Bicycle roadside rescue/recovery services

Bustacapp
Bustacapp Posts: 971
edited April 2013 in Road general
Does anyone use a bicycle recovery service? I often get nervous riding in areas I don't know that are pretty far away as I wouldn't want a family member try to track me down. I would feel a lot more confident and would probably go further if I knew I had backup should things go tits up. Can anyone reccomend such a service?

Comments

  • sloppyschleckonds
    sloppyschleckonds Posts: 8,019
    Just call a taxi?
    I'm sorry you don't believe in miracles
  • doug5_10
    doug5_10 Posts: 465
    999 :wink:
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  • VTech
    VTech Posts: 4,736
    To be fair, you have a point.
    I would never go out without someone knowing I'm out. Safety is key, I had a friend once who is the euro drift champion who crashed his car through a hedgerow and wasn't found for 3 days. He almost died but is ok now and it's always made me think before I do certain things.

    For me, I have an iPhone so I am both covered by GPS location services and also can be found by "find my iPhone"
    I would feel comfortable calling the wife or a friend to collect me if needed or use a local taxi firm.

    It's easy to dismiss safety but foolhardy in reality.
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  • jordan_217
    jordan_217 Posts: 2,580
    These 'services' do exist apparently. When I was shopping around for bike insurance a few of the companies offered an 'add-on' AA style bike mechanic/recovery service wherein they will fix by the roadside or take you home.

    Logistically, I'm not convinced this would be practical without a long wait. I can't see then having a fleet of vans and mechanics at their disposal.
    “Training is like fighting with a gorilla. You don’t stop when you’re tired. You stop when the gorilla is tired.”
  • Bustacapp
    Bustacapp Posts: 971
    SloppySchleckonds wrote:
    Just call a taxi?

    Would they be willing to take a bike?
  • gloomyandy
    gloomyandy Posts: 520
    Some will take a bike. You may have to request that the Taxi is an MPV/Mini-bus style one. Some will let you take the wheels off and pop it in the boot. Best to negotiate when ordering it. A good tip will often help!
  • jotko
    jotko Posts: 457
    Bustacapp wrote:
    SloppySchleckonds wrote:
    Just call a taxi?

    Would they be willing to take a bike?

    Never been a problem for me, had to do this twice (punctures, mechanical) - just ask at the time and they will send something appropriate.
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  • supermurph09
    supermurph09 Posts: 2,471
    VTech wrote:
    To be fair, you have a point.
    I would never go out without someone knowing I'm out. Safety is key, I had a friend once who is the euro drift champion who crashed his car through a hedgerow and wasn't found for 3 days. He almost died but is ok now and it's always made me think before I do certain things.

    For me, I have an iPhone so I am both covered by GPS location services and also can be found by "find my iPhone"
    I would feel comfortable calling the wife or a friend to collect me if needed or use a local taxi firm.

    It's easy to dismiss safety but foolhardy in reality.

    +1 for the find my iphone thing. Additionally on long rides where I'm heading out into the peaks. I always leave my garmin connect page up for the mrs so at least she can see where I was headed. It can be a lonely place out there!! I'm now riding with a club so hopefully those dangers getting less and less. Safety in numbers.
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  • cheaterkiller
    cheaterkiller Posts: 159
    What happens if you phoned up your motor recovery service for a tow, only for them to find out you simply need to get yourself and your bicycle home? Cant see it being too much of a problem for them provided your the policy holder. But you know what insurancy companies are like these days, pedantic dickheads.
  • philwint
    philwint Posts: 763
    The chances that a mechanical would be so serious that you couldn't do a bodge fix to get home are so minuscule as to be not worth worrying about.

    A bad crash on the other hand could require back up. But in the case of an injury so serious that you couldn't continue, I can't imagine that a call to friends or family for help would be resented!!

    And for the record in 15 years of mountain biking I've ripped off (or been with a mate who has ripped off) 3 rear mechs, was with a mate when his rim split (very badly worn and failed), smashed changers, broken chains, face planted numerous times, broken ribs twice, and once buckled a wheel so badly I had to lie it on it's side and jump up and down on the hub to get it straight enough to fit between the forks (thankfully it was disk brakes)....

    .....and never been unable to make it back to the car/base under my own (or their own) steam

    So stop worrying and just get on with it :p
    Phil

    www.philwinterbourne.co.uk
  • pdstsp
    pdstsp Posts: 1,264
    Took "cycleguard" cover when I did LeJog a few years ago. They promise to get you to nearest bike shop or train station in case of a major mechanical. No idea whether it works well as I didn't use it. Cost about £30 for a year's cover from memory.

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