SC WIS

I had a flat on my road bike while on a trail 30mi from my house and I tried asking other cyclists for help, I know a lot of dedicated cyclists (what I mean by hardcore looking cyclists is cyclists that have really good road bikes, are dressed in cycling clothes etc I'm only 15 and new to the cycling world) carry tools to fix flats, so I tried to flag someone down, and not a single 'hardcore looking' cyclist that I tried to ask for help even looked back at me or anything, all completely ignored me! They weren't in a pack either. Then an older couple actually noticed I had a flat and stopped to help me. Anyone else notice this?

Edit: it wasn't just this time either, I've been somewhat lost and tried to ask for donations back to my city and all pro looking cyclists wouldn't give me the light of day, but the first casual rider I saw gladly helped me, and even offered to ride with me back!

I always say hi or nod / wave to others on the trails and almost everyone will wave / say hi back but it's rare a hardcore looking cyclist will.

Cyclist0108

Most people basically suck.

However, the "donations" thing is a panhandler classic.

jefnvk

A) Ever notice a hardcore cyclist with a saddle bag, or any other indication they carry tools and spares or even know how to use them? Remember, they all think they have a team car following them

B) Kidding aside, if you have the spares, and the tools, learn to use them. It is not difficult, and it is far better than hoping someone with the know how happens upon you.

Tanstaafl

You're going to meet all kinds of folks when you ride, some will stop, some won't.

My suggestion to you would be to get some tools and tubes of your own so you can fix your own flats and not be dependent on strangers to help you out. Catch one of those dedicated cyclists you know when they are not riding and get them to show you how to change a tube. I am sure they will be happy to do so.

Jeff

Edit: Scooped! I gotta learn to type faster...

SC WIS

True, but I'm 15 and don't have lots of money, plus I was asking for help and I'd think most people would at least see what I needed help with.

Cyclist0108

All kidding aside, most people will help you out if they understand what you are asking for (and they are in a position to help -- i.e., have a tube or a patch kit or something) and have time to stop.

jefnvk

If you can afford a bike, you can afford a $3 tube, a $3 set of tire levers, and a $25 pump. Far easier than walking. If nothing else, at least keep a spare tube. Just because I have the tools and desire to help, if you've got a different sized/valved tire I'm of little use.

When you get richer, you can afford the $10 saddlebag to keep the levers and tube in!

FBinNY 

IMO a bicycle isn't complete unless it's equipped with the necessary stuff to deal with a flat. That includes a rider who can do the job. Motorists carry spare tires (wheels) a jack and lug wrench, and they get flats less frequently that bikes.

I'll often stop to offer help to a stranded rider, but the simple reality is that I only carry tubes for my own bike, and the odds are less than 1:5 that I'll have the right tube (size and valve) to help.

To be blunt, if you aren't willing to do the minimum to help yourself, don't whine that others won't.

SC WIS

My point wasn't that I had a flat, It's that the tryhard cyclist won't give anyone the time of day. (I ended up calling a friend to pick me up. I'm 15 and I've only had that one tire go flat, I already carry 4 bottles and snacks on my longer rides, so I don't know if I'd have room. I definitely will get those things if I get more flats though.)

I've had my crank loose and tried to ask a pro looking cyclist if I should keep going or not, I sat on the trail for an hour (I was 25mi from home btw) until I gave up!!

memebag

Every piece of Lycra comes with a card that says "never help a soft core cyclist again." I shouldn't even be telling you this.

benaroundawhile

Obvious question:

Why weren't you carrying a spare tube, patch kit and tire levers at a minimum? Blaming other folks for your lack of preparedness is really weak, at best.

My kids learned at an early age to be self-sufficient on the bike.

p.s. Did you really bring up the trite "they don't wave at me canard"? Classic.

jefnvk

From an alternative perspective: if I were a "hardcore" cyclist, why would I want to stop my training or recreation to help someone who had no desire to prepare themselves with the equipment or knowledge to take care the most basic of situations on a bike, or whom was riding ill-maintained equipment (as cranks do not just go bad in 30 miles)

I hate playing the old man card (heck I'm only 30), but at 15 I was ripping apart ATVs and snowmobiles in the woods to fix them despite home and a dad that could fix them being a half mile away. I was quite awful at it, too, but learning self-sufficiency is essential. If you're regularly riding that far from safety, you need to learn basic skills.

FWIW, my brother made a big deal about getting a flat on the MUP and having to walk home last summer. He got a frame pump from me for Christmas this year.

Machka 

Really???

Hmmm ...

I've frequently been asked, "Are you OK?" or "Do you need help" if I'm stopped by the side of the road by all sorts of cyclists (what's a "hardcore cyclist?") ... cyclists on all sorts of different bicycles in all sorts of different kit.

I've also been nodded to by all sorts of different cyclists as well.

Never noticed that one type of cyclist didn't do this because ... they all do.

SC WIS

I'd say going on 55-75mi rides by myself, leaving at 6am, and diving into long rides like that without hardly any training is self sufficient.

If you saw someone that crashed and is injured but they don't have helmet on would you just go by them? Not the same thing, but it's just courteous.

Machka 

+1


Despite the fact that I've frequently been asked if I needed help ... it isn't the responsibility of cyclists to help other cyclists. Many of us presume that if you're out there riding, you've got the equipment, knowledge and skills to help yourself. After all, what would you do if no one came along.



And if you're going to do that, you've also got to know how to help yourself if something goes wrong.

Machka 

How would he or she know if you should keep going or not???

SC WIS

I don't know what to call people that have the REALLY expensive road bikes and wear special clothes with clubs or advertising on them.
Yes, most people on the trail I was on we're courteous but while a few people on a ride actually stopped to help me without me even asking them for help a guy on a expensive bike ride by and the people assisting me tried to get him to stop and he just kept going and even looked back but just kept going.

SC WIS

I wanted to know if I would damage my bike further until it's really messed up or if it's not even a problem to keep riding, or if my crank was even loose.

katsup

I hope you gave some money to the person who gave you their tube.

Moral of the story: Spend the ~$20 for the tools needed to repair your own flat.

jimb100

Judging by this thread, a lot of cyclists must have really bad karma.

Doohickie

Repeated for emphasis. I could also tell you that I was fixing my own flats when I was 10, but that would just be rubbing it in.

I ride with a group that often has riders that are new to cycling, and one of the first things we tell them is that they should have a spare tube and the tools to change it with them. When someone does flat, the whole group stops and waits, and will even help an inexperienced rider fix their flat, but if someone doesn't have their own tube, especially multiple times, they will get the same attitude you're getting on this thread. There is a certain level of skills and abilities you should have if you're riding. It's pretty much expected that you should be able to change your own flat.

Cyclist0108

I call BS. This is just a troll with a sock-puppet account.

If not, just buy a $5 pump and a $5 patch kit and attach it to your frame.

Cyclist0108

SC WIS

I know I can change a flat and I have before, I just never thought about being 30 mi form home as I just started to really get into cycling, I definitely should have things like that and I will when i have money for that.

I'm not trolling at all, I love to go on long rides now that I got a real road bike from family that got a newer bike. Imgur: The most awesome images on the Internet

Imgur: The most awesome images on the Internet (all I take with me is in that Nike bag)
Imgur: The most awesome images on the Internet
Imgur: The most awesome images on the Internet

Machka 

Yes, but .... how would another cyclist know that??