CliffordK

Last Sunday I was out biking with the trailer. About 15 miles from home, I was extracting my bike from a bike rack, and heard a POW... PING. Looked down to see the nut off of my QR laying on the ground.

I'm not quite sure what happened, but my guess is that the trailer hitch came down on the QR lever, and twisted it tighter, causing both twisting and an increase in force, and it just broke the nut off.

I was near a thrift store. No QR levers.... I'm not sure if even on junk bikes

So, I made it to Dick's Sporting Goods... A "sports store" that sells bikes... No dice on spare parts. They told me they could order the QR lever (didn't say 126mm). But, of course, I wasn't planning on hanging around for a week waiting for it to come in

It was Sunday, so some local bike shops were closed. However, I'd been to the Performance shop before on a Sunday, but it was 5+ miles away, and I didn't like the thought of riding/walking that far without a QR. And, since I'm using 126mm, there was no guarantee they would actually have the part needed. I found I could ride a bit without the QR, but with a horizontal dropout, only with about 1% of maximum torque otherwise it would pull the axle forward.

Next stop was Home Depot Building Supply.
Browsing around, I even asked someone about a long #10 bolt, and they said no dice.... But, a bit further down the aisle, I found #10 threaded rod.

I bolted it back together. I added a few extra washers because I didn't want them to bend. And, it held just fine, even pulling the trailer full force up my driveway.

Thinking back... maybe I could have gotten away with cleaning up the threads on the QR and finding an 8mm nut + washer, but the rod worked good too.



So, what have others done to get their bikes home with an unplanned critical failure?

FBinNY 

My most extreme emergency road repair was on a vintage (1930's) aluminum frame that suffered a loose BB about halfway on the first day of a 200 mile weekend ride. By loose BB I mean the BB shell came loose from the frame while climbing.

Fortunately it was Saturday, and I was able to limp into the next town because the frame geometry pulls the shell upward if I don't push it down hard.

Walking the aisles I found picture hanging wire and some turn buckles, which I used to hold the BB up to the top of the seat tube, and to keep the cracked down tube from pulling out. I then stabilized it with some scrap metal "splints" and hose clamps.

The bike finished the remaining 150 hilly miles so well, that I left it that way and rode it 2 more years as it kept breaking in other interesting ways until I decided it was time to give it to the scrap man.

AnkleWork

Reasonably diligent preventative maintenance keeps me from any significant "field expediency." Avoidance is usually the most elegant solution.

EastCoastDHer

Paying attention in boy scouts can pay off.
There is a reason I carry a spare QR set when I ride XC.

Sadly enough I have no exciting horror stories of repairs.

fietsbob

Frame crack in Ireland, I hauled it back on a bus (mid engine busses there had a Huge rear luggage hold)

back in Killarney , a shop that welded up HVAC duct systems in Stainless steel ,

beefed up those places with Stainless steel Filler wire and made a Plate Gusset, & other than burned Powder coat, I rattle canned to cover the bare steel,

its been fine ever since

For the rest of the 10 month tour back then, and the 17 years after Back here..

@ LBS there is some Jury-rigging of coastal touring cyclists bikes for those just scraping by to make the trip, to keep them going..

soft wire is handy..

rowebr

The best jerry-rigging I've done to get my bike back home was not for the bike, but for myself. Leaving the city for a bike ride in the early morning, the temperature often drops over the first couple hours as I get farther out into the countryside. I'm used to this and plan for it, but sometimes the temperature change is pretty extreme. One morning in the spring I left my house with temps in the 60s, but after 2 hours my hands were so cold I was miserable and struggling to hold the bars, my phone said it was 43 degrees, and I was on the verge of calling my wife for a rescue. Out of desperation I pulled my arm warmers down over my hands, and found that it was actually no problem to ride like that! When I really needed to shift I could clumsily move the downtube lever, but otherwise I was happy to just keep going without my hands feeling like they were about to freeze off. I made it home no problem and resolved never to leave the house without my arm warmers.

Leebo

Busted the seat tube clean off from the bb shell. And old( 25+) year raliegh record ace. 10 miles from home on the commute. Refused to call for help or use bus/taxi. Stores and strip malls everywhere. Duct tape and 3 zip ties for the win. Did about 10' of 1/2 width strips. Still flexed a lot. A lot. But pedaled home ok.

habilis

This is not a field repair but rather an unfortunate kludge. A friend bought a low-end 10-speed and found that her chromosomes lacked the shifting gene. She therefore converted to single speed by cutting both derailleur cables and wrapping them in such a way that she remained on one chain ring and one gog. She later donated the bike to my son and I turned it back into a 10-speed.

Also, in the interest of preparedness, I've rubbed my spare inner tubes with talc to facilitate roadside replacement. I figure I'll need every advantage I can get.

02Giant 

Flatted both tires in one shot, used my spare tube in one, tied a knot in the other where the puncture was.

dedhed

I've done the "stick shift" a few times when shifter cables broke. Find a stick and wedge it into the derailleur to get it in a more favorable gear to finish the commute.

Homebrew01

30 miles from home, a guy broke his smallest cog on his cassette. So the other cogs were now loose due to the empty space. He happened to have a few "zip ties" with him, so we tied them around the freehub to take up the space and make the other cogs pretty tight. He rode home without a problem.

I had 3 flats one day, and only 2 tubes. I found some scrap plastic bag, and wrapped it around the hole in the tube 4 or 5 times. Rode home no problem. By the time I got home I had forgotten about it, and several days later it was still full of air.

RubeRad

Love this thread, some great stories and some tricks I will remember and hopefully not have to use!

I can't think of anything good to contribute; once I was on a newly-worked on bike with no seatbag or tools and my FD fell off. If only I had a screwdriver I could have opened the cage and just taken the damn thing off teh chain and ridden home 1x, but like I said, no seatbag or tools. Had to make the call of shame (or walk 3mi)

CliffordK

There's a reason I try to always have my McGyver special Swiss Army knife in my pocket, with two standard screwdrivers and a phillips.

I have started carrying a roll of electrical tape in my saddle bag, but a few people have mentioned zip ties in emergency situations... I'll have to give that some thought.

krue1971

My best was during a mountain bike race that was preceded by about 8 hours of steady rain. One of the bridges had a tight turn with berm right before it and I failed to get straightened out before I hit the bridge....literally. The end of my carbon bar broke off right at the shifter on the right side. Luckily it was a grip shift and wasn't hurt. I cut a piece of huckleberry bush limb and stuck it in the end of the bar and jammed it back on the bar. I managed to finish the race dead last but I'll take DFL over DNF anyday.

RubeRad

Yeah, like I said, it was stupid to take a shakedown ride without my seatbag, which always has a Nashbar Woody multitool in it.

pdlamb

Half way through a 10 mile commute (coming home), the bolt I hadn't looked at for five years fell off leaving the rear rack loose and rubbing. A nice couple was just coming out to walk their dog, so I flagged them down and asked for a bread bag wire twist tie. Twist tied the rack back on, moved the pannier to the other side, and made it home successfully! (And immediately, before supper, got another bolt and checked all the rest of the bolts on the bike.)

robertro

Many years ago, I was bike touring from Miami to Tampa, riding and old Reynolds 531-framed Crescent racing bike with early Michelin high-pressure clinchers. As we approached Tampa, where our outbound flight was departing from that evening, I rode across a jagged piece of metal. My tire and tube were sliced open with a two inch gash.

I had a spare tube, and I always carried a roll of surgical tape for emergencies. I wrapped the tube in the surgical tape, added three layers on the inside of the tire, and carefully inflated the tire back up to 90psi. We made it to the flight on time, though the repair clunked like some cartoon character's patched wheel!

dabac

Went on a 4-mile ride one summer to my favourite swimming spot. No tubes or tools. Just around the corner, right?
When sun was fading, I found the rear wheel flat. Stuffed the tire with my Beach towel, and one borrowed from a friend, and rode home.
Not ideal, the tire kept sliding on the rim, but better than walking. And a wash got the towels back to normal.

RandomTroll

Because my bicycle lives a Godly life He preserves it from all harm.

canklecat

• Using shims from roadside aluminum cans to tighten stuff that wouldn't stay snugged. Learned that one from Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance as a teenager. The author recalls an anecdote in which a friend with a BMW resisted the expedient aluminum can shim because it wasn't a proper BMW factory part.
• Using plastic food wrap to slow down a leak (someone else in this thread mentioned that trick) after the few proper patches had already been used up on a long ride.
• Zip ties to repair broken buckles and fasteners for handlebar bags and other makeshift luggage.
• Toting a carbon steel flat bladed screwdriver which can be reshaped as needed for just about any slotted screw head by honing it against concrete or a rock, so it doesn't slip and bugger up the screw.
• A mechanic the other day suggested using a thick business card or thin flexible plastic card as an expedient repair for a torn tire. Place the card inside the tire, let the tube hold it in place. May be good enough to limp home.
• Most recently I'm trying Gorilla clear tape to patch a leak in the rubber casing around a Schrader valve stem, just in case I encounter this afield after burning through my good tubes. After three flats in one weekend last week, mostly from grass burrs and goatheads scattered by highway mowing crews, I'm trying Gorilla tape as an all purpose fixit in case I burn through both tubes and my good spares. Gorilla tape is touted as airtight and waterproof, but not for seams on inflatables. I haven't tested it under pressure on a mounted tube/tire, only on a partially inflated tube.

Reynolds 

Used a pebble to lock the FD when cable broke.
A friend's derailleur went into the spokes and broke. Made a single speed using a nail and a nut to break the chain.
Looked for, found and used a roadside piece of plastic to boot a tire.
Not by me, but I watched a friend repair a torn tire by putting on a new tube, inflating it a bit and using a strip of the torn tube as a bandage on the outside, then inflating more. I was skeptic but it lasted for 20kms and carried him home.

davidad

Rode between broken jiggle bars on an overpass and cut both tires. I had boots made from old tires and used themfor the 10 mile home. I now carry a piece of 1/32 rubber gasket material meant for pipe flanges to use as a boot.

RubeRad

Wow, I want to ride with you! Apparently you and whoever you ride with are guaranteed to find a way to ride home!

RubeRad

A dollar bill is also supposed to make a pretty good tire boot.

davidad

The gasket material makes a permanent repair. I super glue them on and cover them with duct tape. The dut tape keeps the tubefom fetting on the boot.