Have you ever helped an invisible cyclist?

[malkin]

Nice!

[Fredwina]

Actually,
I did the opposite today
I was doing a brevet, and was about 60 miles from Home. I had a flat , and my first attempt to repair it resulted in a exploding tube I got successfully fixed on my second attempt. But then I didn't have any spare tubes.
Later on, riding thru Hemet, I ran across a sidewalk cyclist. I noticed that had fairly new Raleigh. so I asked where the LBS was and made a detour to pick up some more tubes.

[nic840]

He will remember you Trek.
I helped a guy out on Mother's Day. He was on a very popular MUT Trail here, sitting on a bench studing his tube. He was looking for the hole...but had no repair kit.
He was a heavier fellow with a hybrid bike that was running 700s. I asked him if he needed some help fixing his flat. He did. No spare, no repair kit. I offered him a tube. He took it but looked at it with some confusion.
He then continued to tell me his stor. Bought the new bike yesterday, on disability for a bad back and looking to get some excercise. He couldn't walk the 3 miles to his car so he was just waiting...for what I am not sure.

I took his rim and realized that the wheel/tube was set up for a schrader valve and the tire was a tad wider than my 700/19-25 tube. I helped him change it, the presta fit into the oversized valve hole and pumped it up.

Every time he said something negative (every other word) I threw something positive back at him. I told him he should be proud of being out here and that this was a minor set back in his new cycling venture. I hope he is still riding and that too small tube got him to his car...

I told my husband about it when I got home and he asked me if he the guy offered to repay me for the tube. I told him that the $3 tube was the least of his problems and that it didn't even cross my mind. Its all about the Karma.

[Running Mommy]

Oh nic, that is SO COOL!!
I always seem to have stuff in my car. The other day on the way to the shop I saw a girl I always pass (usually she's riding) walking her bike down the hill. She was 5 miles from the nearest anything, so I pulled over. She had a flat, and the glue in her patch kit had dried up, and she didn't have a spare tube. I gave her a tube, and got helped her change it.
I also believe that it's all about good bike karma!

[latelatebloomer]

yep, paying it forward gets to be one of the most delightful games of life. I once ran out of gas on a country road, and the woman at the first house I made it to - full of rambunctious kids and dogs and I'm sure she had a zillion things to do - acted like she had been waiting & hoping all day for a chance to help someone.

I like the idea of "we cyclists" being the secret support crew for the "invisible riders." My life has been very hardscrabble at times, so I know how big a teeny bit of help can seem.

[OakLeaf]

Ha - we do have a desire to publicly vaunt our random acts of kindness, don't we Me too.

Most recently I helped a car driver - even more fun.

I was waiting behind her in the left turn lane when her trunk lid popped open. I pulled up and asked her for permission to close it. No, she said, she'd been rear-ended recently and it wouldn't close. When the light turned green she proceeded through the turn and pulled over. I stopped with her. She had a kid in the back. She'd tied the trunk with a flimsy piece of twine and it had worn through as the trunk lid bounced in traffic. So I gave her my bungie cord, helped her fasten it and she was on her way.

Vehicular cyclist diplomacy!

[KnottedYet]

Oakleaf, you are a sweetie!

[Trek420]

Vehicular cyclist diplomacy!

"I hereby hand you, a driver the olive branch of peace ... ok, so it's the bungee cord of peace"