If you see a cyclist on the side of the road...

spasypaddy

... with their bike turned upside down do you:
a) stop and help
b) slow down and ask if they are ok but only stop if they say they need help
c) fly past pretending to be oblivious to whats going on


If you were in regents park yesterday morning between 8.15 and 9.00 and you weren't the one gentleman who did A or the one lady who did B then you are scum and i hope you p*******e 30miles from home without a spare tube.

mudcow007

B.

well thats what i normally do, most folk dont like to be helped though

i got a flat the other week. stopped, flipped bike over. A car pulls up an asks if i'm ok or do i need a lift anywhere

i thanked them an let them go, the house i had stopped outside of asked i wanted a cuppa

im putting it down to me looking awesome in lycra an them wanting to get a closer look of my awesome-nous

rick_chasey

b for sure.

Gizmo_

D) slow down and assess whether they are clearly in control of the situation.

If they are - wheel already off, fiddling with a tube - just cruise past. If not - person looking a bit lost/bewildered, female on her own - stop and offer to help.

On yesterday's ride I was almost hoping to come across someone needing help because I would have got to play with my new CO2 toy

veronese68

I usually go with b. The traditional response seems to be:
a) Total bewilderment.
b) No thanks, I'm fine.
c) Oh, yes please.
I usually get a, occasionally b. Never had c.

Headhuunter

Probably B although I must admit that I've been steaming along on a fast rural ride and zipped past people by the side of the road, however they have clearly know what they are doing, just fixing a puncture or something.... I once stopped for a guy on the commute, he'd had a puncture near Surrey Quays Tube station and didn't have a pump so I stopped to lend him mine... It later transpired that his spare tube was punctured so I had to donate my spare to him, I was thinking sods law, I'll get a puncture 200m down the road and have nothing to sort it out with. To be fair, he sent me a tube in the post but whereas I had given him a long valve tube, he only gave me a standard length valve tube which wasn't much good to me...

gtvlusso

Always 'B'

I have fixed several flats, pumped up a few tyres for people who were struggling with their own pumps (and been impressed by the power of my crank brothers pump) and managed to fix a nice young laydees hub gears....she needed a 15mm spanner, however, I would up fixing the whole lot with her boyfriend at the side of the road......

rick_chasey

I first met CJ by the side of the road, looking a little lost.


Me that is, not him.

ToeKnee

E) Recommend they carry their own spares?

In reality it's B.

walkingbootweather

Depends upon how pretty she is

More seriously b. I have often lent tools, donated patches or tubes, or done a fix myself if the cyclist is clueless. There have been a couple of occasions, including one where the rider had taken a bit of a tumble when my offers of help were ignored or rudely declined, so I certainly wouldn't force myself upon someone.

iclestu

Where is option d - give them a squirt from your water bottle on way past...
:twisted:
(I am only kidding, stop and offer help if i can tho its only happened twice and in each case they had it covered)

mudcow007

aye some peeps can be funny about accepting help

god knows why. id rather ask for help than walk to work?

last guy i helped said he only accepting help as he knew me an was embarrassed (fixing a flat)

First.Aspect

If someone is well into a repair, and look like they know what to do, I don't stop. Of I only have a tube and no repair kit (v rare) I don't stop or I ask if they have a phone and means of rescue. Otherwise it's bad karma not to stop.

iclestu

So here's a dilema... Youve stopped to assist and discover neither of you have the tools/spares required. What do u do then? Say 'ah sorry mate, tried my best' and toddle off?

spasypaddy

FTR i carry enough tools to rebuild a bike on the side of the road. Which is fortunate as my chainset fell off yesterday. Now i knew what i was doing but some politeness from fellow cyclists would be nice. especially considering i was there for about 40mins which meant i saw people 3 or 4 times go past. and each time they ignored me.

choldy

I'm a B man, always treat people the way you'd like to be treated

SteppenHerring

Tejay Van Garderen votes c.

jds_1981

iclestu wrote:

So here's a dilema... Youve stopped to assist and discover neither of you have the tools/spares required. What do u do then? Say 'ah sorry mate, tried my best' and toddle off?

Done this before. Loud bang, stopped to see if okay & their rim had blown out. I said "Sorry, not got anything that'll help you fix that & pootled on."

I'm
D) slow down and assess whether they are clearly in control of the situation.

I've stopped immediately before when someone in front of me had their chain come off and I knew from the look of bewilderment in their eyes they were going to have issues fixing.

paulus69

I would stop and offer help, its always made easier if they are easy on the eye.

rubertoe

paulus69 wrote:

I would stop and offer help, its always made easier if they are easy on the eye.

This^

Although if they look like they know what they are doing i tend to just let them get on with it.

estampida

depends

If they were on a asda bike for example I might avoid

bolt on wheels, indexing that barely works..... rusty chain..... It wont just be a slight mechanical... and at a glance you say "I can help" and spend the next hour setting a cheapo front mech on a frame its not really designed for......

on the other hand a nice bike, well maintained, I would stop and give them 22yrs of bike experience........ if they wanted it..... (and the tools in my bag)

davmaggs

The OP sounds very self-entitled.

I shall post the alternate; Why on earth should the world stop what it is doing* because you can't be bothered to carry the right gear or learn what to do?

*remember you are in a central London park surrounded by amenities and not out on some lane or lonely A road (where I think disappointment is reasonable). You were unlikely to die a lonely death.

navt

You wouldn't stop and offer help if you were not confident in doing so. Assuming that people cycle by do so obliviously is unfair.

That said, I assess the situation. Some neck of the woods, I stop for no one.

jonny_trousers

spasypaddy wrote:

... with their bike turned upside down do you:
a) stop and help
b) slow down and ask if they are ok but only stop if they say they need help
c) fly past pretending to be oblivious to whats going on


If you were in regents park yesterday morning between 8.15 and 9.00 and you weren't the one gentleman who did A or the one lady who did B then you are scum and i hope you p*******e 30miles from home without a spare tube.

Funnily enough I saw someone in just that situation in Regent's Park on Saturday. As I had no spare tube, patches or tools I just continued on my way as I don't suppose moral support would have helped much.

I don't take spares/tools to Regent's Park as I know I can easily jump in a cab or walk back to work if I get a puncture. I would assume the same of anyone else in difficulty there.

First.Aspect

iclestu wrote:

So here's a dilema... Youve stopped to assist and discover neither of you have the tools/spares required. What do u do then? Say 'ah sorry mate, tried my best' and toddle off?

Pretty much. No one gets my last tube or my last patch. But I've never encountered anyone truly stranded. The one time this did seem to be the case the woman in question asked for my tube. I asked what would happen if I punctured on the piece of road she'd just flatted on. She said she could probably wait for her husband to pick her up then, as he was already on his way. FFS.

beverick

Gizmo_ wrote:

D) slow down and assess whether they are clearly in control of the situation.

If they are - wheel already off, fiddling with a tube - just cruise past. If not - person looking a bit lost/bewildered, female on her own - stop and offer to help.
......

Ditto. I must admit, when I'm doing "unplanned roadside maintenance" I do get a bit exasperated with other cyclists when they stop to ask if I'm "ok" or if I "need help" when it's quite clear from the array of bits around me that I am ok and all I need is a bit of peace and quiet to get on with the job in hand.

nb, the only time I've stopped recently was when I saw a guy pushing his bike, complete with flat front tyre, down the road. He thanked me for stopping but said that home was 'just around the corner'. He noted that he'd had to push the bike 3-4 miles from the town centre which did make me think that, if he can't be ars*d carring puncture kit, why should I offer him use of mine?

Bob

Koncordski

It's when they're pushing the shiny new bike from evans (sticker on the downtube, toe straps, bell) and they've flatted out that I feel sorry for them and offer to help. Otherwise you can tell from the state of play (bag open, tools out etc.) that they have it all in hand.

notsoblue

Jonny_Trousers wrote:

Funnily enough I saw someone in just that situation in Regent's Park on Saturday. As I had no spare tube, patches or tools I just continued on my way as I don't suppose moral support would have helped much.

Was that on the north end? Red bike? If so it was probably me! I went out for one last ride on some Gatorskins which I'd almost completely worn out...

Personally I don't carry a huge amount with me. Just a single innertube, levers, minitool and a couple CO2 canisters. I probably won't be able to contribute much if someone was really struggling, so I kinda do B, but only out of politeness.

Its a different matter if its out on a longer ride like on a tour or a Sportive, where its a bit more of a pain to be stuck out in the middle of nowhere.

arthur_scrimshaw

Well I had an unexpected encounter yesterday, my rear tyre decided it no longer liked being its proper shape and ballooned out the side to the point it was hitting the chainstay and front mech clamp (a fairly new Schwalbe Utremo ZX HD ). Nothing more to do than walk to the station at Arundel or call in the Calvary. As I was walking back a road cyclist coming towards me slowed and I was expecting a cheery offer of help. Not so - 'Nice Shorts' is all I got before he sped off into the distance :?

jedster

To be honest it depends on where it is and how easy it is to stop.
Less likely to stop when there are loads of cyclists about and/or its near a bike shop.
I'd probably stop in Regents Park but it's not much of a push to Cycle Surgery in Camden so I'd not be feeling too guilty if I didn't.

Also, if I had a mechanical and was really snookered (forgot my pump or spanner for wheel nuts or something) then I would try to flag someone down.

If a cyclist is stopped at the roadside and isn't even trying to catch my attention I might well assume that they have everything they need particularly if the bike/gear suggest they know what they are doing...

DonDaddyD

Depends.

I'm normally a B man.