Tell me your ride stories
 

I went for my usual Saturday morning ride yesterday. It started out OK, but about 10 miles into my ride I had this real sinking feeling. I stopped and saw that I was riding on the rim on my back tire. Yes, I had a flat. So I pushed my bike up the road a couple of blocks to a little coffee shop where I know other riders often hang out. There was one lady there, leaning on her bike and talking on the phone. I asked her if I could use her tire pump and she gladly loaned it to me. I pumped air into the tire and it came out as fast as it went in. So I called my wife and she came and rescued me by taking me to the LBS. I had run ove a good sized peice of glass and it not only punctured my inner tube, it slashed my tire as well. $37 later I was back on the road. It shortened my ride by a considerable amount, but all in all I had a good time. (And soon after I got home it started to rain) Guess I need to get a spare tire and repair kit and pump.

Couple of tricks to "Get you home" if you have tire damage.

Boot the tire with a dollar bill, folded and laid in side the tire over the slash,and either patch or replace the tube. That'll get you home, either that or the high tech tool of the 20th century, Duct Tape laid inside the tire as a boot patch! (I actually carry a little bit in my bag as well as tube, patch kit as well in case of a second flat). I agree 100% on the pump......don't get one of those "canned air" cannisters, every time I've needed them, they]ve leaked out in my bag!:eek:

Now, for pictures from OUR ride this morning:

http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o...aLunarTour.jpg

I'll tell you what happen to me once. I was out riding the Little Miami River trail here in Ohio one day on my mountain bike and had my back tire go flat on me. Ofcourse I had all my breakdown stuff with me, then when I took the rear skewer out I forgot to put the little nut back on the skewer rod. When I was putting everything back together I realized that I was missing that little nut, it was somewhere in the grass where I laided everything together. I'm telling you I was going nuts trying to find that little nut in all that grass where I changed my intertub with people riding by and asking me what I was looking for. This must've went on for over an hour me looking though every blade of grass for that little not, trust me I felt like a fool. Knowing that I was only about 3 miles from the nearest town I was preparing myself to carry my bike down the bikeway with the bike on my left shoulder and the rear wheel in my right hand. Then I just noticed a group of about 5 recumbents coming down the bikeway, they all stoped ofcourse and asked the same thing as everyone did for over an hour. Then I noticed out of the corner of my eye one of the older guys got off his recumbent and started going though his rear pannier. Then he walked up to me and said is this what you need, I'm telling you I almost broke down crying I thanked him over and over again. Then all he said just be sure to help others when they breakdown, and everytime I see someone on the side of the bikeway I always stop and make sure their alright. To this day I still wonder what ever happen to that skewer nut, all I know I must've steped on it and mashed into the ground. Now I always carry a couple extra nuts with me, and I always make sure that I screw that little nut back on the skewer when I take off either wheel. I hope that the guy that helped me that day reads this someday. That was a leason well learned, always help others in need.

Thak you so much, I will never forget you

That's a great story, with a moral: Always stop and help your fellow biker. You never know when you might need help yourself.
It's also interesting to note that the people who stopped to help were 'bent riders. Do you think a roady would have done that?

Come to think of it not a single roady did stop, they were in their own little world.

They were too busy staring at the ground to notice you :rolleyes: