Troul 

Fun ride with a twist.
was out on a ride & noticed a person walking a bicycle with a flat tire. Offering my assistance to plug a tire, patch a hole, or replace a tube, the person was adamant to keep on walking the bicycle as it was. Shortly up the ways a distressed vehicle with a flat was on the side of the road. Asking them if they would like assistance turned up to be fruitful! They could break the lugs, so that's where I came in to play. Once the lugs were free, they jacked the vehicle up & swapped out the wheel for the spare. I torqued the lugs to a german torque spec & as they were putting things away, here comes that cyclist with that flat. The bicyclist slowed down & turned down a route that was longer in distance than if they just maintained course. I must have unknowingly gave them the walk of shame look? lol Oh well, at least some folks are still willing to accept help when others may put pride first.

Ross520

Probably more to do with covid, to be honest. Some folks are extremely wary of close contact with others amidst the pandemic.

Cyclist0108

It could also be fear of the virus.

Good that you put it aside to help (and to offer to help), but it does entail risk.

Troul 

with the type of work that I do, it requires frequent testing. So much that usually within three days I'll have new results. Living in fear would suck...

Bmach

Maybe not fear but being careful in how they live.

Cyclist0108

Which suggest you could unintentionally infect other people.

canklecat

I get mixed reactions to offers of assistance when I encounter folks with bicycle problems. Depends on whether they self-identify as "cyclist" or "this is my transportation."

Cyclists are usually prepared so unless they blew their only CO2 cartridge and didn't have a pump, they rarely need help. I think maybe once in 5 years I've encountered one roadie who needed help for that very reason -- his one CO2 cartridge misfired and he didn't have a pump. I always carry a pump, CO2, patches and spare tube.

And I've helped a few casual cyclists on group rides. There's almost always at least one flat during a group ride, and many casual cyclists may have the pump, tube and patch kit, but have never used any of it.

On my end of town most folks on bikes are just riding them for transportation. The bikes are usually beaters with cracked tires, etc. They'll usually accept help but I don't expect thanks. After years of being around folks who are homeless and on the fringes of society, I realized there's a reason why they're homeless and marginalized. Many are lacking basic social skills. I've helped fix a couple of flats and the guys just rode off without a word of thanks. And they spent the entire time on their phones trying to find a place to sleep that night, while I was fixing their mechanical problems.

But I wasn't really expecting any thanks. For folks suffering from schizophrenia or other disorders, life is stressful enough without worrying about whether a stranger's offer of assistance is just another ploy at manipulation and exploitation. A lot of these folks have been badly abused and exploited their entire lives and are naturally suspicious of offers of help. Saying "thanks" acknowledges a debt, and in their world it's not good to owe anybody anything. So I do what I can and don't worry about a few words of thanks.

My three rescue cats have never thanked me either, unless an occasional cuddle means "thanks" instead of "I need a warm place to nap, human, so don't move."

Tandem Tom

Sorry but I have to respectfully disagree with the "virus excuse".
A person could accept assistance and could just stand a good distance away while the repair is made.
On a recent short tour on the GAP I converted a guys bike to a single speed after he had a RD mishap. He kept hi distance and I was able to get him on his way.
Sometimes common sense seems to be lacking.

freeranger

Whether help is accepted or not, whatever their reason, the important thing is that you offered.

BobbyG

I have had people refuse help over the years. Who knows their reasons.

But having the first cycllist come upon you helping the other was a little weird.

sovende

I completely agree! If for nothing else, your own peace of mind 🙂. While out riding the trails or back roads in my area, if I come across someone that appears to be in distress i.e. mechanical problem, injury or bewilderment, I will always ask if they need help or assistance. Many times the answer is "no" (and their reason doesn't matter) but I can move on with a clear conscience and not that "could have, would have, should have" feeling that would nag at me for the rest of my ride.
I'm distressed by the comment in one of the other replies about the folks on the fringes of society and their lack of basic social skills being at the root of their issue of marginalization. I clearly don't disagree. My distress comes from the fact that little seems to be done to correct the issue. I think that basic kindness and respect, like offering help to someone that appears in need, will go a long way toward making things better all around. The cycling community, in general, is likely of this mindset but setting the example will hopefully allow others to "get the drift" and follow suit 👍.

Kapusta

Does somebody NEED an excuse not to accept help?

Kapusta

I don’t think it is irrational to not want a stranger handing your bike during the pandemic. They don’t know the first thing about you. They don’t know how clean you are, and they may not have anything on hand to wipe of the bike when you are done.

unterhausen

I stopped to offer help one time and it turned out the motorist was getting water at the spring I can never find. So it was a two-fer, got to feel good about myself and also got water.

I offered to help a walking cyclist once, but she had already made the call of shame.

Miele Man

If I see a bicyclist who appears to need help, I'll stop and offer it. Once I rode past a guy at the side of a road who had patched a tube and put it back inside his tire. I saw him in my rear view mirror trying to pump up the tire with his Co2 inflator. I did a U-turn and rode back to see if he needed help. He couldn't get his cartridge onto the inflator. It was a smooth neck cartridge and he need a threaded one. I gave him one of mine. It save him a long walk.

A few years ago on a very hot humid day my Silca frame fit pump exploded whilst I was topping up a tire on the side of the road. I started walking the ten miles home. I saw a bicyclist turn off a side road and asked if I could borrow his pump. He said no and rode on by. Fortunately I was riding tubular tires and was able to very carefully ride the smooth sections of the road. A loan of his pump or him pumping my tire up would have been appreciated immensely.

I've lost count of the number of bicyclists I've given a spare tube to or whom I adjusted/reconnected a V-brake caliper for.

Cheers

greatscott

Risk or not I will always try to help someone.

indyfabz

Yep. Recently my helmet came off the cable as I was unlocking my bike. A thoughtful teenager went to pick it up for me. I told him I could get it. He then acknowledged that I probably didn’t want him touching it. It was a pleasant exchange. He went with his gut reaction to be helpful then remembered what’s going on. Good kid. His mom then walked up and they went into the market together.

257 roberts

same here

aclinjury

this is pandemic time, hell people are paranoid to even push the cross-walk button, most using their elbow.
So don't be surprised if people refuse help. Maybe the guy has a family member(s) who have underlying conditions and on he's just thinking of not infecting them