No Help From Passing Cyclists

simon_masterson

Unfortunately this is the way to tell the difference between the stuck-up wannabes and the real cyclists!

A real road cyclist will wave and/or greet another when they meet. A real road cyclist will stop if they see another appearing to be in trouble. I stop even if I know that I'm probably not much help, or if chances are the cyclist happens not to have stopped at the side of the road. It's not hard to do.

No-one's expecting you to give up your spare tube. It's a simple matter of showing that you care, but a patch or use of your tools or phone could go a long way, and your presence could be very heartening, particularly if you can offer advice. This stuff is very basic, and many would call it common courtesy.

I would also like to offer my experience of self-adhesive patches, as I've found them to be very good...

I run 32mm tyres (not much choice for 27" wheels) at 85psi, but nevertheless I have at least one on my current inner tubes and they've held up for well over a thousand miles; no temporary fix. I've only had one fail, and that was one of the first ones I used.

Would I assume to be so lucky with a 700x23 at high pressure? Definitely not, but I disagree with anyone who claims that they should be disregarded as a matter of course. They can work; given that there isn't a consensus on how many patches is sensible to use on an inner tube before replacing it, or if it should be patched at all, if there's one thing we should all be able to agree on, it's that this is a subjective issue.

apreading

I suspect that if the OP had put more effort into asking for help and less effort into trying to find something to moan about by counting people not helping, he would have found it a totally different story.

If someone looks like they might need help, I always ask - and have seen loads of other people do the same. In fact I nod or say hello to other cyclists constantly and they do the same back.

Cant believe you didnt try to help yourself by flagging someone down - even if they didnt think to stop by themselves...?

markp80

There's some quite disheartening replies on this thread. OP, I'd have offered you my spare tube and I'd like to think if I then ran out of patches further on that somebody would have offered me theirs.
This world is full enough of selfish people, it would be nice to think the cycling community is a little different - without needing to be asked.
MarkP

rolf_f

Simon Masterson wrote:

I run 32mm tyres (not much choice for 27" wheels) at 85psi, but nevertheless I have at least one on my current inner tubes and they've held up for well over a thousand miles; no temporary fix. I've only had one fail, and that was one of the first ones I used.

I think the one I used lasted well over 1000 miles. Naff all distance. I've often done more than that in a month. Trust me - traditional patches really are better; you really should try them. Come back when your patch has lasted 20,000 miles - that still hardly counts as permanent but it's going some way to being so!

Incidentally, you can get 27 inch tyres in 1-1/8 width from Panaracer at least (check SJS Cycles). But yes, not so easy to find.

napoleond

Thing is fella, ALL bike riding is in fact a race. If you puncture, that's one less competitor...

simon_masterson

Rolf F wrote:

Simon Masterson wrote:

I run 32mm tyres (not much choice for 27" wheels) at 85psi, but nevertheless I have at least one on my current inner tubes and they've held up for well over a thousand miles; no temporary fix. I've only had one fail, and that was one of the first ones I used.

I think the one I used lasted well over 1000 miles. Naff all distance. I've often done more than that in a month. Trust me - traditional patches really are better; you really should try them. Come back when your patch has lasted 20,000 miles - that still hardly counts as permanent but it's going some way to being so!

Incidentally, you can get 27 inch tyres in 1-1/8 width from Panaracer at least (check SJS Cycles). But yes, not so easy to find.

It's been only a couple of months for me...

But I've used traditional patches for years; it's all I ever used before self-adhesives. Until I have problems, I'll happily continue to use self-adhesives.

I'll thank you for your tyre suggestion however. I'm aware of those; indeed I had thought of importing the 27x1" size from Harris Cyclery, but Conti offer their Super Sport Plus in 27x1 1/8, so I'll probably try that next.

dubcat

I got a flat on my mtb and every roadie going past asked if I had everything I needed to fix it. Was so nice of them to ask. I would always ask a stranded cyclist if they wanted any help.

alihisgreat

I once slowed down (to almost a stop!) to ask a MTB-er if he needed any assistance. To top it off he wasn't wearing matching kit.

scrubbed myself with bleach in the shower when I got home.. just felt so wrong.

dubcat

ALIHISGREAT wrote:

I once slowed down (to almost a stop!) to ask a MTB-er if he needed any assistance. To top it off he wasn't wearing matching kit.

scrubbed myself with bleach in the shower when I got home.. just felt so wrong.

Ahahaha brilliant. THIS is why I have a road bike on order. Now to get back to my 'can I wear white shoes with my black bike' thread...

Ringo 68

I dropped the chain on my ride the other day. As I was putting it back on and checking over my bike a guy came out of his front door and aked if I was OK. He was concerned that I might have fallen off.
When I thanked him and told him it was just my chain he offered to get his tool bag out to help me repair it.

There are still plenty of nice people out there willing to help.

cyco2

editted out