Amateur ignorant ride organiser needs advice about participants having punctures

[theclaud]

Today's responders to my post - and I'm grateful to them - have advised me to try to have the riders carry the means to repair a puncture. That is fine. I asked some specific questions in the OP and I would love to get some answers to those questions.

What's the story with the rides? As in why are you doing them? It's not a loaded question, it just doesn't come across in the OP, and it's difficult to offer advice if we don't know what you're hoping to make happen. In a general way I'd echo what @Ian H and @Dogtrousers say above, and add that what makes Fridays rides and some others work is firstly the narrative, and secondly the blend of innocence and experience.

 

[PaulSB]

One thing I should add, very much a personal view, is I would never leave a woman until I knew she was safe. I feel the added dangers for a woman alone mean my responsibility is to make sure she is safe. I've left rides before now and ridden home with women who felt unable to continue for one reason or another. A couple have been unhappy at what they saw as spoiling my ride........and then sincerely thanked me when we've got back.

 

[Arrowfoot]

OP is operating rides in London. Worst case scenario is a long walk. My seat post clamp broke at Hyde Park next to Bayswater. Tried to use the tube but they would not let me in due to time prohibition. Walked all the way to a bike shop at the back of Regent street and got a another clamp.

As long as the ride itinerary is known, let the participants know before hand to work out exit strategy. Should not abandon the ride for the rest unless something serious. Participants might want to bring along a strong lock in the event they have to lock up the bike against the many bikes stands all around London, get spares and return.

Also take note of LBS in key areas.

 

[Sittingduck]

I've had as many as four punctures in a day. If you use your spare tube the first time and then the next one occurs in the pouring rain, you won't be able to get the patch to stick in the wet.

Which is why I carry 2 tubes. Never had more than 3 punctures in a ride and that was a one off.

 

[guitarpete247]

I used to be one of the staff taking pupils cycling during school activity days. One of us had the first aid kit. I had the toolkit and some spares. We always gave the bikes a thorough check before starting and have had to send some pupils home with unsafe (usually it was brakes) bikes. We usually had at least 4 staff to about 30 pupils.

Only on one occasion did we have an abandonment, Chain snapped and destroyed derailleur. We had someone at school collect the pupil and bike with mini bus.
It would be useful to have some form of recovery either the rider themselves, taxi or someone you can call on. It all depends on your riders and their age, competence, experience, and expectations.

Are you charging for these rides and what are you telling your participants they can expect to get from this? e.g. Sight seeing, exercise, learning traffic riding skills etc.

On one ride we had a pupil who couldn't even start the ride. As we were going through the checks a guy comes up demanding his bike back. The pupil in question, not having a bike of his own, nicked one on his way into school.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

If you only have one puncture, then you will have saved time by using your spare tube instead of patching the puncture.

If you have more than one puncture, you are still going to save time by using the tube for one of them.

In my experience those who automatically put a spare tube in. Rush the process. They don’t check for the source of the puncture. End up puncturing the spare tube. Then end up needing to patch a tube anyway.

Patching a tube really doesn’t take all that long. You can inspect the tyre for cause of puncture whilst the rubber solution cures.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

And if there is no train station in a reasonable distance?

You are in London. There will be a train station in reasonable distance. Part of your route assessment before the group ride can be where are the nearest stations if someone has to abandon?

I would never lead a group ride without having ridden the route beforehand by myself at the time I expect the group ride to take place. To re assure myself the route is both safe and suitable for group riding at the time I plan and note any potential issues / dangers and mitigations.

For instance if there’s a bad curb on a cycle path on the route. Can you change the route or make a note to warn the riders when you get there on the group ride. You don’t want someone clipping a curb and going down.

 

[All uphill]

Important to have participants contact details and next of kin contact details., in case someone gets lost or injured.

As always better to be fully prepared and not need than be out in the rain with one rider having gone missing.

 

[DRM]

In my experience those who automatically put a spare tube in. Rush the process. They don’t check for the source of the puncture. End up puncturing the spare tube. Then end up needing to patch a tube anyway.

Patching a tube really doesn’t take all that long. You can inspect the tyre for cause of puncture whilst the rubber solution cures.

Exactly, and by finding the hole and patching it, you know where to look for the sharp thing in the tyre in relation to the valve hole in the rim.

 

[Sittingduck]

Exactly, and by finding the hole and patching it, you know where to look for the sharp thing in the tyre in relation to the valve hole in the rim.

Which of course you can do by checking the position of the hole in the (to be swapped tube) then referring to the tyre to locate the offending object, anyway.

 

[DRM]

Which of course you can do by checking the position of the hole in the (to be swapped tube) then referring to the tyre to locate the offending object, anyway.

Which if you’ve gone that far you may as well rough the tube up and patch it, Lezyne and Park Tool self adhesive ones are very good and are just as quick as unraveling a new tube.

 

[Sittingduck]

Ok you win, in fact next time I am at it I will probably strip the headset, clean and re grease it while I am there. I am sure the others in the group would be more than willing to wait around in the (probable) crummy weather, while I faff around…

 

[DRM]

Ok you win, in fact next time I am at it I will probably strip the headset, clean and re grease it while I am there. I am sure the others in the group would be more than willing to wait around in the (probable) crummy weather, while I faff around…

Sounds good, crack on

 

[newfhouse]

dame training body

Strangely enough I have always pictured you as more Widow Twanky than Rambo.

 

[Blue Hills]

Not sure I'd want to go down the road of checking everyone's bikes - if you check and miss something, you're potentially in a big pickle as you'd have in a sense certified the bike was OK

I'd be very much inclined to say particicipants are expected to ensure their bikes are legal and roadworthy and that the rider is expected to be able to do their own repairs such as punctures. I'd specificially say the organisers are not responsible for roadworthy checks of the participants.

agree totally - I lead loads of rides for an London cycling campaign group -

It would be a good idea to advise your participants to ensure that their bikes are roadworthy and that they have everything they need with them.

Here is a link to the Fridays page on this subject. Obviously as the Fridays do night rides some of the information is specific to that, but it's a good general start. But take the anti-mudguard rant with a pinch of salt (and this is the toned-down anti-mudguard rant, you should have seen the old one)

https://www.fnrttc.org.uk/all-about-the-bike

cripes - I did a few fridays donkeys years ago under the captainship of the originator - they do seem to have gone into some lightweight dictat:
>>Lose everything that you don’t really, really need.

>>The lighter the bike, the easier the ride and the lower the risk of parts playing up.

what the hell that second sentence means I don't know.

I fear the new regime would be horrified if I turned up - bike properly prepared but carry lots of food - I do fear that some folk might bonk if they follow their advice too tightly - for of course it's not just about starvation as they rather flippantly say.