Random Acts of Assistance

[taxing]

Once when my chain came off an old bloke with a limp who was pushing his bike because he had a puncture stopped and put it back on for me. I wish I could have helped him with his puncture, but I wasn't carrying anything and we were only about 200 yards from a bike shop.

The next time my chain came off a young lad (17ish, I reckon) walking past asked if I needed a hand. But because I'd been watching the old bloke the first time round, I waved him off. Fast learner, me.

 

[John the Monkey]

Always offer, am rarely taken up on it by cyclists though.

I've helped shift cars out of junctions, round up escaped dogs...

In Crewe or Manchester, I've yet to see a motorist offer help. When the owner and I were rounding up the escaped dog on Crewe Road, the drivers sat glumly in their cars waiting for the situation to be sorted out for them. Similarly, when I stopped recently to help an old chap push his broken down car out of the traffic, the cars simply drove around, in some cases having watched him struggle to move the vehicle on his own.

An old couple did offer me a cuppa once when I was fixing a puncture outside their house - I was nearly done, so I turned it down, the chap had been a keen touring cyclist in his day, and wanted to make sure I was ok.

 

[ChrisKH]

Of course it's not restricted to bikes and I always offer if people look like they need help. More recently I spotted a chap who couldn't walk very well and turned the car round and asked if he wanted a lift anywhere. He was a bit shocked to be asked, but once he had overcome that, he explained in the car that he can't get out and about in the ice as he just falls over so the lift was a godsend.

However it can backfire. I was cycling through a hilly car park once and two people were stopping a locked car from rolling down the hill - it had been left with the handbrake off. I helped them push it up the hill into its original parking spot and phoned the police. At which point the two of them run off leaving me with a car with no brakes and a mobile fixed to my ear speaking to the police. Nice eh?

 

[arallsopp]

I try to stop (if schedule permits) if I see a cyclist walking. Lovely moment last week with a guy walking up Bromley Hill. Rear tyre was flat. I offered him a kit, but it turned out the tube was sound. He'd let all the air out by trying to top it up with the wrong valve setting. I got him back up with the minimorph, spun the head on his pump, pointed him in the right direction and headed home.

A few days later, I come across another guy 7 miles further up my commute. Puncture. I stop to offer him a kit, and find a car has already pulled over to see if they can help. Who's in the car? Cyclist from paragraph 1.

I've got his details now, and hope to see him on the Sunday London Ride soon.

 

[Supersonicscientist]

Well it seems that Karma was working tonight, on the cycle home I came across a stranded female cyclist with a double puncture ,offered help had both tyres off and repairs sorted out and inflated after 10 mins or so and sent her off on her way amidst many a cheery thank you ..one thing though must remember to put another tyre lever in the bag