Homebrew01

A few times.
1) Broken rear derailleur cable, stuck in a small cog. Just a few miles to home, so no big deal.
2) Campy titanium axle snapped
3) Square taper crank arm cracked, so was loose on the axle. Soft pedaled about 10 miles
4) Flatted several tubulars. Rode the flat about 5 miles home.

bakerjw

If you've not limped home, you've not been riding long or hard enough.
- Road tandem - Double pinch flats on pothole at speed.
- Road tandem - Quick link broke. I now carry replacements.
- Road tandem - Rear derailleur hanger snapped.
- Mountain bike - Pedal loosened and stripped threads.
- Mountain bike - Rear derailleur hanger broke part of frame.
- Mountain bike - Rear derailleur snapped (first ride on new bike on shop ride).
- Road bike - Rear derailleur shift cable frayed and broke in shifter. 2x
- Road bike - Cleat broke.
- Road bike - Shoe cracked.

It is endless if you ride a lot.

86az135i

Yes quite a few times.

Most recently while towing my son going about 17-18, either the derailleur went into the spokes causing the wheel to lock and come out of the drop, or the rear wheel came out of the drop causing the spokes to contact the derailleur. Tire locked up and wore almost all the way through. I took it slow, while the bike was constantly shifting and every rotation i could feel the flat spot.

MikeyMK

Yeah, but they usually have their wheels missing. I don't know what wheel fairy goes around stripping all the dumped bikes of their wheels, but if you want a dumped bike there's always one around - minus it's wheels.

NoWhammies

So not a mechanical problem, but how about a weather related one? I was out for a ride, approx 40k from home when the skies just open and the rain came like it hadn't rained for days. After getting thorough drenched and seeing no end in sight, I decided to call it. There was no way I could bike home in the downpour, not to mention the fact I was FREEZING cold.

I opted to drop by the apt. of an ex-GF. Luckily we ended on good terms, so I decided to beg her for a ride home. As luck would have it though, she was NOT home. With my tail between my legs, I shlepped to the bus stop an took two buses to get home, leaving a nice wet puddle on all of the seats I sat in. Needless to say I was a shivering mess when I finally arrived home. At least it was still raining, and continued to rain for hours after, so I felt kind of vindicated.

kq2dc7

I broke my derailleur hanger 2 weeks in row and walked back to the car. I now carry a multi tool and extra hanger.

CliffordK

@robnol,

You might also check out this thread:

https://www.bikeforums.net/bicycle-m...back-home.html



Piece of All-Thread used to replace a broken quick release (which had snagged my trailer hitch and snapped).

eja_ bottecchia

Well, learn something new everyday.

rumrunn6

caught a stick in my rear spokes which flipped by rear derailer up & around & snapped it, also pushed into the rear fender stays forcing the fender into the tire causing me to come to a skidding stop 3 miles from my car on a dirt trail one winter. was able to mush everything back into place & able to ride back in 1 gear. at first I thought I would have a crummy 3 mile walk, but got lucky





now I try to stay away from the edges of trails, where sticks & other stuff tends to gather ...

Cyclist753

..

Dr.Lou

Flatted twice on one ride and didn’t have didn’t have another spare tube. Called the wife. Only a few miles from the house.

2cam16

Some years ago before I discovered there were quick links/master links, I had a chain snap on me about a mile from where I was parked. Luckily I was wearing mtb spd shoes so the walk wasn't too bad.

Kabuki12

I had a rear derailleur fail on my Raleigh Competition GS . It is the only time this bike ever failed me. The lower cage on the Campy Gran Sport Derailleur is stamped metal and it just came apart. I rigged the chain and crank in such a way that I was able to Velocipede my way to my shop in Ventura where I switched bikes and pedaled the 15 or so miles to my home. For those unfamiliar with this technique, it is basically just sit on the seat and scoot along using your feet like fast walking. It beats walking and is about twice as fast. Sort of like the Flintsones. I ended up switching the RD to a Nuovo Record with a machined aluminum cage. Joe joesvintageroadbikes.wordpress
The "fix" , a better derailleur!

hplbiking

Not anymore. If I am too far and no one from my family can pick me up I would use an Uber.

hplbiking

I did do a brick workout the hard way. Got about 3 miles down the road to work when I flatted. Somehow in reseating the rear wheel the rear derailure broke. I walked home but did coast the down hills which wasn’t many.

roundrocktom

I was riding in Southern Germany. About 1/2 from home snapped my Shimano crank in two while charging up a hill. Bearings and chainring remained in place, so one-legged it back home. The irony was the next day it was my left leg that killed me, no place to rest it. 1988, riding my Specialized Touring Bike. I weighed about 220 pounds (100kg) at the time and would charge hills while out of the saddle.

smoore

A mile from home with a screw in my rear tire. Wife wasn't avaialbe to pick me up. A mile is a long way to push a bike while wearing cleats. Tried to take them off and walk in my socks but that didn't work well either. I was sort of hoping someone would stop and offer me a ride....no dice.

phillman5

I was visiting Ann Arbor to give a talk at UofM and attend a friend's wedding, from Albuquerque. I rode out to Jackson to see my god parents, whom I've never met, it was monday of labor day or memorial day weekend. Riding back to Ann Arbor I got a flat and must of pinched the spare installing it, at that time in my life I only carried one spare (NO MORE). Just weeks before that I had read in Bicycling Magazine (purely by chance, I didn't subscribe) how to fold the inner tube in a Z pattern so the hole is in the center of the Z. That worked enough to get me ~ the 10 miles back to my hotel. I did have to stop and pump it up about 4 times, mostly near the end.

Funny part is when I got to their house and introduced myself, we talked in the kitchen for a while, they were amazed I had ridden from Ann Arbor. After a while I said I had to excuse myself to go out and get my golf bag. At first they believed me. I had a great afternoon with them!

Lightning Pilot

More than I can remember (old age is good for something!) Three most recent:

Had the cable to the front derailleur break about ten miles from home, rode home on the small chain ring—very aerobic workout!

Had my rear tire blow in a low speed turn. Couldn't find the leak. Discovered my tire pump was worthless, too. Another rider stopped and tried to help with a carbon dioxide inflation kit. No dice. Walked home (~5 miles) in cleats. Had a marvelous case of shin splints next day. Turned out there was a collar on the valve stem that I lost when I checked the wheel true. This was the third ride without it on a 120 psi tire. Now I carry a spare, and carbon dioxide kit for inflation, and a spare tube for both front and back. I also pack a pair of "Chinese slippers," because it is not possible to walk any distance with my current cleats.

One other thing I do is check both tires after every ride. Some of the roads around here could be mined for scrap metal and recyclable glass.

stephr1

A number of months back I caught a small wire piece in my rear tire. By that point I was ~2 mi. from home so I decided to walk and deal with the flat later (did have a spare tube in my seat pouch but figured by the time I replaced the tube and got back on the bike I could have walked more than 1/2 the distance home. Besides, it was a beautiful day in the SF Bay Area (when isn't it

All in all, no big deal...sill got my exercise for the morning.

The funny part was about 1/2 way home after the flat, there were some construction guys working on the street. As I neared where they were, one of the guys asked me if I had a flat. Being the quick witted dude I can be I responded,

"Naw. No flat. Just thought I'd take my bike out for a walk this morning."

He got a big grin on his face and I started laughing. We both bid each other a great day and I continued my way home.