Popping in a shop when out riding

N4PALM

Youre 30 miles from home, youre alone, youve run out of water, you pass a shop....

What do you do with the bike?

I dont carry a lock when I'm out for a ride, theres no way I'm lugging my new york around with me. I ride alone. In this heat a few times I've come very close to needing to stop somewhere and buy more supplies. Instead Ive drank less, become dehydrated.

How do you guys overcome this?

sturmey

Forget BUYING something to drink.
Stop anywhere-old blokes mowing lawns are the best and ask them to fill your bottle for yer. They will probably want to tell you about their old raleigh lenton with hub gears, but it costs you nothing.

mask of sanity

I often hide mine in a Churchyard. It somehow seems a lot safer under the watchful eye of God :P

NWLondoner

Just do what Duffy did 8)

trekrider127

sturmey wrote:

Forget BUYING something to drink.
Stop anywhere-old blokes mowing lawns are the best and ask them to fill your bottle for yer. They will probably want to tell you about their old raleigh lenton with hub gears, but it costs you nothing.

Genius!

The simplest ideas are normally the best - have to remember this one.

majormantra

If you can't beg/steal water you can sometimes get away with simply taking your bike into a shop. I wheeled my Cannondale into a small supermarket in Queensferry once when I badly needed sugar and weirdly no one batted an eyelid.

Matthew

Frank the tank

sturmey wrote:

Forget BUYING something to drink.
Stop anywhere-old blokes mowing lawns are the best and ask them to fill your bottle for yer. They will probably want to tell you about their old raleigh lenton with hub gears, but it costs you nothing.

That's a great way to do it, but honestly I've been on rides through villages one after another and not seen a soul let alone a shop.

redddraggon

I've actually only been on ride on my own where I needed to get something from a shop once - but I just leant it on the wall outside. I was in a quiet part of N Wales just outside Mold though.

Slow Downcp

As already suggested, knock someones door and ask politely. I did this one (very hot) summers day years ago when out with the club on a run which got a little "competitive". I rode off the front, only to find 10 miles later that I was out of water, and suffering big time in the heat - gingerly knocked the door (I was a shy 17 year old) of the only house I could find in the middle of nowhere. The window flung open, and a middle aged farmer stuck his head through the window "Yes?" he asked - "Sorry, any chance you could fill my bottle for me please, I've ran out and I'm dying". He mumbled, and disappeared - after a couple of minutes he hadn't reappeared so I then assumed he'd got the hump and I turned around to leave. As I was walking back down the path, I got a cheery hello from someone I assume was his daughter. I tuned back and she was stood holding a tray with a large jug of orange squash and two glasses - she was an absolute stunner in vest top and (very short) shorts. I sat down and had a glass of squash and talked for a few minutes - at which point the rest of the club rode past, noticed me, shouting a few slightly embarrassing comments, so I filled my bottle, said thank you and left. Couldn't plump up the courage to ask for phone number, and too shy to go back. :oops:

Failing that, use small petrol stations - bike in full view all the time, in and out in a few seconds - or carry a small coil lock. It won't stop anyone kitted up to steal but it will stop the local opportunist chav.

Frank the tank

I think you just have to use a bit of common sense. I know villages/hamlets etc where it's quite safe to leave your steed momentarily unattended.

amaferanga

Common sense should prevail here.

I leave my bike outside shops in villages pretty much every weekend. Sometimes I can see it, sometimes I can't, but I just get in and out as quickly as possible. Often its possible to leave it at the door so you can keep an eye on a bit of tyre or something.

N4PALM

amaferanga wrote:

Often its possible to leave it at the door so you can keep an eye on a bit of tyre or something.

To me all this leaving it in sight business does not equal common sense. Its asking for some local chav to come ride off on it and before you can run after him (particularly if you have road cleats) he'll be long gone.

If its not secured or in my hands id be bricking it. I dont want to leave it anywhere unless there is absolutely no one around, which round here never happens.

I think I like the 'doing a Duffy' idea best, I dont think the shopkeeps will appreciate it.

amaferanga

Um when I say villages I mean rural villages. Like I said, common sense. I think its okay to do this in some villages, maybe not in others. In the sort of villages I'm talking about, if my bike was nicked the shopkeeper would probably mobilise the whole village to get my bike back.

I'd never leave my bike unattended in a large town/city.

rhann

leave it in top gear in sight, by the time they've managed to change gear, then said chav will be in trouble.

softlad

simple answer - just take a few zip ties with you in your back pocket. zip tie your bike to a lamp post or some other immovable object, then use your multi-tool or similar to cut them when you are done....

it may not be 'ultimate security', but it should do the job....

dandrew

Take it in the shop. I mean to say I ended up in hospital a month ago after a bike crash. Lots of claret etc. No one batted an eyelid as my bike went from A&E to x-ray and minor treatment for stitches!

volvicspar

You got your bike stitched up on the NHS ? Wow, no wonder they can't afford to treat us mere humans 8)

giant_man

After getting my bike nicked a few years ago when leaving it outside a (cycle) shop, I don't let it out of my site now. Lesson learned!

velorazzi

I often take mine in with me. I always ask first and, in my experience, not many shopkeepers say no. They're not going to turn a customer away for a few moments inconvenience. There's always one that will, but most don't.

I once took mine in to the Dentist's waiting room. I'd carried my extremely heavy Abus lock up hill and down dale, only to find when I got there that...Yep, forgotten the keys. :roll:

Pokerface

Slow Downcp wrote:

As already suggested, knock someones door and ask politely. I did this one (very hot) summers day years ago when out with the club on a run which got a little "competitive". I rode off the front, only to find 10 miles later that I was out of water, and suffering big time in the heat - gingerly knocked the door (I was a shy 17 year old) of the only house I could find in the middle of nowhere. The window flung open, and a middle aged farmer stuck his head through the window "Yes?" he asked - "Sorry, any chance you could fill my bottle for me please, I've ran out and I'm dying". He mumbled, and disappeared - after a couple of minutes he hadn't reappeared so I then assumed he'd got the hump and I turned around to leave. As I was walking back down the path, I got a cheery hello from someone I assume was his daughter. I tuned back and she was stood holding a tray with a large jug of orange squash and two glasses - she was an absolute stunner in vest top and (very short) shorts. I sat down and had a glass of squash and talked for a few minutes - at which point the rest of the club rode past, noticed me, shouting a few slightly embarrassing comments, so I filled my bottle, said thank you and left. Couldn't plump up the courage to ask for phone number, and too shy to go back. :oops:

I thought this was going to be the start of a Penthouse Forum letter for a second there! :shock:

tonyscp

I often take one of these with me to lock the bike while I "pop" into a shop. I wouldn't leave it for more than a couple of minutes, but it stops someone from just walking off with it unless they happen to have a pair of snips in their pocket.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Abus_ ... 300006185/

Monty Dog

I think you guys are suffering from a needless degree of worry. Best solution is not to ride alone - one in the shop whilst the other waits outside or use petrol stations - they often have video surveillance cameras too and are often more common than village shops. I've left my Colnago countless times outside unattended around Hampshire and Surrey - I have a pretty good feeling when it's safe to do so. Most chavs these days drive - they'd sooner nick a car than a bike anyway, they don't have the nounce or inclination to pedal.

butcher_boy

Maybe I'm daft or just cycle in quiet chavless places.

I've left my bike outside a village shop many a time & not worried about it. Not talking high street here but a village where everybody knows everybody else.

Infamous

Slow Downcp wrote:

As I was walking back down the path, I got a cheery hello from someone I assume was his daughter. I tuned back and she was stood holding a tray with a large jug of orange squash and two glasses - she was an absolute stunner in vest top and (very short) shorts. I sat down and had a glass of squash and talked for a few minutes - at which point the rest of the club rode past, noticed me, shouting a few slightly embarrassing comments, so I filled my bottle, said thank you and left. Couldn't plump up the courage to ask for phone number, and too shy to go back. :oops:

Is this you ??

Stewie Griffin

I live in NW London, bike comes into every shop I go into.

GMRK

N4PALM wrote:

amaferanga wrote:

Often its possible to leave it at the door so you can keep an eye on a bit of tyre or something.

To me all this leaving it in sight business does not equal common sense. Its asking for some local chav to come ride off on it and before you can run after him (particularly if you have road cleats) he'll be long gone.

Or they might not get a good grip on the clipless pedals and come a cropper themselves?

If I ever had to - and I would try not to at all cost I usually just take it into a shop/garage doorway - leave my road bike unattended for a stop I'd park it in view in highest gear, a casual/opportunist thief is never going to pull away quickly in the top gear.

N4PALM

GMRK wrote:

N4PALM wrote:

amaferanga wrote:

Often its possible to leave it at the door so you can keep an eye on a bit of tyre or something.

To me all this leaving it in sight business does not equal common sense. Its asking for some local chav to come ride off on it and before you can run after him (particularly if you have road cleats) he'll be long gone.

Or they might not get a good grip on the clipless pedals and come a cropper themselves?

If I ever had to - and I would try not to at all cost I usually just take it into a shop/garage doorway - leave my road bike unattended for a stop I'd park it in view in highest gear, a casual/opportunist thief is never going to pull away quickly in the top gear.

Lol Id have to stand there pointing and laughing at the censored licking his wounds and clutching his mansack after trying to grind top gear on spd's in trainers, slipping and landing on the toptube.

....Then Id have to hurt him some more.

aberdeen_lune

I couldnt find the key to my bike lock at work once so left the bike in reception for safe keeping. Told the guy at reception I'd come back down and take it out to the rack once I'd found the key. Half an hour later I went back down it was sitting outside unlocked. I gave the little censored a funny look dont think he realised how much a Titanium road bike costs.

jedster

guess you could take the front wheel into the shop even if you can't take the whole bike. WOuldn't stop someone throwing the bike in the back of a car but should deter most opportunists for a few minutes

bendertherobot

Mine is only ever out of sight at home. (in the garage).

At work it sits by my desk. It ALWAYS gets taken into shops.

Hell, I even queued for Take That tickets (pickup from box office) in full Rapha gear and Sidi shoes with it. It never leaves my side.

N4PALM

:shock: Youre admitting that you bought Take That tickets?

For the love of God and all that is holy..... Make up some excuse for why.....quickly!