Cycle Rescue

[Maherees]

Hi all,
Does anyone know if there is an equivalent of the AA for cycles - miles from nowhere and may need bringing home if you cannot repair the bike?
Thanks

 

[vickster]

ETA cycle rescue. They may not bring you home but get you to the nearest railway station or bike shop
https://www.eta.co.uk/breakdown/bicycle/

 

[Sharky]

You can worry too much about getting home. I've had three spills and brought home by ambulance and passing motorists. Had mechanicals such as cranks coming loose, punctures, extreme bad weather, exhaustion and always managed to keep going or a call home for a pick up. All of these have been very rare, covering over 60 years of cycling. Passing cyclists will always stop and help.

Nowadays with mobile phones, it's easy to call friends or families. When I started, you had to walk to a call box and my parents didn't have a phone!

 

[annedonnelly]

There's something called Total Cycle Assist who keep sending me e-mails after I signed up for their free service. I think they claim to rescue you, but I've never tried them out.

 

[tom73]

I'm with ETA mostly as extra peace of mind for Mrs 73 when she's working and can't get me and I'm miles from home.
I've not really anyone else I can call. So went for it they get you home or to a place of repair they even cover punctures.

 

[Drago]

I'm with ETA mostly as extra peace of mind for Mrs 73 when she's working and can't get me and I'm miles from home.

ETA. Get a puncture and a van full of heavily armed Basque nationalists rush to your aid.

I paid the extra tenner and went for the Baader Meinhoff package. The full Black Sepember level membership is a bit too pricy for me, but can be had a bit cheaper if you leave off the Red Army Faction option.

 

[Milkfloat]

Hi all,
Does anyone know if there is an equivalent of the AA for cycles - miles from nowhere and may need bringing home if you cannot repair the bike?
Thanks

Walk to nearest station or call a Taxi. There is very little hat actually makes a bicycle immobile so I have had to use neither option.

 

[Deleted member 26715]

Nowadays with mobile phones, it's easy to call friends or families. When I started, you had to walk to a call box and my parents didn't have a phone!

That's always assuming that the OP has somebody to be able to call

Walk to nearest station or call a Taxi. There is very little hat actually makes a bicycle immobile so I have had to use neither option.

Again that could be geographically specific, if I ride 5 miles I could be at least 10 miles from the nearest station, that's a 4 hour walk pushing a bike, depending on what time of day it is that could then mean a 12 hour wait for a train. As all the Taxi's around here are just standard saloon cars, I doubt they'd want an extremely muddy bike on the back seat.

 

[Sharky]

Walk to nearest station or call a Taxi. There is very little hat actually makes a bicycle immobile so I have had to use neither option.

Or knock on the door of the first house you come to. People are much more helpful and friendly than you expect.
I limped to a garage once when my crank kept coming loose and borrowed a spanner from them to fix it.
When I came home by ambulance once, my club mates knocked a nearby house and asked if they could leave my bike there for a few days and they were helpful.

 

[Sharky]

That's always assuming that the OP has somebody to be able to call

It would be rare if you didn't have any neighbours, friends or work colleagues that you couldn't contact. Just got to think ahead and keep on good terms with people in your contact list.
You could always post a "Help" message on cycle chat. There can't be many square miles in the UK that doesn't have a CC member nearby.

 

[davidphilips]

Silly question but if stranded with a bike miles from home and no one available to call on would a taxi not just pick up a cyclist and his bike? Know i would phone and ask if stranded?

 

[PaulSB]

Lexham Cycle Recovery from Lexham Insurance is £15/year. I forget the precise details but basically anywhere in UK 24/7/365 if more than 1 mile from home. Mechanicals with a roadside fix are not covered. You will be rescued to home, railway station, bike shop or accommodation. These days it's one named bike per policy, it used to be all bikes.

I have the cover but haven't used it though I know several people who have.

Strava Premium members can reclaim up to £30 of get you home costs through a company partnered with Strava. I forget the name.

 

[vickster]

Silly question but if stranded with a bike miles from home and no one available to call on would a taxi not just pick up a cyclist and his bike? Know i would phone and ask if stranded?

Of course, but ETA would cover the cost. It’s an insurance policy like any other

 

[Ming the Merciless]

That's always assuming that the OP has somebody to be able to call
Again that could be geographically specific, if I ride 5 miles I could be at least 10 miles from the nearest station, that's a 4 hour walk pushing a bike,

Why not walk or scoot bike 5 miles back home instead?

 

[chris-suffolk]

Tempting fate here, but in over 50 years of cycling I've never had an instance where I needed help to get home. It would have to be a fairly major crash or other mechanical to stop the bike from being used, even if only in a very limited 'limp home' mode.

If you look at a modern, well maintained bike, what is there that will break to the point of stopping you riding it, albeit carefully and more slowly? I can't think of much. Yes forks / frames / bars may break (but unlikely to be sudden on a well maintained bike), same with rims, tyres, brakes, gears, chain.
If I broke a chain I'd shorten it and lose a few gears, if a tyre ruptured you can repair with a boot to get you to home / a pick up point. Not many other items left really.