friendly road cyclists
 

So, here I was, coming around the corner on my Domane on the bike path...too fast, and I quite properly clocked the curb, front tire went flat uber fast, arms and legs akimbo, but I managed not to fly off the bike. Hm, reach into the back pack, (I know, rule breaker....) pulled out the repair kit and started to do the repair. A fellow bicyclists stopped by, asked if all was ok, then handed me a spare inner, I thanked him and asked how much, he just smiled and was on his way! From now on I'm carrying two inner tubes in the pack pack or saddle bag, one for me and one for who ever may need one!
Cyclists are the coolest people, I know I am one...:lol:

yea nice of him

I always carry 2 tubes, & make sure fellow cyclist pulled over doing maintenance are ok.
A quick " you/you guys ok, I have tools" is the norm for me.
I may act like a bike snob in the 41, but not in RL.
:lol:

good to know people still care about a fellow stranger

I came across this rider when I was on a 100 mile ride.

http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/h...epairs/WF1.jpg

He was on his 2nd flat no more CO 2 or tubes.

He had called his wife, but wanted to fiinish the ride.

I checked his tire inside and out, found nothing.
Loaned him a tube and a pump. He put the wheel back on the bike.

His wife arrived, he told her he would ride back home.

Followed him and in five miles he had a third flat.

http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/h...irs/c3flt2.jpg

Loaned him my spare tire and another tube.

He made it home and used the spare tire on a 100 mile ride the next day.

I think we're the last of a dying breed.
All the kids/young adults I see(not much younger than me) are not interested. I blame their parents for not instilling the "knowhow" to be polite/caring.
Society has changed from having an adaptive mentality to one that complains first. The whole "Me 1st" attitude.
I'm helpful by nature (thank my mom & grandma), & don't discriminate on who I help.
I still believe "Do onto others..."

I rode in Cycle Oregon this year. I was pretty lucky with mechanicals, but I did have 1 flat during the ride. I think I spent more time telling people that I was ok and had the gear and knowledge to change my own tire than actually changing it.

It was really nice knowing that any of the 30+ cyclists that stopped on the way were generous enough in their time and parts to help me if I needed it. I come over-prepared normally, so the help wasn't needed, but just the mere asking to help me was awesome to experience. I love that kind of community.

Grew thread!

I stop and offer help to all attractive female cyclists.

whether they need it or not? :innocent: :thumb:

Cool, but when I saw "on my Domane" I began to get concerned....

Paying it forward. Its good to know if you give someone a tube or have a flat near the beginning of a ride, that you still have a spare tube if another flat occurs. Giving away your one and only tube near the beginning of your ride wouldn't be a wise move. A quick "are you ok?" is nice to hear.

I don't think courtesy is dead just yet - people will ask nearly every time I have a flat and I do the same - when I was younger I went on a ride and about 7 miles from home had a flat - my spare was dry rotted and my patch kit glue was dead so I started walking. Some dude gave me HIS spare tube, which also turned out to be dry rotted (what are the odds?) and about 3 miles later some fella with a Triathlete Zombies shop jersey on saw my apparent misery and fixed my flat with his bare hands and his spare tube in about 2 min. and was on his way.

it was a tiny little act of kindness on his part but obviously it still resonates with me. :)

I also ask any stranded cyclists I see if they need a hand.

Funny, from the title "Friendly Road Cyclists" I thought this was going to be another "waving" thread.

The guy wasn't a real cyclist. If he was he would've smacked you with his frame bump, yelled at you then dialed it up to 400w and been gone before you even hit the ground.

When I got a flat a month or so ago on Rt 9W (a major training road in New Jersey right across the bridge from NYC) I must have had 20 people ask if I needed help.

That would be the "41" way from how some people talk on here.

Last Saturday I gifted a tire boot to a guy on the side of the road with a cut through the cords of his contact patch. Saw him in the parking lot at the start of this Saturday's ride where he rode over to offer a nice thank you and the info that he got home on it just fine.

Stop for or at least enquire of random cyclists. You don't know when you'll bump into them again. Or, when it may be you on the side of the road and them passing by.

Yeah I was one of those dummies to ask that stupid question.I learned my lesson though,now I'm as snotty as those that lambasted me for asking if they acknowledged other riders.so I make sure I don't ask"what would you buy?"questions.lol

This, however, I stopped carrying two tubes when I started using a smaller saddle bag. If I double flat on a ride, I take that as a sign that I should probably just go home. Which I actually had happened one Saturday morning about 3 miles from home. I think I was asked by about 50 different cyclists if I needed any help.

They might not all wave, but in my experience is they're all quite willing to help and thats a good thing. Bikes really will save the world.

I carry two tubes on any ride (plus a patch kit with unopened glue). It was a habit developed back in the days before kevlar when flats were a lot more common than they are now. Last week I had a flat for the first time in many months. My spare tubes were so old that the first one failed at a seam before I even put the wheel back on the bike. Fortunately, the second one got me home. Maybe it's time for three tubes. Or, better yet, I should just replace my spares before they rot.

Oddly, neither of the cyclists who rode by even looked up (perhaps because it was lunch hour and they didn't have any time to spare), but a grizzled fellow on a gator atv did stop to ask if I had things under control. I've seen him before riding an old mtb to the property he tends near where I flatted, so I guess it was a cyclist who offered assistance after all.

Dang, you're a rolling sag wagon. Nicely done.

Not exactly about one cyclist helping another, but did you hear about the young couple heading to a concert (by car) who stopped to help out a cyclist stopped by the side of the road? Turns out the cyclist was band leader Dave Matthews, out for a pre-concert ride. He'd had a flat with no repair gear and no cell phone. The couple drove him back to (his own) concert, where he upgraded them front row seats, publicly thanked them during the show, and took them out for dinner afterwards.

I'm 25 and have stopped on two occasions this year to help distressed riders, but have also asked others if all was ok if they were stopped.

The first time was an older couple riding a tandem who were on a 60-mile ride in an unfamiliar area. They broke their chain and didn't have a smartphone to find the nearest bike shop. I looked it up while chatting for a few minutes and sent them on by heir way to a shop 2 miles away.

More recently I was riding on the path in Chicago (where I live) and a competent-looking roadie was repairing his tire. Turned out he was in town from Chattanooga, TN for a work conference and brought his bike, which is impressive. He flatted on a tiny piece of gravel, but only had one co2 tube and no frame pump, so I stuck around to make sure he got on his way. I offered my tiny frame pump to at least get the new tube installed properly to avoid a pinch flat with the co2. Then after the co2 I offered my topeak digital PSI gauge, which showed he was at 136. We reduced it down to the rating of 110 and he was on his way.

Maybe this will slightly alter your opinion of young people.

I've only been riding two months and I have only seen once where a cyclist was helping another on the side of the MUP. I would have offer to help but since I was a newbie (still is) with no spare tube, pump, levers or my phone, I couldn't help even if I wanted to. May I also add my lack of knowledge of bike repairs at the time. Since then I have, however, learned how to change a flat and bought a saddle bag with tools and a spare :)