Don't count on a guy for help!

[Grits]

I went on a ride yesterday with my usual riding buddies, 2 other ladies. We invited this guy to go along that has a road bike and has told us he wants to get back into riding. He has gone with us once before on a ride.

Soo, we wait about 10 minutes for him to show. Finally he does. We get about 8 miles into our ride, and he has a flat.

He has NOTHING! No tube, no pump, no nothing. He has never changed a tire.

So, everyone going by got to see the three of us chicks changing a tire while the big, strong buy stands there looking helpless:D

I guess his plan is just to call for help whenever he has a flat.

[txred9876]

I went on a ride yesterday with my usual riding buddies, 2 other ladies. We invited this guy to go along that has a road bike and has told us he wants to get back into riding. He has gone with us once before on a ride.

Soo, we wait about 10 minutes for him to show. Finally he does. We get about 8 miles into our ride, and he has a flat.

He has NOTHING! No tube, no pump, no nothing. He has never changed a tire.

So, everyone going by got to see the three of us chicks changing a tire while the big, strong buy stands there looking helpless:D

I guess his plan is just to call for help whenever he has a flat.

It never fails to amaze...... to bad some of his buddies din't see him along side the road! Where was the camera when you need one!

[redrhodie]

I don't think it's a gender thing, it just sounds like he's new. I went without everything I needed for a flat until I had one on the road.

[Skierchickie]

I guess his plan is just to call for help whenever he has a flat.

I actually have a female friend who does just that - carries her cell phone and calls her husband to come and get her if she has a flat.:rolleyes: If she lived close enough that we rode together, I'd have an overwhelming urge to teach her a thing or two. So I can't judge this guy more harshly for it just because he's a guy. Especially if he doesn't ride much. I bet he'll know how the next time!

+1, Redrhodie

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Yeah, I agree. I know newbie women riders like this too- flats?- what are those?

[Biciclista]

true confessions time
the only time I fixed a flat it didn't take. A coworker helped me fix it.
I carry everything I need to fix a flat, so I AM prepared, but so far, my DH
has done the dirty work.

[Blueberry]

I carried the "goods" long before I had any clue how to use them.

I've been blessed not to have many flats, and almost all near home (like rolling into my driveway). My first real "field test" was when I was in San Diego on vacation. I had the rental car keys, DH was in a seminar all day into the evening, and I went to ride Coronado. I flatted on the rear of my Friday (little tires can be wicked hard to change - I had always struggled with them at home) in front of the Naval Air Station. Not one soul offered to help even though LOTS walked by (I was right in front). Lots of cyclists passed too. However, I managed to get the tube changed, everything back together, and still make the ferry. There wasn't another option to get back to the hotel. At least I know I can do it:) And if I had waited for someone to help, I suspect it would have been a long wait...

[malkin]

I carry a patch kit and a tube and a pump, but often I don't have the right glasses, which makes me pretty helpless.

[Mr. Bloom]

Men are worthless:rolleyes::rolleyes:

That Y chromosone just keeps them from seeing clearly - they're always asking Ynot;)

[jobob]

Hee hee -

Well the fact that you folks carry the necessary supplies shows that you mean well. :)

To be honest, when I'm riding w my husband & I get a flat he usually ends up changing it because he gets too impatient waiting for slowpoke me to change it. :rolleyes:

(heh, works like a charm ...:cool:)

[OakLeaf]

My experience riding with a group of guys is that they will have my tire off and CO2 inflaters at the ready before I've even got my spare tube and my own inflater out of my seat pack.

And they will put my tire on backwards. :rolleyes:

They mean well. :p

[sundial]

I'm the flat fixer in my group. Guess smaller fingers are more nimble and quick.

[txred9876]

I am very new and did lots of research (this site is great) on what to have/not have ect... I carry everything and had to change one flat already. My husband does not ride and he told me if I planned to ride I needed to learn to take care of it myself!!!

I guess I never go into anything with rose colored glasses.....LOL

Tina

.... I not only had to do my first flat but the next day I was topping off the tire pressure and these two young boys came up and asked me for help to inflate their tire... someone had deliberatly deflated it. It was too funny.... I showed them the RIGHT way to do it and they said thank you at least 20 times......

[smurfalicious]

Yep, I was a supply packing fool before I even knew what to do either. I did flat on my first voyage on Candy and since I had no clue to work around my lack of quick release so I angrily hoofed it two miles home rolling her on her back wheel. Wow she got heavy fast!

When I was mountain biking my boyfriend made his son practice changing flats for racing so I joined in. I was good with the MTB, almost fast, but road tires are my nemesis.

Similar story, when I did the Tour de Cure this guy a little bit ahead of me pulled over with a flat maybe two miles in. His buddy pulled over with him and neither had any gear. Mind you we were on the metric century route so I have to imagine they weren't green as frogs. So I stop to help them and start handing them a tube (I brought two prepared for worst case scenario), levers, frame pump. They both fiddled around for a while until it became 100% clear neither had a clue where to even start. Okay, you can't change it, but look at it for a minute and figure out how to remove it at least.

I was getting a little panicky because I already left towards the back of the pack and I didn't want to freak out, kill myself trying to rejoin the pack and burn out before I got to the big climb. Fortunately the SAG came along and helped them out. SAG gave him a tube and I was reunited with my long valve stem tube. Good thing because SAG wasn't carrying any. I didn't end up needing either, but felt better having both.

[solobiker]

Hee hee -

Well the fact that you folks carry the necessary supplies shows that you mean well. :)

To be honest, when I'm riding w my husband & I get a flat he usually ends up changing it because he gets too impatient waiting for slowpoke me to change it. :rolleyes:

(heh, works like a charm ...:cool:)

Sounds just like me. LOL. Thanks for the laugh, I needed one today.

[jesvetmed]

I flatted on our group ride the other night -- it was getting late and we were losing the sunlight. I pulled off the tire and got out the tube, and when I turned around, one of the older men in the group basically took over. I have to say, he was FAST at it (I would have been quite slow, as I haven't had to change one in over 9 months), but it was still a little weird just to have him take over. Maybe that is what he's used to having to do. Maybe he just wanted to get home before dark! ;)

[yetigooch]

I stopped to help out a fellow rider a few weeks back when she flatted on the road. She looked like she knew what she was doing but couldn't get the tube to inflate. I checked her CO2 cartridge and it was used and empty (her husband gave it to her and said it was still good). I used one of mine to get her back on the road. (lesson: always have new cartridges).

[jobob]

but it was still a little weird just to have him take over.
Yeah, it would have been nice of him to ask, yeesh.

Oh well, maybe he's used to being "the one who fixes the flats" on the rides, with the men as well as with the women, so maybe he's just gotten out of the habit of asking.

[preachy time]
FWIW though, I can't stress the importance of being able to fix your own flat (even if you are kind of slow at it, like me ! :D ) because you never know when you'll be stuck in Outer Slobovia without anyone to help you out, and out of cell phone range. Just sayin'.
[/preachy time]

[smurfalicious]

I checked her CO2 cartridge and it was used and empty (her husband gave it to her and said it was still good). I used one of mine to get her back on the road. (lesson: always have new cartridges).

Or you can rock one of these and be doubly sure you get home:

http://www.genuineinnovations.com/bikeprods.aspx?prodid=1092

I love mine, mounts under the bottle cage, tiny, light, aw-haw-some. Best investment I never want to use. :D

[Christopher]

Usually I ride on my own, for various reasons. Over the years I've been stranded about six times, three times with sidewall blowouts and three times with broken pumps. Lessons learnt: don't buy cheap pumps, align brakeblocks so they don't rub on the tyre :rolleyes: and, like, change the tyre when the innertube starts poking through...

Happily every time I was either able to walk home, to the nearest train station or beg the use of a pump from a passing cyclist. Current pump is a fat-barreled mini pump, think it's a Topeak something, it has been used so much all the decals have rubbed off but it will go to 90psi and has been very reliable so far...

[lph]

Even though I consider myself pretty handy, my dh is the one that's really mechanically inclined, and will happily spend hours disassembling his mtb just to see how it works.

So it was a sweet moment when the following occurred the other day: my dh asked to borrow my road bike to go ride with a roadie colleague, I was helping him get out of the door in a hurry and pump up the tires, and the front tube blew. He was already late and about to call off the whole thing when I just told him "CALL your friend! Tell him you'll be 5 minutes late. I'll fix it!" and his jaw literally dropped as he saw how fast I switched the tube :D

A little practice on road tires goes a long way!

[Crankin]

Even though I know how to change a flat, I live in fear of it. I barely ride by myself, so I don't worry. No lectures, please. I have the equipment and I *could* do it, but I don't want it to happen.
I have only had 2 flats on the road in 8 years. One was during a century (it was the tire, not the tube) and one was an actual blow out. My husband did both of those. The other two occurred in my driveway or in the house. I changed those, but painfully. My issue is putting the rear wheel back on. Yes, I have practiced and I know the "tricks," but it is really freakin' hard for me. I actually hurt my back when I was balancing the bike in one hand and trying to get the deurailleur /chain lined up. I am better at it now, but still.
I have not been able to deal with the V brakes on my Jamis. I can't get that little wire back in, no matter how much I try. So, if I have a flat, I'm dead there...

[Mr. Bloom]

Even though I know how to change a flat, I live in fear of it.

I don't fear it, I simply don't enjoy doing it.

That's partly why I'm fanatical about checking and maintaining my air pressure.

If we were on the road, I wouldn't think of changing a flat for Silver...she enjoys the challenge of seeing how fast she could do it - besides, I might get my hands dirty:rolleyes:;)

[pinkbikes]

I must admit I am the tyre changer in most groups I ride with. At work people bring in their wheels and tyres to me and look sort of helplessly at me when they want them changed from MTB tyres to slicks (or vice versa).:o I figure I don't mind doing it because it keeps me quick and handy at it since I don't really seem to get that many myself (running out to find some wood to touch as I type this:D) and can use the practice. I have taught quite a few girlfriends how to change tyres/tubes although I am quite pedantic and like to use powder and take the time to check whether there is anything left in the tyre that might cause another puncture.

This is because every time I have had a puncture while out with DH (who is a big guy and has possibly the worst luck with punctures that I have EVER seen) he stands there and "helps" by saying things like... "you need to use tyre levers?" and "why check, whatever's caused it is probably long gone?" and "hang on - I've probably got a sundial/calendar to time you?" and generally pesters me until I don't check what caused the flat and then end up with another within minutes as the small bit of glass left in the tyre shreds my new tube!:(

But at least he has had plenty of practice changing flats himself (since he doesn't like to check the tyres if he gets a flat while he's out!!:))

Possibly the worst case of male tyre changing incompetence I have seen though was on a metric century last year. The list to all riders clearly identified the need to have the wherewithal to change a flat and suggested that you know how to use it so you could be self-sufficient.

At the first drink stop some bloke came in all steamed up and ploughed past the entry gate, jumped on the brakes and slammed into the back of my bike as I as leaving the exit gate. With my rear derailleur hanger looking somewhat bent I had a bunch of no gears and went back into the drink station to visit with the bike mechanic who had a van there to see if my ride was over or there might be something they could do.

Entertainingly, I had to wait while the lovely female mechanic changed the flat for the bloke in front of me, providing the tube he hadn't brought and the know-how he didn't have, despite owning a VERY high-end bike! Obviously he has a small slave to run along behind him most of the time to carry tubes and change them for him? Perhaps he calls a cab and pays with his platinum Amex? All the gear but NO IDEA!:confused::D

PS: Cheryl, the delightful mechanic had a hanger straightener and in less time than it took for her to say "what a gumby" she had it straight, adjusted and I was back on my way! FANTASTIC!

[redrhodie]

PS: Cheryl, the delightful mechanic had a hanger straightener and in less time than it took for her to say "what a gumby" she had it straight, adjusted and I was back on my way! FANTASTIC!

What a gumby!? I love that! I'll be saying that quite often, I'm sure.

[Crankin]

I agree with Mr. S. I do check my tire pressure obsessively before just about every ride and keep those tires pumped. I don't mind getting dirty, either. I just am mechanically challenged. One of my proudest moments was when I was riding with Denise G. and she had a flat on her Friday. She could not get the tire back on the rim, no way. I took the tire from her and had it on in a second...

I laughed at that image of a little guy running behind a rider, ready to change a flat. I don't think it sounds so bad... I once read about a sort of Triple A for bikes, but don't remember the details.
I did have to call a taxi once, but there were 4 of us and it was a case of torrential rain and thunder/lightning and being 30 miles from our cars.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

What a gumby!? I love that! I'll be saying that quite often, I'm sure.

Reminds me of my formica top banjo...
http://dulcimer-noter-drone.blogspot.com/2009/03/thats-some-banjo.html

[Biciclista]

Or you can rock one of these and be doubly sure you get home:

http://www.genuineinnovations.com/bikeprods.aspx?prodid=1092

I love mine, mounts under the bottle cage, tiny, light, aw-haw-some. Best investment I never want to use. :D

there's no way i'm going to carry around compressed gas bottles. I don't have any trouble pumping air with my road morph. what do you do when you run out of gas cartridges? then you're stuck. My road morph is good for thousands of flats.

and yes, we've seen guys taking over fixing flats even for other guys for the above stated reason. They were tired and wanted to go home.

[Andrea]

Stupidity knows no gender.

[redrhodie]

there's no way i'm going to carry around compressed gas bottles. I don't have any trouble pumping air with my road morph. what do you do when you run out of gas cartridges? then you're stuck. My road morph is good for thousands of flats.


How many tubes do you carry?

[jobob]

I'm not Mimi, but I always carry one tube with me.

Two, if it's one of those potential Outer Slobovia rides. :cool:

[Biciclista]

TWO tubes, a patch kit, a rubber glove, a multi tool, a road morph, and some tire levers. forgot the name of the levers.

[Crankin]

Well, there's no way to put the Road Morph on my frame. I did have it precariously on my Trek 5200, so it's not so much the carbon, but the size of my bike. I carry two tubes and two cartridges. If I am on a long ride, there are other people around, who have other stuff, too. If I am doing a metric, etc. I might stick 3 tubes in my bag. Carrying the cartridges is easy and we have never had an issue with them (dh had to use one on Sunday). We save the used ones and recycle them on hazardous waste recycling day, but it hasn't been more than 1-3 in the last couple of years, for both of us.

[Karma007]

I have all the gear, and even took a class at REI on how to do it, but haven't had to do it. I know my tire is incredibly tight and could get as far as putting the tire back on, but don't know if I have the strength to do it.

[jobob]

That's when you practice changing your tire in the comfort of your garage or backyard.

And have an appropriately rewarding beverage or snack awaiting you afterwards. :D

[Biciclista]

Yeah, Tofu, that's another thing. I've seen my DH struggle with the tires on my bike. I have no idea why they are so tight, but they are.

[OakLeaf]

One tube and a patch kit.

Two CO2 cylinders and a mini-pump which (1) is great for getting a tube seated in the tire regardless of how I plan to do the final inflation; and (2) will do the whole job - very slowly but adequately - if I'm out of CO2.

Most of us remember "back in the day" when you carried a frame pump and a patch kit and that was it. Spare tubes and CO2 are a convenience when you're by yourself. When you're riding with a group, it's simply polite to carry what you need to get back on the road as quickly as possible. IMO of course.


... Why do you have to put a *used* cartridge in hazmat? It's empty, only ever contained gas. I recycle mine with the regular metals? Or do you mean the tubes? How many patches does a tube get before it's toast? (Most of mine have two. This is an honest question... I figure by the time they get four or so I should think about new ones?)

[SadieKate]

To be honest, when I'm riding w my husband & I get a flat he usually ends up changing it because he gets too impatient waiting for slowpoke me to change it. :rolleyes:

(heh, works like a charm ...:cool:)Ah ha! Now, I know why you sit down to fix a flat.

I wish I had a copy of V's photo to post but I can enjoy what I thought was just your leisurely fixitude every September on my calendar. :p

[Pedal Wench]

My issue is putting the rear wheel back on. Yes, I have practiced and I know the "tricks," but it is really freakin' hard for me. I actually hurt my back when I was balancing the bike in one hand and trying to get the deurailleur /chain lined up. I am better at it now, but still.


I flip my bike upside down. It's easier for me to get the rear tire in and out, and it keep the frame and chain from lying on the ground.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I carry 1 new tube, 1 patch kit (with several patches), 2 levers in case I really need them, and a mini pump. That's all I need. Oh, and always have a dollar bill to use as a boot if you get a small tear in your tire. I'm cheap- I usually tear the end flap off the tube box and throw it in my saddle bag just for that purpose.

[Blueberry]

For local rides (<30 miles, near home), I carry 1 tube and a patch kit (plus a mini tool, road morph pump and pedros tire levers). For longer rides (80+) and rides out of town, I'll have 2 tubes (3 if its my Friday) + all of the above stuff. I have actually needed 2 tubes on a ride (had a defective batch in San Diego and had 2 blow at the valve stem, where they could not be patched).

CA

[Biciclista]

Oh, and always have a dollar bill to use as a boot if you get a small tear in your tire. I'm cheap.
Raleighdon uses 20 dollar bills, he's a highrolling big spender :D:(

[sundial]

TWO tubes, a patch kit, a rubber glove, a multi tool, a road morph, and some tire levers. forgot the name of the levers.

About the same for me. My seat bag weighs about 2 lbs. :o

[ZenSojourner]

I carry 2 tubes minimum (I ride a Terry, with the small front wheel and the 700c back wheel). Patch kit, though I've had bad luck from them and they don't help much if it's a pinch flat. Tire levers. Frame mount bike pump. And I, too, have learned not to rely on cheap pumps. Set of hex wrenches. screwdriver w/replaceable heads. Ball wrench.

On a long ride I also carry a spare tire for the front wheel. That's too big to go in my kit so it gets folded up, securely fastened to the rear rack. Because finding a 700c tire is possible, but a 24" tire? Usually I have to order those.

Oh yeah, and as far as guys fixing things - my ex used to hand me tools wrapped in a paper towel when I was working on the car, so he wouldn't get oil on his fingers.

And I was trying to show my son (13 at the time) how to change a tire, he was paying NO attention. Finally I asked him, "So what are you going to do when you get a flat one of these days?" To which he replied, "I'll wait for some woman to stop and change it for me."

[Biciclista]

And I was trying to show my son (13 at the time) how to change a tire, he was paying NO attention. Finally I asked him, "So what are you going to do when you get a flat one of these days?" To which he replied, "I'll wait for some woman to stop and change it for me."

LOL! :D:D