ParkingTheBus

One of my biggest fears... Imagine being 80 km away from home and something breaks on your bike... Something out of your control like a broken spoke or a busted derallieur... What do you do?

Oldhead

Call someone to come get you?

BoSoxYacht

I've had a few rides end with an ambulance/life-flight, but only one that I can remember that was a mechanical failure that required a phone call for help. Even that one time I called for help, I was only 100 yards from a bike shop that would have given me the spoke and tools to get rolling again. At the time I was about a mile from a cyclist friend's house. He met me at a bar nearby, and took me home(about 6 miles).

Dunbar

I got a flat and a few weeks ago and didn't have the right tubes to work with my valve extenders (I had recently installed carbon clinchers). Took 10 minutes for my Uber XL to get to me. It was around a 30 minute drive in traffic. Cost me $40 plus I had to bin a fairly new $40 GP4000S II tire and $10 tube due to a sidewall slash. That was an expensive flat.

I could've called a friend but didn't want to wait 45 minutes plus chance my bike not fitting in her car.

rpenmanparker 

It's a rare broken spoke that you can't work around to get home on the bike. I've had a lot of broken spokes over the last 32 years, but never had I had to bag the ride. Carry a spoke wrench for spoke balancing in addition to your Allens for opening up the brakes.

LesterOfPuppets

Sometimes I go ride with absolutely nothing but a couple of bucks. For those rides, I stay on the buslines.

I've also taken the train home on a failed century attempt. Hit about 60 mile mark and said screw this, I'm going back home. Noticed that the Amtrak which takes unboxed bikes was due in about an hour and a half. Bought a ticket on my phone, got some fishnchips on the way to the station and cruised home in comfort!

alexaschwanden

I had my 9 speed cassette break, the clutch and pawns inside blow up in to a million pieces. I had to walk the bike 10 miles or 3.5 hours in spd's. It only had 2,000 miles on it.

Wingsprint

Yikes!

TheManShow

This is when you seperate acquaintances from friends.

jimincalif

Not yet. Depends where you ride of course. Out of cell phone range? And whether or not you have a spouse, significant other or friends around who are willing. Or Uber maybe?

But bikes are pretty reliable if maintained. Losing a spoke - often you can open the brake and gingerly ride with a bit of a wobble. Only if the wheel rubs the frame is it a show stopper. And with a spoke wrench (part of a multi-tool) you may be able to adjust the remaining spokes to keep it off the frame.

Derailleur breaks? If you have a multi-tool with a chain tool on it you could shorten the chain to take the derailleur out of the loop and ride it home as a single speed. Carry a KMC missing link too.

I bent my front rim in a quick stop 40 years ago riding to high school. I was able to lay the bike on the ground and stand on/stomp the rim straight enough to (slowly) ride home.

Sorts of things that require a ride - frame or fork failure, serious wheel damage that it won't roll, a tire damaged so badly it can't be booted, a spinning freehub or a crank/pedal failure. Fortunately pretty rare and hopefully all you need is a ride and not an ambulance!

LesterOfPuppets

Hey, coulda been worse, had you been wearing road shoes!

BoSoxYacht

I'm very close to $1,000,000 in medical bills since 12/10/10, and I lost about 18 months of real income.

Both wrecks were within 5 miles of home(one was exactly 1 mile).

Goriot

One ride about 8-9yrs ago now, I foolishly took no spare tube, no patch kit, no phone. Of course I blew a flat about 50km away from home on rural streets. Luckily a nice driver (who turned out to be a rider too) picked me up and drove me closer to home. It was embarrassing.
Since then, I'm generally prepared when I ride (at minimum a phone!) and never ran into issues, knock on wood (heading on a ride shortly) c'est la vie.

TheManShow

Hope you have good legal representation.

Nachoman

or good health insurance.

Jiggle

I thumb a ride.

CafeVelo

Who hasn't been stranded? I snapped a crank on Sunday. I've also been stuck due to a crash and a broken derailer. I once rode about 50 miles with a broken hanger sleeve that made the derailer drag on the cassette. It was loud and I couldn't backpedal

02Giant 

If it happens again, tie a knot in the tube at the puncture, it works wonders.

GlennR

Luckily (or unluckily) I live on Long Island, so there's no place where I can't have a cab pick me up and take me home. So i carry $60 JIC a friend is not available.

Closest i've come is 35 miles with the replacement tube bulging out of a cut in the tire.

ParkingTheBus

This made me laugh. I did this once as I was too tired. Luckily the buses here have bike racks.

I got stranded the other day and had to call Uber. Luckily I had a 20$ voucher from a friend

Machka 

If it is a broken spoke ... I would just keep riding.

marquhar

The only 2 times I was stranded was due to tire destruction - destroyed by razor blades or finishing screws. I now slip a folding tire down the back of my jersey on rides that go more than 15 miles away from home.

BoSoxYacht

yes.

One wreck involved a motorist, the other was caused by a crosswind.

The wreck involving a motorist was covered by the motorist's insurance.

TrojanHorse

I got stranded about 7 miles from home up a lightly traveled bike path loaded with flat hazards... took my tube out, replaced it and the spare had dry rotted. Tried patching the tube, glue was dry. Took my shoes off and started walking... some kind gent (3 miles later) offered me a spare tube. I gratefully accepted, installed it... also dry rotted. Walked another two miles, and ANOTHER kind gent saw how miserable I was, whipped the wheel & tire off bare handed, installed his spare, refused cash and took off. About 5 minutes worth. (A tri guy too. )

It happens.

Willbird

Spinning cassette I have read you can tie the biggest cog to the spokes (maybe use zip ties ?) and make a non coasting go of it ?