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

[Brains]

In thousands of miles of cycling I've never been in a sitation where I could not do some sort of a roadside repair sufficent to get me back to civilisation.

However on a tour in Denmark one rider with us managed to break the rear wheel axel. The solution was to get a taxi to the nearest major town with a good bike shop, where the wheel was rebuilt whist he waited and he was back on his bike before the rest of the team arrived a few hours later

 

[ColinJ]

You lot clearly don't venture out to anywhere even remotely, er, remote!

I was saying on my forum ride yesterday that there are lots of phone reception blackspots in this area.

It isn't as bad as it was a few years ago but I ride to several places where I could still be 5+ miles away from getting a signal and a similar distance from a callbox or door to knock on.

99.xx% of bike problems are fixable out on the road with the right tools and some basic mechanical aptitude.

Fix the fixable, walk if within walking range of help, phone if help is too far away. Otherwise, knock on doors (if there ARE any to knock on!), flag down passing motorists (if there ARE any!). If you are STILL stuck, it is time to pick a religion and to start praying to the deity of your choice!

 

[night cycler]

Most taxi firms have vehicles that will take a bike by folding the seats, or have estates or minivans, you just specify your need when you call.

I once got a hackney but it was one of those big converted Pegeot van things so I got the whole bike in where I sat, no need to remove any bits.

Fair enough.

This year may see me venturing out a bit further from home. With the Triban540, I'm finding an urge to get down in the drops on inclines now, when I talked about swapping to flat bars previously. 25 miles out will be doable for me, and then the return. Just one taxi ride home will wipe out the £18 ETA premium.

I carry 2 or 3 tubes; chain splitter, pump & Co2.

I came off the bike yesterday in rain going over tram tracks. Bruised hip, but road home.

 

[Pale Rider]

You lot clearly don't venture out to anywhere even remotely, er, remote!

I was saying on my forum ride yesterday that there are lots of phone reception blackspots in this area.

It isn't as bad as it was a few years ago but I ride to several places where I could still be 5+ miles away from getting a signal and a similar distance from a callbox or door to knock on.

99.xx% of bike problems Are fixable out on the road with the right tools and some basic mechanical aptitude.

Fix the fixable, walk if within walking range of help, phone if help is too far away. Otherwise, knock on doors (if there ARE any to knock on!), flag down passing motorists (if there ARE any!). If you are STILL stuck, it is time to pick a religion and to start praying to the deity of your choice!

I reckon the more rural the location, the more likely it is that if a motorist does pass he will offer to help.

When I was waiting for you with my bike on the Isle of whatever it was in Scotland, a couple of drivers slowed and looked at me quizzically, giving me the chance to indicate if I wanted them to stop.

Nearly all drivers would ignore you in a similar situation in a town.

 

[Drago]

Phone Mrs D, and she will come fetch me in my car with the cycle rack on the roof, and the welcoming hip flask in the glovebox.

That said, in nearly 5 decades of cycling then situation has never arisen because I maintain my bikes fastidiously, and go well equipped for minor roadside surgery.

 

[Banjo]

I broke multiple spokes in rural Carmarthenshire 60 km from the car managed to get it just about useable and headed cautiously for nearest train station (Ferry Side) On the last hundred meters the wheel gave up the ghost I got it onto the platform just as a train going my way arrived.

You can be lucky sometimes. In god only knows how many miles that's about the only time I ended up with a totally unrideable bike.

PS someone mentioned electricians Cable ties. They weigh almost nothing and can fix lots of things. I have seen a picture of a broken frame held together with a bit of stick used as a splint and cable ties holding it all together.It may have been @Ian H of this parish?

 

[night cycler]

Phone Mrs D, and she will come fetch me in my car with the cycle rack on the roof, and the welcoming hip flask in the glovebox.

That said, in nearly 5 decades of cycling then situation has never arisen because I maintain my bikes fastidiously, and go well
equipped for minor roadside surgery.

Fully understand.

Take Mrs D out of the equation, live alone, no family to assist, ltd contacts-whole new ball game.

 

[Jimidh]

My lovely wife is my emergency pick up but i’ve only had to use her twice once when I shredded a tyre whilst MTBing about 10 miles from home.

Second time I had a chain break on a dark cold and wet night only a few miles from home. Yes I could have fixed it but I knew I could be in a nice warm car in 5 minutes and fix it in the relative warmth of my garage. Not a hard decision to make.

 

[Drago]

Ah, but being sensible I got hitched just in case this eventuality ever arose!

 

[Will Spin]

I've only had one incident that meant I couldn't ride on. I was out on my mountain bike and got 2 punctures at the same time, only had one inner tube and no puncture repair (yes I know, I'm an idiot). Called a taxi, luckily he turned up with a Skoda Octavia, so plenty of space in the boot for bike. If this hadn't been the case I would have locked the bike up, gone home in the taxi and come back in my car to pick the bike up.

 

[Adam4868]

Unless it's a taxi whereby the rear seats go flat , how does it work - just curious

Sorry was thinking of myself as use black cabs,you could always specify when ringing that you need a cab that's willing to take a bike.

 

[ianrauk]

It's something I've never thought about on any of my (long) rides. If a really bad mechanical happens (and it has, a couple of times) then there's always usually a rail station within walking distance or if not a local cab company.

 

[welsh dragon]

1) i don't go that far from Home.

2) like the Vickster, i am inept when it comes to mechanical stuff.

3) last week i had to walk due to a puncture. Luckily my son went past, he turned round and picked me and my bike up and took me home. The only other alternative for me would be for me to stash my bike somewhere, say behind a hedge, or to ask a farmer to look after it while i walk home and get my car.

Luckily where i live, there are lots of little lanes with very little traffic, usually just tractors or the odd car, so i doubt anyone would ever steal my bike.

If i was in a town, i would just have to walk all the way home.

 

[tyred]

I've only been stuck once with a fault I couldn't repair and it was in a relatively remote place about 25 miles from home.

I just hid the bike behind the hedge, managed to hitch a lift to within a few miles of home, and walked the rest, and drove back for the bike.

 

[Globalti]

So much agonising about a non-problem... just shoulder the bike and stick a thumb out, motorists will stop as soon as they see your reason for hitching. When I used to hitch to Scotland a climbing rope draped over the rucsac used to get me lifts PDQ.