What is your rescue remedy for cycle breakdowns miles from home?

[Ajax Bay]

Not sure I understand your point,

@night cycler asked: "What is your rescue remedy for cycle breakdowns miles from home?" which you can't fix?
Dodge the question:

must admit I am finding it hard to think of anything that is likely to totally strand me.

Posters have suggested a few. What is your rescue remedy?
Answer the question:

call up gf to pick me up

Posit bike failure you couldn't repair on the road:

had bearings totally collapse [was] in a Dahon cartridge bearing headset

Posit another failure that you should have been able to solve on the road but were 'lucky' to be close to home and have some poor dupe let you borrow his/her bike:

my back tyre (not tube) exploded. Very luckily we weren't far from my home (ride had started from north of it) so I borrowed another rider's bike, pedalled home for a spare tyre

Lesson learned from that? On a tour of any length, take a spare gear cable.

With respect, the lesson from your FD cable failure (as a sage told me after my FD cable parted on the BCM 600) is to change your gear cables before a 'tour of any length'.

 

[Blue Hills]

None of those would have totally stranded me, not even the Dahon one really. The bearing collapse was near the place I was staying.

I explained the spoke gf pick-up thing. I have in other circumstances ridden on on that bike with other spoke breakages. Won't bore you with details of that.

And as I said that is a very special case because of the nature of the bike. So I won't be going into super remote areas on it again.

A fair few folks in the nice and very helpful thread have said that they have folk they will consider calling on. It was an all embracing question. And there is no disgrace in that as long as it's not over-used.

I didn't say that that taught me another thing - to use simple bike tech as a nice person above said. I won't bore you with a description of that bike's oddities.

Must admit I find your tone somewhat off and combatative - (shades of the keyboard warrior) though that means I am glad that I asked the question - always good to gain insights into folk.

I won't be changing my gear cables before every big ride as I know that I personally could actually make something worse. But that is your choice. I will of course check them.

As for the "poor dupe" I think you missed the point that I was leading a ride - I used to lead lots. The bike I borrowed was from one of the nice people on the ride. Who definitely didn't feel duped. Wonders of team work eh? We all got to Brighton, not much delayed, and had a very nice day. You have one too.

I led rides for several years - all enjoyable - no one was ever stranded.

 

[Blue Hills]

In connection with above, pics of speed pro on its more adventurous trips, probably before headset wobble and in between multiple rear spoke breakages.

Probably won't be trying this again but would have no worries about doing the trips on my other bikes and getting back - chucked in the hold of a bus if necessary but almost certainly wouldn't be.

Speed pro on top

• Blue Hills
• 8 May 2018

speed pro road

• Blue Hills
• 8 May 2018

 

[PaulSB]

On the positive side, far more chance of fixing/bodging a bike than one of those car things. Hard to think of any way in which a modern car can be "bodged". You seem quite well prepared and the quick links thing is a very good tip for anyone. Recommended

Thank you. I like to think I’m well prepared for the things I could fix. Other mechanicals, for example replacing a cable or gear adjustment, would be difficult for me in my garage so there’s little point in carrying the kit! Ability to carry out such repairs is a different debate.

Learning from experience is important. Once on tour I lost two small Allen screws from my rack. Zip ties were a temporary fix as far as the nearest LBS. I now carry both screws and small nut and bolts in case the thread has stripped on the frame hole - which has happened to me. Another example would be spare SPD cleat screws. I’ve lost one on three separate occasions.

Where I disagree is on cables. When I go on long tours, not often, to France I would get my cables replaced two weeks ahead of departure and rechecked days before at my LBS.

I think the main point of this discussion is we all have some mechanical knowledge, some greater than others. One should know one’s limits and act accordingly. My solution is to clean and inspect my bikes closely and then act on issues with my LBS. Quite a few minor ones the LBS have taught me how to diagnose and fix!!

What does make me cross is riders who can’t perform or won’t carry the kit for puncture repairs. I know a rider who does this. First time the group helped and someone, not me, “had a word.” Second time he got a bollocking, was given a tube and the group rode off. We were near enough to home to make the point safely. His wife picked him up - that was probably a good conversation.

I would never stereotype on punctures but over the years I’ve known it necessary to encourage female riders to practice tube changing. An hour in the garage practicing with tight modern tyres is invaluable. This plus a Crank Brothers telescopic tyre lever.

 

[rivers]

"Hello wife. My bike is broken can you please pick me up? I will drive us home when you get here and take us somewhere nice"

 

[Saluki]

I need to renew my bike breakdown cover. I have nobody to collect me if I have a bad mechanical so, for the peace of mind, it’s invaluable for me.

 

[Saluki]

"Hello wife. My bike is broken can you please pick me up? I will drive us home when you get here and take us somewhere nice"

Probably more than £18 a year though.

 

[mjr]

This plus a Crank Brothers telescopic tyre lever.

No longer available and the replacement knuckle duster isn't as good. The Koolstop Bead Jack and VAR tool are alternatives, with Schwalbe or Bontrager lipped levers to get the tyre off. Wider tyres and less sidewall protection are easier to remove, which is part of why I don't think Schwalbe's Plus's sidewall protection is worth it.

 

[NorthernDave]

Well, after all this talk the inevitable happened today.

Out on the Giant as the Pro Carbon is waiting for it's new chain and for the second time in the last 3 rides I got that sinking feeling.
The full tale will appear on 'your ride today', but couldn't get the tyre off the rim at the road side (Park Tools tyre levers indeed...) so had to ring for Mrs ND to do the whole Thunderbird 3 thing.
Thanks to the nice cycling couple and the solo rider who separately asked if they could help, and to the 4 serious looking cyclists who conspicuously looked the other way as they passed, I'm sure you'll get your just rewards.

Anyhow, lesson learned, a pair of Gators have now been ordered and the OE Giant Gavia AC's will be going in the bin.

And Mrs ND enjoyed a slap up lunch at a local restaurant.

 

[Blue Hills]

Will try to pop over to see what the rim problem was - intrigued - have had issues getting tyres back on (can post the solution if anyone interested) but not this. Please put a link to that thread on here as I'm not sure where it is.

As you say, lessons learned.

And I'll add my curse to the serious looking cyclists who passed by - they may get their rewards soon - very possible that they carry minimal kit in order to look cool, and a micro pump that will tear their valves as they try to desperately pump with it.

 

[Tim Hall]

Well, after all this talk the inevitable happened today.

Out on the Giant as the Pro Carbon is waiting for it's new chain and for the second time in the last 3 rides I got that sinking feeling.
The full tale will appear on 'your ride today', but couldn't get the tyre off the rim at the road side (Park Tools tyre levers indeed...) so had to ring for Mrs ND to do the whole Thunderbird 3 thing.
Thanks to the nice cycling couple and the solo rider who separately asked if they could help, and to the 4 serious looking cyclists who conspicuously looked the other way as they passed, I'm sure you'll get your just rewards.

Anyhow, lesson learned, a pair of Gators have now been ordered and the OE Giant Gavia AC's will be going in the bin.

And Mrs ND enjoyed lunch at a local restaurant.

Rookie error. Thunderbird 2 is the craft of choice for rescue. Thunderbird 3 is mostly used for relieving that tedious twerp in Thunderbird 5.

 

[PaulSB]

I don’t think this would have helped @NorthernDave but a tip for tyre/tube issues.

When you buy a new tube dust it heavily in talc and then wrap in cling film. Putting the tyre back on will be far easier as the talc helps it slip over the rim.

 

[swansonj]

Nothing in my posts in this thread to suggest I even remotely think such a thing. Or any of my other cchat posts.

You are an individual. And I was replying to a post from you, an individual, which until it was edited by you, simply said:

>>Why? I could well get a puncture more than once a year that I can’t (be bothered to) fix

Your smiley.

Your choice. As an individual.

This seems to me to be a positive thread and thanks again OP.

I get the feeling from folks' posts that little is likely to be a mega disaster, and the little disasters that we have had are something for us and others to learn from.

What I learned from my Speed Pro experience above?

Don't buy another Dahon, however much fun some can be, thank my lucky stars I never went for the touring version of that bike, even if doing long day rides on it (and I have done some very challenging long day rides on it) never be out of reach of a bail of some sort on that particular bike.

Come to think of it I have had other issues.

Used to lead lots of rides for a local group - on one from London to Brighton my back tyre (not tube) exploded. Very luckily we weren't far from my home (ride had started from north of it) so I borrowed another rider's bike, pedalled home for a spare tyre, fitted and off again.
Lesson learned from this? I tend to wear my tyres to the limit and often check the thread, and always before a day ride. But it's important to check the side walls, which I now understand very often give up the ghost before the running tread.

Another time, riding fully loaded on a 2 to 3 hour ride to catch a fixed time long distance train the front mech cable broke, meaning I had to do the rest of the ride in a 22T granny gear. I could have split the chain and gone fixed (terrain was fairly flat by the time it had happened) but I had sensibly left plenty of time (pats self on the back for my usual caution with transport connections) and so just went in for some intensive spinning for the rest of the trip.

Lesson learned from that? On a tour of any length, take a spare gear cable.

Before my next tour I will definitely look back through this thread for words of wisdom, amongst other things.

Ironically and no doubt unintendedly, your efforts to disclaim any sexism, in relation to @vickster, are undermined by your use of the term "granny gear". That term is of course deeply embedded within cycling but each of us has a choice whether to go along with that sexism or not.

 

[vickster]

Ironically and no doubt unintendedly, your efforts to disclaim any sexism, in relation to @vickster, are undermined by your use of the term "granny gear". That term is of course deeply embedded within cycling but each of us has a choice whether to go along with that sexism or not.

He didn’t bother to explain the cute taxi driver comment either. Ignore button employed

 

[Serge]

Well, after all this talk the inevitable happened today.

Out on the Giant as the Pro Carbon is waiting for it's new chain and for the second time in the last 3 rides I got that sinking feeling.
The full tale will appear on 'your ride today', but couldn't get the tyre off the rim at the road side (Park Tools tyre levers indeed...) so had to ring for Mrs ND to do the whole Thunderbird 3 thing.
Thanks to the nice cycling couple and the solo rider who separately asked if they could help, and to the 4 serious looking cyclists who conspicuously looked the other way as they passed, I'm sure you'll get your just rewards.

Anyhow, lesson learned, a pair of Gators have now been ordered and the OE Giant Gavia AC's will be going in the bin.

And Mrs ND enjoyed a slap up lunch at a local restaurant.

Hmm, I'm starting to panic a bit about getting my super skinny tyres off my new bike now in the event of the inevitable.

I think a practice change is in order when I get home tonight.