Utter disgrace to you all

[caimg]

On a randonnee recently I saw a guy with one arm who had turned his bike upside down on the verge and was busy fettling. I thought that asking if he needed any help would sound a bit patronising so, as there wasn't much time to consider what to say (and I probably wouldn't be much help anyway, truth be told), as I rode by I blurted out, 'Do you need anything?'

He smiled and said, 'No, I'm fine thanks,' but afterwards I thought that, in some existential way, it was probably unlikely that there wasn't anything at all he needed - I mean, what about a new arm for a start? Funny how your mind wanders about on a long distance cycling [continued on p.347]

Still, at least you asked him something standardly tactful before you reached 'hey do you need a hand?'

 

[Rob500]

+1 for getting some practice in at home. Have a go at repairing both front and back.

 

[smutchin]

I tried to help a colleague repair a puncture today... and failed.

"Yeah, no worries, five minute job," I said.

Of course, that's without reckoning on removing all the bits of the bizarrely overengineered pulley system for his 3-speed rear hub.

Once I'd dismantled all the outer gubbins and loosened the wheelnuts, I then found I couldn't get the chain off due to a pair of infuriating little wheel-tensioning grub screws that required a 2.5mm allen key (guess which size I didn't have in my toolkit).

Oh well, not to worry, on to plan B - rather than replace the tube, just repair the current one in situ.

So after I'd put all the gear mechanism gubbins back together, I got the tyre off the rim, located the hole in the tube and applied one of my Lezyne Smart glueless patches (I carry a spare tube and use that in the event of a puncture, with the Smart patches as an emergency measure if I should get more than one visitation).

Job done, I put it all back together and pumped it up, proud of my work.

Then just as we were returning the bike to the rack... hissssssssss!

Well, at least that's a good time to find out just how unreliable those bloody patches are.

I'm going to bring in some proper tools and proper patches tomorrow and do the job properly. And teach him how to bloody well do it himself next time.

d.

 

[Sara_H]

I think somebody that cycles in cycling shoes should be able to mend his tyre on the go

Ooooph.... twist the knife, why don't you

 

[lejogger]

Whenever I see a cyclist at the side of the road with a mechanical/puncture I slow and ask if they need any help. Not once have I been taken up on the offer

Snap.
I think that's probably more to do with their ego though than really not needing a hand!
I stopped the car round the corner and jogged back to a guy the other week who seemed to be having a hell of a time. He was actually trying to get the inner tube off the rear wheel without taking his wheel off the bike first!
I didn't want to make him feel a prat so left him to it, but drove past 30 minutes later to check and he'd gone, so he'd obviously figured it out or got a lift home!

 

[marshmella]

I tried to help a colleague repair a puncture today... and failed.

"Yeah, no worries, five minute job," I said.

Of course, that's without reckoning on removing all the bits of the bizarrely overengineered pulley system for his 3-speed rear hub.

Once I'd dismantled all the outer gubbins and loosened the wheelnuts, I then found I couldn't get the chain off due to a pair of infuriating little wheel-tensioning grub screws that required a 2.5mm allen key (guess which size I didn't have in my toolkit).

Oh well, not to worry, on to plan B - rather than replace the tube, just repair the current one in situ.

So after I'd put all the gear mechanism gubbins back together, I got the tyre off the rim, located the hole in the tube and applied one of my Lezyne Smart glueless patches (I carry a spare tube and use that in the event of a puncture, with the Smart patches as an emergency measure if I should get more than one visitation).

Job done, I put it all back together and pumped it up, proud of my work.

Then just as we were returning the bike to the rack... hissssssssss!

Well, at least that's a good time to find out just how unreliable those bloody patches are.

I'm going to bring in some proper tools and proper patches tomorrow and do the job properly. And teach him how to bloody well do it himself next time.

d.

Thats so annoying when a five minute job turns into an hour,which happened to me last Friday while out with my son. He had a p****re on the way back from Birmingham along the canal, i carry all the necessary gear and even remembered to pack a spare Schrader tube for his bike (mine are Presta) No worries i thought, I'll soon sort this. I pulled out a big nail from his tyre checked again inside the tyre found a thorn and removed that, installed new tube then the problems started. I unscrewed the pump head and set it up for the schrader valve and started pumping for ages and got hardly any air into it! Got passed by a dozen or so cyclists who must have assumed i was OK, when really i was struggling a bit . A couple of Waterways guys came walking along and offered to help, but of course they didn't have a bike pump on them. Eventually i swapped out the schrader valved tube and replaced it with my spare presta tube which inflated fine once I'd altered the pump again.

Still not too sure why it wouldn't inflate the schraderi might need a new pump.

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

Snap.
I think that's probably more to do with their ego though than really not needing a hand!
I stopped the car round the corner and jogged back to a guy the other week who seemed to be having a hell of a time. He was actually trying to get the inner tube off the rear wheel without taking his wheel off the bike first!
I didn't want to make him feel a prat so left him to it, but drove past 30 minutes later to check and he'd gone, so he'd obviously figured it out or got a lift home!

If the puncture's well away from the valve and you can get the tyre off and back on again, then it can be a very quick way of repairing. I've done it that way before.

 

[lejogger]

If the puncture's well away from the valve and you can get the tyre off and back on again, then it can be a very quick way of repairing. I've done it that way before.

I appreciate it's possible... but he had no remote air of competance about him at all.

 

[Davidc]

I've been taken up on an offer to help a few times (10% of offers at most).

Nearly always it's been people with inadequate kit with them, and most have been punctures. I've donated a couple of tubes, and been bought a few pints in return (probably worth more than the tubes.

I don't mind helping - might need it myself sometime!

 

[NormanD]

Now as a punishment for letting us good cycling folk down with your poor mechanical knowledge, you'll have to kiss the full circumference of the repaired tyre while saying "I must get to know how to repair you, while you're feeling down ...it will never happen again" ... I think that's punishment enough or you could just learn and look good like the rest of us

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

I appreciate it's possible... but he had no remote air of competance about him at all.

And you can't pump up a tyre with or without remote air, can you?

 

[caimg]

Now as a punishment for letting us good cycling folk down with your poor mechanical knowledge, you'll have to kiss the full circumference of the repaired tyre while saying "I must get to know how to repair you, while you're feeling down ...it will never happen again" ... I think that's punishment enough or you could just learn and look good like the rest of us

Time to get the baby wipes out...

 

[IanT]

Whenever I see someone working on their bike, I will always stop to ask if they need help. People have often done this when I am fixing a puncture and it's just a nice thing to do - we could all find ourselves in need of help one day.

Anyway, at the weekend, I was out on a nice little 70 mile training ride with my mate. I had got quite a bit ahead of him and was slowing to wait when I spotted a lady struggling to push a tyre lever into her rear tyre, with the wheel still in the frame.

Naturally, I shouted, "need any help?", to which she replied, "must admit that I'm struggling a bit".

Five minutes later, I'd whipped the wheel out, removed the tyre and after a thorough inspection of the tube, was ready to fit the new one.

The only spare that she had with her had already been repaired at some point but, hey, if it holds air, it's all good. Whipped it in and had a quick go at inflating it with her mini pump before opting to use a Co2 cartridge. A quick blast, a firm tyre and all is right with the world. Or, it was - until the bloody tube let go spectacularly and spontaneously - causing ringing ear drums and nearly soiled shorts.

As luck would have it, I had my new Hero GoPro attached to the stem and captured the whole thing on film. Feel free to laugh yourself silly at me recoiling in surprise here -

View: http://youtu.be/_HVpVZUUgLQ


The training ride in question is part of our preparation for the forthcoming Orchid Sportive. It's a great cause so if you fancied giving us a couple of quid for the joy of watching someone else nearly soiling themselves as their handiwork fails spectacularly, then there is a link in the video description to our Just Giving page.

Of course, we could not leave the lady in question stranded so gave her a lovely new Continental tube - which happily inflated without any trauma!!! She was actually very appreciative - offering to pay for the tibe / Co2 etc. In all honesty, though,that's not what it's about - as cyclists, we are all face the same challenges and issues out there so let's stick together and keep helping each other out.

 

[carolonabike]

I always, always offer help, to anyone, on any kind of bike even if looks as though they are managing, I figure one day that might be me, and almost without exception, whenever we've stopped on the side of the road every passing cyclist has asked us if we're ok. It seems standard up here. I also think it's important to offer help to spread the message that's that what one does.

 

[bluemint]

until the bloody tube let go spectacularly and spontaneously - causing ringing ear drums and nearly soiled shorts.

Ouch. I've been there. though in my case my head was right next to it as I was working on the bike with it on a table and I was in a small room. I had to have a sit down to calm my nerves... The lesson being make sure you don't have a bit of inner tube sticking out from under the bead.