wolfchild

Don't be so quick to judge somebody you don't know...If a rider was stranded in a remote area far away from any type of help then of course I would assist.
The rider in OPs post was in an urban area and only had 5 miles to walk, not life or death situation. Walking 5 miles is not a big deal... Hopefully they learned a lesson and will carry a repair kit with them next time they go out for a ride.

Atlas Shrugged

My issue is the obviously ridiculous facts of this situation. The OP would have needed to have had a full interaction with the offending rider to gain the knowledge that was presented followed up by abandoning the rider after refusing help. My 2 year old created better stories about how the crayon marks got in the wall.

wolfchild

It's probably a fictional story made by OP because he was bored and had nothing else to do.

Rolla

The irony is getting pretty thick up in here…

koala logs

Even worse. You're not supposed to carry tools on a >$5,000 bike anyway. You only need a phone to call anyone home who's otherwise relaxing after a stressful week to make a round trip of 3 hours to pick you up.

Barry2 

Can we start a GoFundMe to buy they new cleats?

Barry

tomato coupe

I carry a 6-page questionnaire with me for stranded cyclists to fill out. I review their responses, ask a few questions, and then decide if I will offer assistance. To date, no one has ever been approved.

Troul 

they's might appreciate it.

mschwett 

to be honest, i was sort of waiting for somehow the cause of either the flat or the walking or the butt-pain while walking was that They were riding a "DF" bike !

Kai Winters

I'll ask what the problem is. If it's mechanical I'll offer to help. If they have a flat and don't carry the necessities to fix a flat then I go on my way. I'm not AAA. I'm not going to give up my one and only spare tube to help someone that won't carry their own repair kit. I don't care if the bike is $5 or $5k. I'll loan a pump and a patch but not my only tube...perhaps I'm just not a nice person but at least I carry what I need to fix a flat and I'm perfectly ok with that. Matter of fact a week ago on our Saturday ride a person who never carries a spare tube, levers and pump got a flat. He brags about not carrying anything. I've seen him given a tube in the past and he still never carries his own kit. I, and everyone else, just rode away. We all got tired of being his AAA. It was awesome...wonder if he'll learn...likely not.

Bald Paul

Wow, talk about piling on! Give the guy a break. He said he was on a bike path, which was probably a MUP.
So, the person with the flat was riding, and now walking.
Doesn't that fulfill the requirements of a multi-use path?

flangehead

You help others because karma.

However higher $ bikes can present a problem.

I witnessed a rider crash into a car. The motorist drove off and the cyclist was uninjured. Her handlebars twisted but it was a high-end carbon bike with star-shaped fasteners instead of the metric hex I carry. She didn’t have the star wrench either.

Proprietary or rare tool requirements on high-end bikes reduce the opportunity for a field fix.

Koyote

Earnest question: has anyone ever gone out of their way to help you with something? I'll bet the answer is "yes."

I've given away inner tubes to complete strangers, also CO2, and helped with the repairs. Once even did it for another rider in the middle of a gravel race -- guy had botched his first attempt and was out of inflation. Why pass up an opportunity to make a new friend and put a little positive Karma into the Universe?

PS: I'm STILL waiting for rydabent to show me an example of a bike with 36+ gears, which was something else he ranted about in another thread. Maybe he'll show it to us right after explaining how he knows how far this irresponsible cyclist had walked and was going to walk.

mstateglfr 

I got a flat, pulled out my spare, and it too was flat. It's happened to others I ride with too. And sometimes patch kits dry out.

Even those who are prepared sometimes benefit from the kindness of strangers.

downtube42

If you ride in the real world, needing to walk out is always a possibility, however remote. If karma exists, that smugness about being prepared will come back and bite you in the ass.

When you decide what to carry and what to leave, you're just changing the odds. One guy is happy carrying a cell phone, another with C02 and a tube, where another has a chain tool, quick-link, replacement cables, zip-ties, duct tape, dollar bill, seatpost bolt, spokes, tire, 2x tubes, and brake pads. Where you draw the line is a personal thing, and may very well be situational.

10 mile walking guy took his chances; that's his call.

70sSanO

I’m sure rydabent fixed the flat. He’s turned too many wrenches over the years.

Plus, what better setting to lecture than one with a captive audience.

John

Germany_chris

Why does every internet story about expensive bikes say the bikes were $5000. Halo bikes are now 5 digits and you don’t need to work very hard to get 5k in a bike.

SurferRosa

I don't judge the cause of their misfortune. Easier that way to give 'em the Nelson Muntz laugh.

Herzlos

Original weird flex aside, I've always found it odd how most bike retailers (especially the big box ones*) don't supply the bike with a spare tube, or upsell a maintenance bundle. It'd cost them almost nothing extra, but avoid problems like that. Lots of people don't know they'll need them until they do.

I mean, all cars come with either a spare wheel or a repair kit, so I don't see why it'd be so outrageous to do the same for a bike.
I do get that a lot of customers likely refuse, and with a race to the bottom on price it's hard to include a $1 tube and $2 pump.


*Because I assume anyone with a higher end bike will already have stuff, or be advised by the bike shop.

livedarklions

I didn't stop to help someone last weekend, but that was because something about the guy's demeanor seemed to be a bit off and I thought I might get mugged.

seypat

Were there any flowers on the ride, or had they disappeared? I hope the girls didn't pick all of them.

Bald Paul

Torx fasteners (the "star-shaped" ones) aren't proprietary or rare. They have been used for decades in other industries. The through axle removal tool on my bike has a 6mm hex for the axle, and the end is the proper Torx for all other fittings.

Flip Flop Rider

as long as he's out of the way, feel free to have any issue you want

tkamd73 

Was he complaining? He is still getting exercise, even more if it was an eBike.
Tim

Maelochs

First .... "Hey, I see you have a flat---how much did you pay for the bike?"

Yeah ... okay. Sounds legit.

Second---how old was the bike? $5000 five years ago meant something a lot different than $5000 today.

Also .... "I spent all my money of this bike and can't afford a phone." Also, sounds actual ..... sure.

Third---maybe he preferred walking to carrying a bag of stuff?

When will Rydabent ever learn? He already has learned .... as much as he is going to, apparently.

So, Ryda .... would you have helped him if he had been pushing a 'bent?

Mr. Rydabent---I make fun of you because it is fun ... I clown with the clown. But seriously ... superior people, in my experience, don't demean others. it is only inferior people who are awake enough to realize their own inferiority, who think they can look better by denigrating someone else .... because they aren't quite awake enough to see that that just makes them worse.

And in answer to your question---Think about it. Quite possibly this had never happened to this person. And maybe this is that one time he will need to change his preparations. So you are saying, "Why aren't people born with all the knowledge they will ever acquire?"

It's like asking why people need to go to school to learn.

And it is a really dumb question.

Anyway .... bravo for being a richard and leaving him stranded.

I am not very smart but i sure do know that karma comes back on me when I act like a richard.

Say .... next time this happens, do everyone a favor---get the guy to sign up here. Fewer people would be giving you a hard time if the apocryphal "Guy with the $5000 bike" was here telling his side of the story.

It's funny .... I keep wanting a tadpole trike but I just don't feel safe being that low out where I ride ..... but I check on trikes now and then .... and spending $5000 for a good trike is easy. (CARBONTRIKES - Models) (https://www.catrike.com/700) (https://www.catrike.com/dumont)

Anyway .... I thank you for entertaining us .... and here is something else no one gives you credit for: This is not one of your usual six or so stock threads like, "Bikes cost too much," "DF bikes are stupid," "Aliens run the bike industry and are manipulating you to buy bad stuff" and such.

"Rydabent is a bad person" is a totally new one, I think.

(Much respect, and thanks for the humor. Ride on, and keep posting.)