solo rides - the risks

AndyRubio

Hi,

If I'm going out for a long ride by myself in, say, the bleak moorlands of the Yorkshire Dales and my bike gets a mechanical that I can't fix at the roadside... well, what would you do?

Can't call for a lift back home (g/f don't drive), say there's no public transport nearby... It can be 10-20 miles of walking otherwise. So far in my cycling life (b. 2005) I've been lucky, only had 2 of this kind of thing and didn't have far to go in either case.

But it makes me nervous about going out for long solo rides.

Your thoughts?

Andy

Ben6899

Call a taxi?

At least if you have your phone, you could call your girlfriend and tell her what's happened i.e. you've tacoed a wheel and you're starting the walk from the top of X hill to village A to try and catch a bus.

I know how you feel though; I ride solo and often wonder what I would do!

Bobbinogs

Take a small lock so that you can at least tie your bike up if you need to abandon it to go back later. It won't stop a determined thief but it will improve your chances of it being there when you return.

Some small change for a phone is always useful. I was in the FoD at the w/e and there was zero signal for my mobile.

The audax folks (like Vorsprung and Philip Whiteman) might be able to offer some guidance on which parts are most likely to go and what can be done (I now take small bootstraps for tyres, a chain tool and spare links when going on longer rides, for example). Those folks regularly do 400 and 600k rides so they must be fairly experienced at the kind of mishaps I would fear.

Edit: Here's a tale to make you feel inspired:
http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=47193.0

AndyRubio

My recent instance saw my chain break, but no probs, I had a chain tool and spare links. But then the chain tool snapped - at that point, I felt for the people who run those Japanese nuclear plants.

Is there a rescue service like the RAC or AA but for bikes?

Badger1973

Im going from Leigh,Lancashire to Cromer,Norfolk and back this summer for charity and i have the same worries!!! Im lucky because i have a friend in chesterfield(60 miles) where i stay the first night but then its onto kings lynn 2 a hotel the next day and thats a long leg of the journey(90miles) and the towns on that route are quite sparce!!!! My bike still under warranty with Halfords so if anything major did happen i would just have 2 try and make it to the nearest store... Oh im aving a two week rest b4 heading back!!! My sister lives in Cromer..lol

edhornby

unless you have a crash and bend something (wheel or frame) there's not much likely to be unfixable

slashed tyre, broken bars, broken seat post, unlikely on a road bike - the most you would need to do at the roadside is punctures or drivetrain adjustments, possibly breaking cables

the biggest deal for me would be getting cold trying to fix before riding again... and the mobile in the pocket helps

unixnerd

I had something like this happen about ten miles from home last week:
http://www.bikeradar.com/forum/viewtopi ... highlight=

Last winter the chain snapped 8 miles away and it was so cold the chain tool snapped trying to repair it! Luckily I coasted downhill a lot of the way home. It was -15C and without the effort of cycling to keep me warm I was frozen, even with decent clothing.

One thing I would say is whenever you go out you should think about spare clothing. If you were stuck in the country after dark and in the cold would you have something to keep you warm? If you fell into a stream and got soaked on a very cold day how would you fare? I always carry waterproofs even in summer and was glad of them last week to keep me warm (+17C daytime but -3C at night!). Also, never rely on just one torch at night.

unixnerd

Is there a rescue service like the RAC or AA but for bikes?

Sometimes there is and it's free:
http://www.scotrail.co.uk/content/cycle-rescue.html

vorsprung

Us audax riders always have tons of spares, tools, clothes and food with us. And we often wear MTB shoes so we can walk

It's an either or. Either carry a ton of stuff ALL THE TIME or expect to be stuck one day in a hundred with some kind of problem

toontra

AndyRubio wrote:

Is there a rescue service like the RAC or AA but for bikes?

There is. This is who I'm with - http://www.eta.co.uk/breakdown/cycle_rescue

I've been paid up for 3 years and never had to use them. I suppose that's a good thing :?: Come to think of it, I don't even know if anyone would answer if I rang the number in an emergency :shock:

Mind you, I've been on club runs where someone's had a serious mechanical and paid a lot of money to get a cab home, so I guess it's worth it.

rdt

I carry a mobile and plenty of cash. If I can't get rescued by someone I know, bribe a passing driver or someone at a house/farm/etc to give me and the bike a life home.

Philip Whiteman

I have used the ETA but their scope is limited to transporting you to the nearest rail station or bike shop. I used them once when my bike was beyond roadside repair. I ceased being a member when a called them for a second time and they denied that I even existed in their records. I rang their membership department the day after and gained a refund for the membership fee.

Their limited scope and fee does make it an expensive option for year on year use. The alternative is a list of local taxi firms but the willingness to carry a cycle in the vehicle may be also be limited.

I now have a policy of securely hiding the bike in a hedge or similar, call a taxi to get me part way or near to where my vehicle is parked and then collect the bike.

toontra

The AA/RAC, etc could make good money out of offering to cyclists what they offer to motorists. They have the infrastructure in place and I'd certainly pay a bit more to have a better service than ETA (by what Philip says).

bianchimoon

toontra wrote:

AndyRubio wrote:

Is there a rescue service like the RAC or AA but for bikes?

There is. This is who I'm with - http://www.eta.co.uk/breakdown/cycle_rescue

I've been paid up for 3 years and never had to use them. I suppose that's a good thing :?: Come to think of it, I don't even know if anyone would answer if I rang the number in an emergency :shock:

Mind you, I've been on club runs where someone's had a serious mechanical and paid a lot of money to get a cab home, so I guess it's worth it.

reading their policy document, if you are more than 25 mils from your car, they could just pick you up and take you to the closest hotel and leave you there!

Tim Farr

Prevention is always better than cure e.g. Check your bike regularly for perished tyre walls, for flints embedded in tyres; carry spare tubes, tyre levers, a few ties, allen keys, adjustable, pump. But there are some problems that cannot be forseen and are insoluble on the road , with or without team mates. e.g. circa 1963 I was on a Cleveleys RC club run up to Windermere from Blackpool. On the way home one lad's freewheel 'went'. No chance of fixing that , so virtually single handed Randy Allsopp (top rider) pushed this bloke home to Blackpool from Kendal - at least 45 miles!!

If I was really stuck I'd hitch a lift; or knock on a door or two or hang out at a petrol station/bus station/shop/ until I got a lift or the extra assistance I needed.

TheGeneralist

I've had similar discussions about climbing solo and doing fairly difficult white water kayaking alone and have to suggest that the risk cycling alone is fairly slim.
Having said which when I did a ride over Little, Wrynose, Hardnott and back last autumn starting at almost 10pm I did take a sleeping bag with me so at least I'd survive the night if I had a incapacitating but non lethal injury.

unixnerd

I did take a sleeping bag with me so at least I'd survive the night if I had a incapacitating but non lethal injury.

I've toyed with taking a bivvy bag out with me in the winter. I have one in my hill walking gear so I probably should. Hardly any of the areas I frequent are outwith mobile coverage, but you can't rely on that alone.

mrushton

I've crashed in the Peak District but the bike was ok and I got home but it did make me think about this. I once had a tyre with a hole on the inside of the rim (therefore invisible) and all my tubes popped so a £60 taxi ride when a piece of card or a tyre boot would have done the job. The other week a puncture became a real problem when I discovered the pump head had cracked and therefore wouldn't pump. I was only a few miles from home and got a lift but it reminded to check my kit - frame fit pump/tyre boot/tubes/chain tool and link/levers are all carried.

redrobbo

Bikes are pretty reliable beasts given TLC.

AndyRubio

Tim Farr wrote:

Prevention is always better than cure

redrobbo wrote:

Bikes are pretty reliable beasts given TLC.

Very true. HOWEVER:
(a) given the best will in the world, I'm unable to maintain my bike to give 100% reliability. I can do most things maintenance-wise but some things evade me.
(b) accidents DO happen - ever ridden over a pothole?

Philip Whiteman

AndyRubio wrote:

Tim Farr wrote:

Prevention is always better than cure

redrobbo wrote:

Bikes are pretty reliable beasts given TLC.

Very true. HOWEVER:
(a) given the best will in the world, I'm unable to maintain my bike to give 100% reliability. I can do most things maintenance-wise but some things evade me.
(b) accidents DO happen - ever ridden over a pothole?

Absolutely!

In my instance, the rear mech sheared off the rear hanger, the rear hanger was damaged beyond repair, the mech busted the spokes to a point that the wheel could not be trued on the verge or hold any weight. It was beyond roadside repair and I am a reasonable mechanic.

de_sisti

edhornby wrote:

........, broken bars, .........., unlikely on a road bike

Errr, yeaaah. It happened to me at Ford, (near Guiting Power/ Cheltenham area) last year.

About 15 miles from home. I told the rest of the riders to go ahead, as I phoned for a taxi
(asked them if they had an estate car for my bike)