Originally Posted by
ScottCommutes
Has anyone ever helped a stranger with a flat tire or other mechanical issue? Please describe your experience.
I don't mean at an event or group ride or something where the expectations might be different - I mean a total stranger.
Obviously, there are cases where you don't worry about it, perhaps because you are in the city riding to work. Other times, you kind of need to, perhaps miles from civilization when no one else is around.
Also, has anyone been offered help by a good Samaritan? What did you say or do?
i dropped a chain once in a way that seemed impossible to me at the time, and could not be removed without chain pliers, which i didn't have with me.
i was about a half mile from cell service, so i was walking and about 20 cyclists passed (popular route) - just about every single one asked if i needed help, many stopped, but i said it's ok, don't ruin your rides, all good.
a few minutes later when cell service reappeared i walked off the road to a trailhead and a few more people offered help. one rider with a lot of gear said he was sure he could fix it - took a look, agreed that chain pliers were needed, had a pair of tire levers that doubled as them, we broke the chain, rethreaded it, reconnected it, and i was on my way. i switched my multitool for one that has chain pliers after that, but of course the situation has never repeated. my experience cycling in the bay area has been that virtually any time i'm on the side of the road looking like there's trouble, the majority of serious cyclists offer help. i have never in all my time encountered a cyclist in the real world who is as judgemental or caustic as some of the people on this forum!
more recently, a couple years after the above, i was on a local ride and stopped on the side of the road because i wasn't feeling well and could tell my heart rhythm was abnormal. i passed out and when i came to after being shocked by my defibrillator, there was a small crowd of cyclists and walkers gathered helping me. ambulance had been called, bike moved, helmet strap cut and helmet removed, etc. i was pretty shocked (no pun intended!) and had literally eaten/swallowed a ton of dirt from passing out face down in soft soil. when the ambulance came, one cyclist even volunteered to ride home, get his car with a bike rack, and bring my bike home for me.