Time Trials & P*nct*res

Jaeger
Jaeger Posts: 439
edited August 2008 in Road beginners
A possiblystupid question regarding Club TT's coming up:
Would it be stupid to ditch the saddle bag with tube/multi-tool etc and pump to save weight? It could mean a 5-mile walk back to the start and maybe further if everyone's gone home by then!

Or do people ride with them?

Also, what is the etiquette on passing a fellow competitor in a club TT who has stopped due to a p*nct*re or other problem, and need help?

Thanks!

Comments

  • Bugly
    Bugly Posts: 520
    Its a race - unless the other rider is smeared on the road race on.

    For short time trials ignore the spare and pump if you are a weight weeney - you wont change a tire and still get a winning time.
  • Old Tuggo
    Old Tuggo Posts: 482
    For getting me back to the HQ I have a CO2 inflater with i cartridge (cost about £10) plus innertube plus 2 tyre levers. They wrap up small enough to fit right under the saddle.
  • cougie
    cougie Posts: 22,512
    I'd take spare kit to be honest. Whats the weight of a pump and tube compared to you and your bike ? Bugger all.

    Dont do what a clubmate of mine did - puncture on a carbon disk and then keep riding to get the best time. He had to buy a brand new disk. V expensive.
  • dennisn
    dennisn Posts: 10,601
    Bugly wrote:
    Its a race - unless the other rider is smeared on the road race on.

    For short time trials ignore the spare and pump if you are a weight weeney - you wont change a tire and still get a winning time.

    Hate to say it but this is really bad advice unless you just love walking, and trust me,
    both you and "Bugly" will eventually be walking if you don't carry at least a tube
    and small pump or CO2. It's a "club tt" and even a really dedicated "weight weeny"
    probably isn't all that interested in walking or waiting for a ride(in which case you
    would probably need to carry a cell phone anyway).

    Dennis Noward
  • billybiker
    billybiker Posts: 272
    I ditch everything and the club marshalls will come for me (hopefully)!
    www.withamwheelers.co.uk
  • cougie
    cougie Posts: 22,512
    I dunno about that - I'd not put myself out too much over someone who foolishly didnt take a spare. And I'd not expect anyone to rescue me if I were racing either.
  • stevewj
    stevewj Posts: 227
    I stick one of those very small (and pretty useless to try to get above 80PSI but gets me home) pumps, a pair of levers and an inner tube in my back pocket - no aero loss really and peace of mind if I puncture at the turn.
  • nmcgann
    nmcgann Posts: 1,780
    I have a spare tube, some tyre levers and a co2 inflator in a small saddlepack which is also just big enough to get house/car keys in.

    I don't have any pockets in my skinsuit so it seems the saddlepack is the best option for a chronic worrier like me that can't bear to ride without some puncture kit :?

    Neil
    --
    "Because the cycling is pain. The cycling is soul crushing pain."
  • Bugly
    Bugly Posts: 520
    @Dennis dont you read sarcasm? :twisted:

    OK in reality I ride with a spare tube normally. If the TT was a club race with no support take a single or tube depending on your wheel. If there is support vechicle of some sort or you have a mate / pertner at the race I wouldnt bother. BUT I would make sure that the wheels, tyres (and tubes if I was riding clinchers) were race worthy and likely to fail.

    No I wouldnt stop for a punctured rider - if the fellow was injured yes but not otherwise.

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