare tubes, pertex gloves and a variety of cable ties
Saddle pack or rack pack - Topeak Hexus II multitool, Leatherman style multitool pliers with torch, tyre levers, more pertex gloves, more cable ties, puncture repair instant patches and powerlink, few links of chain, spare brake pads, spare brake and gear cable, one of each and a tyre boot. The rack pack also has a full puncture repair kit and a variety of size powerlinks.
Bike - Topeak Road or Mountain Morph pump depending on bike.

All of this is tripled so that I don't have to bother switching stuff between bikes.

 

[totallyfixed]

Crikey - I go with Cubist above - look after the bike and it looks after you.

I have only ever once had to phone home for the Mavic Service Vehicle in 27 years ! That was last year when the rear rim exploded on my commuter bike. Wear and tear. I did forget that the bike rack on the roof was locked, so had to pull the bike to bits to get it in the boot - wheels, guards and pannier rack off !

I carry:-

Multitool
'P' Kit
1 or 2 tubes
Tyre Levers
Pump
Phone

That's it. Don't need more.

Ditto, never needed rescuing and the only 2 things that I carry more than you is a couple of cable ties [never needed yet] and power link.

 

[MacB]

I would add that I've never needed most of what I carry but others have, it's all been used at some point or other.

 

[ColinJ]

Ditto, never needed rescuing and the only 2 things that I carry more than you is a couple of cable ties [never needed yet] and power link.

I would add that I've never needed most of what I carry but others have, it's all been used at some point or other.

Yes - I have fixed other people's broken chains, donated my spare spare tube, handed out zip ties for wobbly racks, and gaffer-taped someone's gashed tyre.

It's not just looking after yourself, it's also being able to help other people. A mate of mine has a very hard attitude which is basically 'every man for himself' - if you aren't prepared to repair your own bike, then be prepared to do your own walk!

I can see where he is coming from, but I prefer to lead by example. For example, I fixed one older rider's broken chain at the top of the Nick o' Pendle on the Season of Mists audax a few years back. I showed him how to do it using the chain-splitter on my multitool. He said that he would go to his LBS the next day to buy one. He insisted on treating me to lunch at the cafe control at Waddington, and we did the rest of the ride together. PS On the following year's event, the same man rode up to me on the climb out of Hebden Bridge and asked if he could ride with me again. I (jokingly) said "Yes, but only if you are carrying that multitool you said you were going to buy!" He tapped his back pocket and said that it was in there. Job done!

 

[Cubist]

Yes - I have fixed other people's broken chains, donated my spare spare tube, handed out zip ties for wobbly racks, and gaffer-taped someone's gashed tyre.

It's not just looking after yourself, it's also being able to help other people. A mate of mine has a very hard attitude which is basically 'every man for himself' - if you aren't prepared to repair your own bike, then be prepared to do your own walk!

I can see where he is coming from, but I prefer to lead by example. For example, I fixed one older rider's broken chain at the top of the Nick o' Pendle on the Season of Mists audax a few years back. I showed him how to do it using the chain-splitter on my multitool. He said that he would go to his LBS the next day to buy one. He insisted on treating me to lunch at the cafe control at Waddington, and we did the rest of the ride together. PS On the following year's event, the same man rode up to me on the climb out of Hebden Bridge and asked if he could ride with me again. I (jokingly) said "Yes, but only if you are carrying that multitool you said you were going to buy!" He tapped his back pocket and said that it was in there. Job done!

I am a firm believer in helping others where I can. I often do so in the hope that the person I have helped will repay that kindness, not to me, but to the next person who needs it. Cynics think that people will take advantage, but a healthy radar sense soon tells you the sort of person that will take the piss.

I love this story Colinj, it completely embodies that ethos. The guy was grateful for your help, insisted on showing that appreciation, and repaid double with a bit of companionship next time round. Isn't that what it's all about?

 

[ColinJ]

I am a firm believer in helping others where I can. I often do so in the hope that the person I have helped will repay that kindness, not to me, but to the next person who needs it. Cynics think that people will take advantage, but a healthy radar sense soon tells you the sort of person that will take the piss.

It's not just looking after yourself, it's also being able to help other people. A mate of mine has a very hard attitude which is basically 'every man for himself' - if you aren't prepared to repair your own bike, then be prepared to do your own walk!

Some people do take the piss though! One colleague out on a summer evening ride with me punctured and stood at the side of the road looking embarrassed until I finally asked him why he wasn't fixing it. Turned out that he no tools or spares with him! So, I fixed it ...

When I was done, I asked him why he had not been prepared and he cheerfully told me that "I don't need to carry all that crap - I never get punctures!" I politely informed him that I didn't see it as my place in life to be 'a carrier of the crap that my colleague doesn't want to carry' and that I would never repair a puncture for him again. If he wasn't prepared to repair his own bike, then he must be prepared to do his own walk! (Or phone his girlfriend and explain to her why she should have to rush out of her yoga class, jump in the car and drive 20 miles to get him just because he was too lazy to carry a couple of tyre levers, a pump and a spare tube and/or a puncture kit!)

The guy was grateful for your help, insisted on showing that appreciation, and repaid double with a bit of companionship next time round. Isn't that what it's all about?

I'd like to think so!

Thinking along those lines ... I'm hoping to get back to my former level of fitness, but if, nay - when I do, I won't forget all the forum members who have slowed down and kept me company on my rides. It has motivated me to do some great rides which I probably wouldn't have done alone. I will do my own share of slowing down and waiting on future rides!

 

[Dan_h]

How do you make sure you get home?

Lose the gears

That is funny, on the way to work last year I got a bit of stick stuck in the rear mech bending it slightly. I could not do anything about it so undid the cable and screwed the high stop in until I got a good chainline and rode home on one gear. It was a revelation, I have only ever used single speed since!

 

[Leodis]

As a noobie I have bought two cans of the Zefal sealant spray and a CO2 inflator which can be regulated. Don't fancy 15-20 minutes fiddling with changing a tyre in the rain, seems easier to use sealant and top up with CO2.

 

[totallyfixed]

I have to disagree about always helping others who carry no kit, if you are a club rider you are always expected to be self sufficient, offer help by all means but you must carry your own kit. New club members only come out once without the basics, you will never learn how to fix your bike if you always let others do it for you. Conversely, someone who looks after their bike tends to carry their own repair kit. I'm not saying don't help a fellow cyclist, I always stop and ask if I see another rider doing a repair.
What is a little worrying is when someone carries all the gear with no idea, seen it a couple of times when a person has a chain tool but hasn't a clue what it does or how to use it. Happy to teach and advise once but if the same person defaults twice, tough.

 

[Leodis]

Yeah thats a worry, I have no idea on how to use a chain tool. Gonna book onto one of Evans free courses and might try the EBC one but you have to pay quite a bit for that one.

*thinks about taking out rescue insurance*

 

[ColinJ]

I have to disagree about always helping others who carry no kit, if you are a club rider you are always expected to be self sufficient, offer help by all means but you must carry your own kit. New club members only come out once without the basics, you will never learn how to fix your bike if you always let others do it for you. Conversely, someone who looks after their bike tends to carry their own repair kit. I'm not saying don't help a fellow cyclist, I always stop and ask if I see another rider doing a repair.

I think we both have the same attitude really. I did say in a subsequent post that I told off one guy who came riding with me and punctured when he wasn't carrying any tools or spares, and I also told him that I would never rescue him again in a similar situation.

I give someone the benefit of the doubt once, but if they were feckless a second time then they'd be on their own.

The older rider whose broken chain I fixed probably should have known about chain tools, but it was obvious to me that he didn't. I showed him what to do, and he took my advice and went out and bought a multitool like mine the day after that ride. I don't know if he took my advice to practise using the tool on a spare piece of chain at home or carried powerlinks from then on. (I know you don't strictly need them, but it does make rejoining the chain easier.)

What is a little worrying is when someone carries all the gear with no idea, seen it a couple of times when a person has a chain tool but hasn't a clue what it does or how to use it.

That's why I advised a beginner cyclist to practise replacing tubes at home in the warm in this post recently and I'd certainly recommend practising use of a chain tool too. The first couple of times I used one (before I started carrying powerlinks) I pushed the pins right out and then wondered why I was struggling to get them back in again! (For those of you unfamiliar with fixing chains -(a) Get familiar! ((b) Getting loose pins back in can be extremely tricky so don't push them out of the second plate - just push them out far enough to extract the broken link.)

 

[totallyfixed]

In the bad old days rejoining a chain with a pin was not a lot of fun with cold hands, drop it and it was gone. Power links are a real revelation, mind you only time out on a ride I had to use one was once out on a club ride for someone else, at that time they were quite new and boy was he thankful.