Stopping to help people with punctures

[Dan B]

I know we've done the thread about whether you stop when you see people at the side of the road with mechanicals, and pretty much everyone says "yes" and some people say "even when I'm in the car", so I was quite worried this morning when I punctured on a busy path through a park on the way to work. I have all the stuff I need to fix the puncture and I know what I'm doing, what if someone offers help and I can't think of something for them to do and then they feel rejected and go off in a huff and spoil all their coworkers days? That would be awful. So imagine how relieved I was when of the 200ish [*] cyclists who passed me while I was standing there in the rain, not a single one stopped or called out or anything. Social catastrophe averted!

[*] there was probably about one every ten seconds and I must have been there for 20 minutes if not longer. Cold wet hands and cold wet tyres don't make it easy to get the tyre off.

 

[Saluki]

Maybe they were not proper cyclists i.e. CC members. We'd have offered help if we'd have seen you, then again we don't live in London.
When I last had to do an innertube swap, it was pouring, and not one person offered any help. Maybe it's the rain that stops people asking.

 

[jagman.2003]

I have seen quite a few cyclists parked up lately & have offered assistance to all.
No offence taken when they declined. Just meant I could crack on with Karma intact.
I thought one was looking for tools in a bag, turned out he was getting food out. No wonder he declined my help so quickly.

 

[TissoT]

I am confident at changing tubes etc ... Though I know some people are not so
when I ride past I ask are you ok and if they need help hopefully they will "shout up"
But Iam surprise no one offered to help Raining or not .

 

[jarlrmai]

Did any of them nod?

 

[steveindenmark]

I stopped in Mallorca to help a German couple who had a puncture. They didnt need help so I gave them sweets instead.

 

[Dan B]

Did any of them nod?

Only the ones with Campagnolo

 

[adds21]

If people look like they know what they're doing, I usually just ride past, so I'd take it as a compliment if I were you.

A few months ago, I was on my way home from work when I passed a chap on a MTB with a flat. I stopped to help and it turned out he had a repair kit, but no pump. I had a CO2 cartridges, but they wouldn't fit with his schrader values. As I was only a couple of miles from home, I offered to cycle home, get a pump, and come back, which I duly did. He was so thankful he popped a bottle of wine round in the evening, which was much appreciated (I neglected to mention I'm teetotal, but the misses enjoyed it!). I like to think that karma will help me out if I'm ever in need!

 

[si_c]

Had a puncture on friday on the way home. Glorious sunshine, quite enjoying watching the view of the Irish sea as I fixed the puncture. Ten or so people passed me as I was fixing it, and of these two stopped to ask if I was OK. Of course if it was raining who knows if they'd stopped.

As a side note, I still have no idea what caused the puncture, nothing had pierced the inner side of the tyre where the puncture occured.

 

[byegad]

Lunnon initt?

 

[si_c]

If it is on the inside, hold the tube against the rim both ways around and have a good look at the rim tape in those placed.

It was on the top side, I checked the walls of the rim, no roughness, and I even checked the rimtape, all ok. The best guess I have is that I had some grit or something inside the tyre that fell out when I removed it.

 

[Dan B]

It was on the top side, I checked the walls of the rim, no roughness, and I even checked the rimtape, all ok. The best guess I have is that I had some grit or something inside the tyre that fell out when I removed it.

I had that all the time on my Croix de Fer bike with the OEM tyres. Replaced with marathon supremes, no punctures yet - but I've not been using that bike nearly as much since, either

 

[mjr]

I must have been there for 20 minutes if not longer. Cold wet hands and cold wet tyres don't make it easy to get the tyre off.

Reasons I carry a sealant canister. Well worth £2.

 

[Profpointy]

Reasons I carry a sealant canister. Well worth £2.

I stopped to give a spare (patched) tube to a chap doing the push of shame - he'd tried to use one of the cans of goo.

To be fair, I've not tried the stuff myself, nor needed to help folk it worked just fine for - but it increased my existing scepticism

 

[raleighnut]

I always stop and ask if any help is needed.