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

[vickster]

As a woman, I wouldn’t personally feel comfortable hitching if stuck in the middle of nowhere alone.
As a man, ymmv

 

[ColinJ]

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.

It was the Isle of Mull and actually, you are right - on my previous visit to Mull with my pal Carrie I developed a stomach problem which stopped me eating and almost prevented me drinking. (Every time I tried I wanted to throw up!) As a result by the time we got halfway round the island I was depleted of energy and ended up flat on my back at the roadside 5 or 6 times. Worried motorists kept stopping to see what the problem was.

If rural enough though, there might not be any motorists at all!

 

[fossyant]

In 32 years I've only had to call out someone because of an unfixable mechanical - rear rim exploded. Pushed for a good mile until my missus could meet me, but about 10 miles from home. I mainly MTB now, so it's important to be self reliant otherwise you'd be in trouble (usually with little or no mobile coverage).

Oh, and I've excluded two 'collections' by an ambulance.

 

[si_c]

Had a few occasions when I've called for a lift, especially when I first started cycling. Once when I had a blown sidewall, and once when I had a broken axle. The second time I broke an axle I walked 3 miles to the station. I try not to call now.

 

[DanZac]

Except with a physical injury when you might have to rely on the generosity of strangers there's always a walking option
I had a tyre spilt through the sidewall 10 miles north of Moffat with a fully loaded touring bike. I tried bodging it with a boot and some tape and all the other ideas I could think of (including chopping up my wallet to make a thicker boot than the one I carried) but it was too far gone. Looked at it pragmatically turned around and pushed it the 10 miles back to Moffat by which time it had stopped raining, I got a new tyre, cup of tea and bit of cake and off again.
It was a bit of a rubbish day at the time and 10 miles in cycling shoes wasn't ideal, but looking back it all added to the challenge and adventure.

 

[Ianboydsnr]

Where I go mobile coverage is sporadic, so much so that I don’t bother Carrying it,

Only had one incident that stopped me riding, though a couple which affected the bike,

I had a pedal rip out of the crank, rode 8 miles only pushing one pedal, new crank needed,

I had a puncture, but had forgot to take a new tube repair kit, walked a couple of miles, then a car passed and stopped, put the bike on his bike rack and ferried me home, it was in a place frequented by mountain bike riding,
The last one, was when a woman pulled out in front of me, I swerved around it, a couple of hundred yards further at traffic lights. She ran into me, buckling the rear wheel, I carried the bike the mile home.

 

[Banjo]

I am 100% with you here Vickster, and thank you for sharing this. At £18 it's a no brainer to not have it. Each to their own methods, but I will certainly sign up.

Roll up a twenty pound note put it in your seat tube ready for a taxi rung by you if you need it.Thats basically all ETA will do.

 

[Welsh wheels]

I ask this question with the assumption that there is no train station close to where you break down. Also, that the bike is not repairable at the roadside.

It is not so much the distance from home, but whether or not there is a solution for when it happens. Pushing or carrying a bike just 5 miles would be a ball ache.

Maybe most have/know someone with a vehicle able to pick them up. Of course, they have to be available at the time. I have a friend with a mini bus who would rescue me, but some years he is out of the country for a month at a time.

I would happily pay an additional fee on to my car breakdown cover to get this, but I don't think any offer it. Will look into it though, and report back if I find anything.

Cry for my mummy is usually my first response

 

[Soltydog]

I live about 15 miles from the nearest train station, so that's not much use to me & living rural you can be stuck in middle of nowhere with dodgy mobile signal In all my years cycling I've only ever had 1 mechanical that I couldn't fix roadside, a seized rear axle I was about 6 miles from home on my way home from work one evening, phoned home, but the wife was out at a meeting, so I set off walking. A black cab passed in opposite direction, saw me & turned round. he picked me up, bike in back with me & dropped me off at home & wouldn't take a penny, but I wouldn't like to rely on that happening in the future
Because of the mileage I do now & experiences such as this one, my cycle maintenance has improved from what it was, don't want to tempt fate, but not had a mechanical of any kind (including deflations) for around 2 years & over 10k miles

 

[vickster]

Roll up a twenty pound note put it in your seat tube ready for a taxi rung by you if you need it.Thats basically all ETA will do.

Except if needed they'll do it several times a year. That £20 will cover you once if lucky.

 

[NorthernDave]

I've only been genuinely stuck once, in the early 90's I commuted on an MTB and about half way to work I rode over a shard of metal that ripped a two inch long hole in the tyre and the inner tube at the same time.
If I'd had another inner tube I could have probably booted the tyre, but I'd used my spare tube a couple of days earlier and taken a chance on waiting til payday at the end of the week to get another - oops!
Faced with the choice of pushing the bike 3 miles home and then catching two buses to work or pushing on (no mobile phones for the likes of me back then), I put the bike over my shoulder and ran the rest of the way to work (you can tell how long ago it was by the fact I ran anywhere!).
I nipped out at lunch time to buy a tyre and two inner tubes.

More recently, a spoke went passing Leeds East Airport and put the rear wheel out of true. I slackened the rear brake caliper off as much as it would go so I could ride the mile to Church Fenton station, where I knew I could get a train to within a couple of miles of home.
I then discovered that stopping trains were only every two hours on a Saturday and I'd got 1 hour and 50 minutes to wait in the cold for the next one...
If I'd called Mrs ND she'd have come and fetched me with the car, but that was probably going to mean a wait of at least half an hour so rather than standing about in the cold I just rode on, carefully.

I've got something that sounds similar to the ETA scheme on my bike insurance, but I have to pay for the taxi and claim it back.

 

[snorri]

It's part of the thrill of cycling, thinking "what if I break down here, will I have the skills or ingenuity to get home under my own steam?"
The thoughts and possibilities take away from the boredom of turning the pedals for mile after mile.
On the last two occasions that I've stopped to offer assistance to broken down cyclists they had already phoned a relative or friend, goodness knows what they would have done before mobile 'phones came on the scene.

 

[Lonestar]

Bottom bracket went at Shadwell recently (2 Sundays ago)..I know I know I should have prevented that from happening (I thought ther crunching was the chain) so I ended walking it back seven miles.No big deal.Happens sometimes.Also a year or two ago rear axle snapped at Westferry and I walked that one back as well.I survived.

When I rode the other fixie (which I am now using) the smoothness of the drivetrain difference really surprised me.

I haven't rode the most recent breakdown since then,it's being overhauled.

 

[ColinJ]

Except if needed they'll do it several times a year. That £20 will cover you once if lucky.

You would have to be exceptionally unlucky or careless to need it even once every 10 years!

I have fixed/coped with every cycling problem that I have had and many problems that other riders have had over the past 30 years and never once had to call for backup!

 

[vickster]

You would have to be exceptionally unlucky or careless to need it even once every 10 years!

I have fixed/coped with every cycling problem that I have had and many problems that other riders have had over the past 30 years and never once had to call for backup!

As I said, for me for £18, it’s worth the peace of mind for me and the OP seemingly

You might be able to fix stuff, I can’t and have no interest in doing so (I’ll happily pay trained mechanics). We’re all different

If I have a chain or cable snap for example I’d have no idea what to do. I can sort a puncture and that’s pretty much it