Well only two days later and I jinked myself. I got stranded this morning for the second time in my cycling life, once again because I didn't have a real pump. I have the thing in the picture below, I bought it at Cycle Gear. I did test it before I started carrying it for my bicycles. Punctured this morning and when I went to air the tire the co2 blew out between the yellow knob and that black plastic piece. At least I think it was there, the co2 blew out with so much force it was hard to see. And yes the knob was fully closed, not open. But yeah we're done with co2. I was lucky and only had to walk a mile and a half home.

I don't care - even if it is a $8 mini-pump from WalMart - but ALL of my bikes have pumps. I have that aforementioned cheap mini-pump on my Miyata 710, and needed it exactly once in six years. No, it won't get the tire up to full pressure (85f/95r), but it will fill it enough to get me to where I can... The Fuji and both Univegas all have full-size frame pumps (all are old-school Zefal HPs). Those WILL get a tire up to 100psi! ALL of my bikes carry a spare tube, tire levers, AND a patch kit in the seat bag, along with a cycling-specific multi-tool.

Never been stranded but have been close a couple of times.

1. In 1992, I was riding a solo camping tour along the Mississippi. About 50 miles into day 3 and more than 200 miles from home, I was getting ready for a big climb out of the the river valley so I dropped down to the small ring. But something went wrong and the chain got wrapped around the freewheel the wrong way and I skidded to a halt. It was a mess and I knew I was in deep sh*t. The rear derailer cage was hyper-extended and bent in toward the wheel and so was the derailer hanger, probably about 30 degrees. The first thing I did was take a piss in the ditch. Then I got out my chain tool to take apart the chain so I could untangle it all. I took the rear derailer off and managed to get the cage back into the correct position but it had a lot of side-to-side play. I then got out a 10" adjustable wrench (I wasn't going to bring it at first - it's not big enough for a threaded headset so what would I even use it for?) and I was able to bend the derailer hanger back with that (thankfully, I was riding steel). Probably had a couple of times of threading the derailer back in to check alignment and taking it back out to bend the hanger back some more. I put everything back together and was able to finish the tour. The indexed shifting was a bit sloppy but it worked.
2. In 2003 I was riding a 200K brevet (intending to qualify for Paris-Brest-Paris). I got to the control at 100K and after getting my card stamped and getting some food and drink, I walked out of the convenience store to find that my rear tire was flat. No problem, I had some spare tubes. But it was when I took the rear wheel out to change the tube that I noticed that the rear axle was broken. The quick release skewer was holding everything together so no bearings flew out or anything. The axle was not broken starting the ride so it must have broken sometime during the first 100K, probably on the railroad tracks we went over about 30 miles eariler. I figured since that I had probably ridden quite a bit with a broken axle, I could probably limp in to the finish on it. So I told the brevet organizer (who was also riding) about it, changed the tube, put the wheel back in making sure to spin the two halves of the axle until it seemed like they were correctly aligned, and started back toward the finish (it was an out-and-back course). I took it pretty slow, especially on any railroad tracks, but managed to finish within the time limit.

Sure I have. Nothing memorable but even though I carry spare parts and tools for which the need is reasonably foreseeable on that particular type of ride, sometimes you forget or you're in a hurry or whatever. I've always been lucky that I'm in cell phone range.

Everything I carry is probably because I needed it and didn't have it at one point, especially on my gravel bike, so that includes a chain tool and spare quicklinks, spare tubes, a boot kit, spoke wrench, valve core tool, etc. More often than not I end up using to help others.

For gravel rides that are long enough where I take my hydration pack in addition to my bottles (so anything >50 miles) I also have a small first aid kit that I stuff in the hydro pack. A few years ago I wiped out on a nasty descent on a minimum maintenance road about 40 miles from my house and tore the everliving crap out of the palm of my hands. It wasn't a serious injury but it sure made grabbing the handlebars very painful and messy.

I stopped at the next farmhouse that I came across where someone was actually home and was able to get some makeshift bandaging around the palm of my hands that was sufficient to get to the next town, about 15 miles away, and grab some gauze and bandages at a gas station. Then I was able to limp the next ~20 miles home.

So that's when I started carrying a first aid kit.

been stranded when the cable frays are not caught & times its failure with a wrecking shift.

learned the hard way not to drop a small overboard's anchor on the beach w/ an outgoing tide & strong wind. got blown up on a beach, a good distance from the rental pier, & couldn't get it off against the wind. wound up waiting till high tide came in. a long time. even then, against the wind, was still tricky. the ride back was almost worse. gotta remind myself not to go boating on windy days. we got back & the rental ppl said, after we left, early in the morning, they wouldn't rent to anyone else, due to the wind. said it wasn't safe. my kids (young teens at the time) will never let me forget the stranding, or the terrifying ride back to the pier

I also got stranded on water in my windsurfing days. It can be much more scary, death becomes a feasible outcome.

On the bike nothing much .. a couple 5+ mile walks, calling for pick-up a couple times, etc. It's sooooo much more pleasant when there is dry land everywhere!

I do carry plenty of stuff when on longer rides for tire repairs.. tube, pump, patch kit, tire boot, Stans darts and Dyna-plugs. Plus a multi-tool with a chain breaker. I don't bother with CO2: shoot your wad and you are toast.

Was very close again today, but managed to make it home. Was on a group ride near my house (I had ridden to the start) and I had a front flat at about 17 miles. No problem, I had two spare tubes. After checking the inside of the tire with my fingers and finding nothing, I put a spare tube in, but it wouldn't even start to inflate. I checked my frame pump and it was working fine. I took the spare tube back out and tried pumping it up, and sure enough, it wouldn't hold any air. I did another tactile inspection of the inside of the tire and again didn't feel anything so I got out my second spare tube and first pumped it up a bit before putting it in. It held air so I put it in, pumped up the tire which held, and we continued riding. But after about 8 miles, the front started to slowly go flat. Since it was a slow leak, I convinced the rest of the group to continue and I headed toward home. But the tube held air only for another mile or so and would not hold any more when I tried to pump it up. So I tried to put all three flat tubes into my front tire but I just couldn't squeeze all three in there. I did get two in, but I'm not sure that made any difference. I rode about 8 miles at about 8-10 mph on the flat front tire to get home. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.

After a shower and a beer, I brought the wheel down to my basement shop and did another tactile inspection but still didn't feel anything. Then I did a thorough visual inspection with good lighting and found the very thin steel wire that was protruding into the tire.

I got a flat tire on a mountain bike trail during 100 degrees Fahrenheit heat and ran out of water far from the beginning or end of the trail.

A self tapper tried to ruin today's windy wet ride. The rotating tire with the metal head tapping only a few times before I could come to a stop revealed the self tapper with just it's gnarly tip going in for the win. That was cut short when I left handedly backed it out with a slight tug. Victory is mines!

Hmm. I carry 3 CO2. Maybe since I always ride with a handlebar bag, I will throw 3 more in.

About ten miles out in Upper Bidwell Park, Chico, CA. Got a flat so bad I couldn’t patch it. It was a long walk home!

Once had a saddle assembly come loose on a wooden bridge and the parts fell into the river below.
Felt like a total doofus as other riders saw what happened and unlike helping with a flat, most cyclists do not keep spare saddle parts.

So, wearing SPD cleats, I had a nice walk for a few miles until I could reach someone for a ride.
Otherwise, I was riding w/o a saddle or walking for about 20 miles.

I joined the 21st Century and now carry a smart phone with Uber and Lyft apps just in case.

2 times, once before I was as prepared as I am now I had a double pinch flat and then one other time when I went over my bars and had my brake lever puncture my left thigh.
Now I carry this and then some.

^ re: the thigh wound. You could use the long hex key plus the thinner tube as a tourniquet. Yay!

Freehub stopped engaging the end of 2nd day of a 4 day tour. Luckily it was my wife's day off and it only took her a few hours to get to me with the car. I had time to walk to the next town and have a couple drinks at a bar waiting on her.

oh man, that blows. I have an inflator I've used many times & I'll provide a link, in case you can be tempted back. I use schrader valves but it is supposed to work w/ Presta as well. BUT I also carry a small pump just in case. I also carry several co2 cartridges, cuz, well multiple flats ...

Genuine Innovations Air Chuck Elite CO2 Inflator

IDK if anything I have experienced on a bicycle could be considered "stranded" in that I have never been so far out that I didn't expect to see other people. I have been lost. I have had to walk a couple of miles over a flat (and completely agree that I carry a pump with on every bike ride).

I lost a saddle due to similar situation. I was just in my teens & had decided to take a super long trek. I knew I couldn't ride home standing the whole way. as it was, I was 2 hrs from home. I called my Mom

Had a crankarm loosen up and then completely fail 50 miles from home. Wife drove 100 miles round-trip to fetch me. She was 100% a good sport about it.

Precisely why I have separate fully equipped seat bags, and a pump, on every bike I ride. I'm not smart enough to remember to switch....


Does breaking an arm count as being "stranded"? If it does, that's the only time I've been stranded. That was March of last year. I wasn't paying close enough attention to the road. Was going up a hill hit a rock and went straight down and shattered my wrist. The spousal unit came to pick me up and took me to the emergency room. Plates, screws, pins and a year of rehab and I'm back on the bike riding 50 to 80 miles a week.

Never lose focus or take your eyes off the road. Never.


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Yep. Once. And that was enough. It was only about a 3 or 4 mile walk but it was enough. Now I've got the spare tube, patches, wrenches and the rest. I went with the CO2 option too...

I chose this model because it's all metal and less subject to breaking (I think)

Screw U….!

I called my local AAA club and, indeed, they will cover up to a 100 mile "tow" with the Plus membership. Then I found out that the AAA club in the neighboring county, where I ride frequently, only covers 10 miles, regardless of membership level. My local club said they would reimburse me for any charge from another AAA club.

I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that you will need to have your AAA card with you. I used to order a spare card to keep in my saddle bag, but now I just use the AAA phone app to store my card there.

Although its nice to know this is available, I worry about how long you would have to wait to get rescued. Plus, I ride off-road a lot and can sometimes be miles from the nearest road. And is the guy with the tow truck going to insist he hang my bike on the hook?

Yup, hang it on the hook like a dead piece of meat. Interesting that there are different criteria in different counties. If necessary, when you call, just order the off-road tow truck!

Oh, one more app to consider.