The walk of shame

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  • Schoie81
    Schoie81 Posts: 749
    Richard Farrant wrote:
    and an ICE app on my phone which can be opened without unlocking the phone

    Aaaahhh, bit of playing around and I now realise that, on Android phones at least, you CAN get into your ICE contacts without knowing how to unlock the screen - you just need to select who are your ICE contacts in your phonebook. Problem solved!! :)
    "I look pretty young, but I'm just back-dated"
  • cattytown
    cattytown Posts: 647
    My big concern about slime is that you may not know that it has done its job, and have a tube that's as much slime as tube.
    Giant Defy 2
    Large bloke getting smaller :-)
  • Mr Will
    Mr Will Posts: 216
    What always amazes me is the number of people who don't carry a decent chain tool. Snapped chains, dérailleur hangers or pretty much anything drive-train related can be sorted one even if in the worst case you have to resort to converting the bike to single-speed.

    Personally, my other half doesn't drive so I need to be pretty self-sufficient. This can be done with an emergency kit barely larger than a fag-packet without spending the earth so there should be no excuse.
    2010 Cannondale CAAD9 Tiagra
  • Davdandy
    Davdandy Posts: 571
    TheShrew2000 wrote:
    I'm sure some of you out there must have similar experiences to this. I am a relative beginner to road cycling and have enjoyed every minute of it (even the following story) up to yet. Has anyone else had to do the walk of shame on a summers evening such as we have had today?

    To set the scene, I went out for a quick ride after work today but before my wife gets back in so that I would be back in time to put tea on. In my haste I forgot where my mobile was and just left without it. That didn't bother me since I only went for a short ride of about 30 minutes and didn't intend to go far from the house. Just sort of orbit the nearby streets for a while.

    Well the weather was nicer than expected and I got carried away. I went off to a big hill i know about and tried to make it to the top. As I am still a bit green, I got well past half way before taking a short break. In my defense its a long hill with a steep end. It would be worth it for the long free ride back down anyway. It was at this point that everything started to turn sour. I got back on my new clipless pedals (it's only Monday, fitted them on Saturday) and during the hill start promptly went straight onto the floor. Luckily the road was clear and my dented pride was hidden. I learned a lesson there.

    Heading straight home after completing the hill, I took a short cut over some nice rough ground and must have picked up a bit of glass or something because all of a sudden there was a great whoosh of air onto my legs. Great... puncture. Here I learned another rookie lesson today. It might take 5 or even 10 minutes to fit a new tube or repair a puncture but it takes a lot longer to walk two miles home. Next time carry a spare. It never seemed that far away on the bike.

    As I pushed my snazzy road bike with shiny pedals along the road i came across several other cyclists and plenty of cars. My new clipless shoes were clapping along the floor making a racket to draw further attention to me. I could feel everyones eyes burning into me "why is he pushing his bike down a hill?"

    When I did make it back, 45 minutes later than I expected to be, my poor wife was what can only be described as somewhat distraught. She had every right to be though as I had ticked off all the rookie mistakes in the book.

    1) take a phone 2) get more practice on clipless 3) be prepared for a puncture 4) microwave pizza isn't a great tea but it's an acceptable backup

    Sorry for the long post but I needed to vent. Despite everything I still had a great ride overall. Just with a few lessons learned. Anyone else had this kind of a ride?

    That is one sad tale,i am so sorry for you.I mean.............microwave pizza? :mrgreen:
    Cannondale CAAD 8 105
    Rockrider 8.1
  • Peddle Up!
    Peddle Up! Posts: 2,040
    Very sad that several cyclists passed you without offering to help. Even the loan of a mobile for a call home would have been appreciated I expect. FWIW if I see a cyclist having a problem I always ask if they're OK and I'm prepared to lend a hand (unless in a genuine hurry) and loan a spare inner tube. I guess I missed my vocation :)
    Purveyor of "up" :)
  • Druidor
    Druidor Posts: 230
    Richard Farrant wrote:

    I have one of these - http://goo.gl/FQTGq

    and an ICE app on my phone which can be opened without unlocking the phone

    Nice idea that, have ICE on the mobile but putting that on the bike is a nice touch.
    ---
    Sensa Trentino SL Custom 2013 - 105 Compact - Aksium Race
  • TheShrew2000
    TheShrew2000 Posts: 9
    Its good to see that other people here have some similar tales. It kind of shares the pain a little.

    On a good note, when I got back from work tonight my wife did let me back out again. This time somewhat better prepared the bike was quickly put through a thorough check over and the rear tube was replaced lickety split.

    Upon dissecting said tube I discovered what can only be described as another lesson to be learned. What had caused all of yesterdays troublesome tale was in fact a pinch flat. There really is no excuse for this one either. I normally keep a good eye on my tyre pressures. They normally work at about 90-100psi and use the track pump every couple of rides.

    Again it is my haste that brought me down. I had set off yesterday confident that my tyres were correctly inflated but in fact a thumb test doesn't mean as much as expected. So another lesson to add to the list. You cant properly check tyre pressure by thumb. It only takes 30 seconds to check it with the track pump.

    At least I managed to get back out there today and ride that same descent all the way home in a few minutes. That made my day today.

    I have added a few things to my shopping list since reading this thread through. I love the bike ICE cap. Probably a good thing to help quickly identify the bike if ever I should need to. As soon as I get the chance I'll pick up a saddle bag and a proper jersey with pockets. The single zip pocket on my running shorts isn't really enough. Thanks all for your advice.
  • chrisaonabike
    chrisaonabike Posts: 1,914
    TheShrew2000 wrote:
    Again it is my haste that brought me down. I had set off yesterday confident that my tyres were correctly inflated but in fact a thumb test doesn't mean as much as expected. So another lesson to add to the list. You cant properly check tyre pressure by thumb. It only takes 30 seconds to check it with the track pump.
    My first puncture was exactly this reason - tyres that were too soft hitting a speed bump too fast.

    Like you, since then I've been a lot more rigorous about checking the pressures. However, it's not failsafe. I hit a heowge pothole at speed the other week avoiding traffic in the middle of the road, and even with a pressure above 100psi I still got a pinch flat.
    Is the gorilla tired yet?
  • chrisaonabike
    chrisaonabike Posts: 1,914
    TheShrew2000 wrote:
    The single zip pocket on my running shorts isn't really enough.
    Running shorts???

    Have you no shame? :shock:
    Is the gorilla tired yet?
  • TheShrew2000
    TheShrew2000 Posts: 9
    I know, I've defected from running. slowly but surely I'm making the transition to all things wheeled. At least I have modest running shorts though, rather than the proper short shorts that would make even the most stony faced blush.

    One day I'll get me some nice bib shorts but probably only when I feel like I can pull off the 'pro' look. They'll go well with my gig t-shirt collection. :)
  • leodis75
    leodis75 Posts: 184
    I find the C02 with the regulators very good, I swapped to Marathons for my commuting.

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