A lesson leanred
 

Yesterday after work I picked up my bike from the shop. It was in for its free tune up and since it was there, I had them put new tires on. Installation was free do I figured what the heck. I had a set of Kenda Cross plus in the 26 x 1.95 put on along with purchasing a couple tubes and one of those neato "quick stick" tire levers. Excited to hit the road and test out my new rubber I leave for what was originally going to be a quick ride to the park and back. I filled my water bottle up and headed out into the 92 degree weather with humidity somewhere near 10 billion.

I get to the park and do a lap around the place averaging a good 2 to 3 mph faster than usual. I was having a blast so instead of turning back to go home I figured I would go for a bit longer ride down the street, not too much further (or so I thought). I keep on going past two different places I said I would turn around at. I'm now just past where the map says camp hill by the red line and I hear a dreadful wooshhh noise coming from the rear tire. No problem I think, I'm prepared with my patch kit, pump, and new levers, I'll be back on the road in no time...wait a minute...my trunk bag is not attached to my bicycle...no patches, no tube, no leavers, no wallet, no cellphone...oh crap. :eek: 7 miles on a brand new set of tires and sure enough I put a wire right through the thick part of the tread. I live alone and have no family within a 5 hour driving radius. Assuming someone would let me use their phone, I wouldn't know who to call and frankly I don't know anyone's phone number. Its all saved in my cell phone so I never actually dial them. So I start walking home carrying the bike literally on my back (didn't want to risk shredding the tube or messing up the tire so I didn't push it at all) thinking maybe a cop or a good Samaritan would stop and ask if I need a ride. Sure enough not a damn person stopped even when I attempted to flag down a ride. Now that I think about it from the samaritans point of view, a 240lb guy who doesn't have the sense to realize the bike goes underneath his fat ass is probably not the best person to pick up and ask where he's going.

I did the map my ride thing but couldn't figure out how to save it and share, so I did the Ctrl+Print Screen and pasted it in Paint. It cut out the total distance of the ride, it was 12.09 miles, but it gave me the chance to pencil in a red line from when I started walking, and a green line from where I ran out of water.

http://img253.imageshack.us/img253/8890/routeua1.png

So all in all, yesterday I rode my bike 7.2 miles and my bike rode me 4.89 miles. I did however get to use that quick stick, it worked much better than a flat head screwdriver.

Lesson(s) Learned
Double check that you have your tools with you before you leave no matter how short the trip is planned to be.
Carry cash for cab fare should you need it.
Have your cell phone or at least a list of phone numbers should you be like me and not know them.

Good lesson! Been there myself, by the way, it happens.

If I lived in your area, I'd give you my cell # for emergencies, but I'm in Indiana.

Sounds like quite a ride/walk.

To share a route, you can save it as a public route and then give everyone a link to your profile, such as: http://www.mapmyride.com/user_profil...me=piper_chuck. Of course you'll also have to tell people which ride you were talking about.

Or, from your profile, you can copy a link to a specific ride, such as: http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united...boro/694893792 which is the ride I did last night, plus 2 miles on the road in my neighborhood, which doesn't show up on any online maps yet.

Yeah, certainly was quite the ride. Did I do the right thing by carrying the bike or would it have been alright to push with a completely flat rear? Seems to me like doing so would be a good way to further damage the tube, possibly damage the tires bead, and booger up the rim as it would be taking the bumps and jars from the hike.

I pushed mine in a simular situation - no ill effects as far as I could see. Mines a MTB with some pretty sturdy rims though.

Walking a bike with a flat is OK. It's when you weight it the damage occurrs.

So I had something similar happen, I was only 4 miles from home but my wife and family were all gone for the day, I had my cell phone but no one to call. I had my tools and everything I put the new tube in and started to pump it up and Broke the valve stem off of the tube. Now that sucked and it was a long 4 mile walk back home.

Since then I got a different pump that doesn't put stress on the stem. I also carry two tubes and patches along with my tools. The lesson sucks but if you learn from it then it can at least be a good outcome :).

I had a 6+ mile stranded from home because of flat without patchkit/tube scenario. I stuffed the tire full of leaves/grass/foliage and rode it home. Worked okay, and no additional damage.

Since then I swallow a patch kit every morning when I wake up so I can produce one in an emergency if I forget my tool bag.