Have you ever been stranded?

[Trek420]

Better World Club? It's like AAA for bikes they cover cars too

[indigoiis]

what's BWC?

Better World Club - like AAA but includes bicycles. And is far greener.

[makbike]

I took my brand new bike out for a ride only to have the chain snap in two. I was about 7 miles out on some very rural roads. I had my cell phone with me but the people I typically would use as emergency contacts were either out of town or working. The weather was nice so I started walking back to the main road thinking at some point a farmer would pass me and stop and offer me a ride (surely they would know something was wrong if I was walking my bike- wrong assumption!). Several people did pass me and they just kept going so I kept walking. When I finally reached the main road (about 1.5 miles from my house) my neighbor passed me, turned around and came back to see if something was wrong (she picked up on the fact I was pushing my bike not riding it). She offered me a ride home which I gladly accepted given my feet really hurt.

[SouthernBelle]

You all are correct on BWC.

[OakLeaf]

drift - how do you like BWC's maps? Really the maps are the only reason I keep a AAA membership (and really if I have to resort to mail order, it's probably just as simple to get the maps from the relevant states).

I'm well aware of AAA's political positions, and I know it's pretty hypocritical to remain a member. It's just that we'd easily spend double the membership fee on maps if we had to buy them, and it's SO convenient to just go to the local AAA office and grab maps (one for each of us) a day or two before a trip.

slightly more targeted drift - I know several of you have mentioned having The Spot or other satellite beacons. Do you use The Spot's messaging feature? How well does it work? Have you ever had to make an emergency call via any of the beacons, and how did that go?

[Aggie_Ama]

Several times but never anything major. I would never not own a cell phone though and cringe when it isn't working. A lot of Texas is rural and there are some rides we may only see 5 cars after we are just a few miles in!

1. DH had a job with a lot of travel so I was riding alone. I was in a fairly well traveled area when I had a flat. It was my first on the road flat change and I had a miserable time with the hand pumped (spurred me to get CO2). I called my big brother to rescue me since it was getting dark.

2. Last summer my husband and I got caught with a severe thunderstorm heading towards us. We didn't have enough time to make it home and no where to take shelter, so my parents came to collect us.

3. My tire blew out 30 miles into a 60 mile loop from the house. I was with DH and booted it but that was too questionable to ride all the way home. We rode back to the nearest town and waited on my parents to come out to get us. We will be a bit lost if my dad ever gets rid of his truck!

4. Recently commuting home from work I had a blow out. This one there was no hope of booting it, so I walked 1.5 miles.

[redrhodie]

So far, it looks like I'm the only one dumb/crazy enough to take a ride from a stranger. It turned out okay, I got home safe, but I gotta say, it was CREEPY!

My other options were to wait 2 hours for a bus, or call a cab. I felt since the bus was an option, I just didn't want to wait that long for it, it wasn't fair to expect a friend to drop their plans to come get me.

The lesson I learned...count on the kindness of strangers only in the most extreme emergency, like if an injury is involved. Next time, I'll wait for the bus.

It's interesting to see how many of us this has happened to. It's good to be ready for it next time.

[sundial]

Last fall hubby, friend and I went for a long ride. We had left a small farmer's cafe and were headed to the next town when our friend's tires flatted. And being the weight weenie that he was, he didn't carry any extra tubes. So I pulled my tubes and changed the flat (I've been chosen to be the team mechanic ). He jumps back on the bike and he flatted again. So I change the other tube and use the last air cartridge. Guess what? He flatted. Hubby has no tubes to share, we're out of air cartridges and didn't bring the air pump. And we're out where there is no cell service. So I elect to jump on my bike and race 25 miles back to the car.

As I'm zipping along my tank is running out of juice because I didn't account for the extra calories I'd burn on a cool day. So I start looking around and notice there are alot of duck hunters out. I figured I could get to the car much quicker if I could hitch a ride with the right person. I spotted a clean cut guy that was sitting in a really nice pickup so I figured I'd take my chances. So I flagged him down, asked if I could have a ride, and he was more than happy to assist. He carefully laid my bike in the back of the pickup and drove me to my car. I headed back to pick up the guys and they were more than relieved to get back to civilization.

There are perks with living in a small rural town.

[sundial]

drift
slightly more targeted drift - I know several of you have mentioned having The Spot or other satellite beacons. Do you use The Spot's messaging feature? How well does it work? Have you ever had to make an emergency call via any of the beacons, and how did that go?

I use the Spot and it automatically sends a message to designated phone numbers you set up in your account. I've also used the help button which summons my contact person and they receive the notification instantly as a text on their cell phone. I have not had to use the 911 button yet. I like using the Spot since we live in a rural area with limited cell phone coverage in between some of the little towns.

[Norse]

A long time ago, before I carried a cell phone and before I knew how to change a flat (pathetic I know), I had a rear flat. Luckily, I was not out in the countryside. I pushed my bike to the nearest business and asked to use their phone - could not reach anyone who might be willing to come get me so I called a cab and somehow jammed the bike into the trunk. I learned how to fix a flat after that.

[aicabsolut]

I was about halfway into a 50 mile ride (out and back) and I flatted. Got enough air in the tire to get to a nearby gas station, where I sat down to figure out the extent of the problem. No holes that I could find, but it still wasn't holding air. Tried pumping it up more. BOOM. Exploded at base of valve stem. Changed tubes. Stupid mini pump broke the valve tip off that tube. I was out of tubes. I called a friend, and waited an hour for him to show up.

[mimitabby]

slight thread drift... why I got a cell phone.
We have a neighborhood near where i live where the streets all get curvy and crooked, and there is a steep hill, and the borders of 3 cities are..
I have always had a bit of trouble finding addresses there because they become ambiguous.

okay. my father had died about 2 weeks before when we heard the news that a friend's youngish father had died suddenly. DH & I were going to their house with food, but he had to leave early so we took two cars. I wrote down the address, DH didn't need an address, he has always been phenomenal at remembering where people live, me, i'm just average. And I had transcribed two numbers of the address.

I drove right to the approximate area that i had written down, but could not find the exact number. So I kept driving round and round. It was a neighborhood with no mini marts, so there were no pay phones around. OUr 10 minute drive for me turned into 20, 30, 40. I finally started to panic because i know everyone would be wondering where I was. I drove into a cul de sac
and noticed that no one was home in any of the houses, they were all dark.
And I knocked on one after the other. Finally i found someone at home, could I please use her phone? she regarded me with pure fear as she brought her phone outside (would not let me in). I felt like i was in the Twilight zone.
I got to my friend's house an hour late!

I got a phone the next week.

[Thorn]

In the pre-cellphone era, when I was a bit more of an agressive rider, due to heavy traffic I took a turn too fast. To compound it, the corner was less than 90 degrees and I went down hard. Fracture/dislocation of the elbow.

As I sat on the side of the road I knew I couldn't ride and wasn't sure what to do. One of the cars that, as I saw it (ah, the anger of youth), forced me to go too quickly stopped and offered a lift. Being the paranoid sort, I declined. OK, so I wouldn't take a ride, did I want him to call someone--after all, he said, his car was filthy and there was definitely room to write a phone number or two in the dirt. I chuckled, almost accepted the ride and then, said, no, just call the local cops.

Before the guy returned from the phone call, the cops were there (hey, at the time it was a smallish, low-crime town and this was something to do for them) as well as the paramedic vehicle. Since my blood pressure was 80/60 at the time the paramedics took over, my bike tucked away at the police station and I was being hauled off for repairs.

I never got a chance to thank that odd stranger (thank you, sir!)...his bizarre humor took the edge off.

[indigoiis]

Redrhodie, you can always call me!

Also, you can always, always call the police. If you are scared, weather is foul, it is dark, your safety is in jeapardy, call the local police.

[SouthernBelle]

See my rides with strangers on P1.

Oakleaf, I've not ordered their maps. I tend to rely on google.