Good Samaritan

[spokewench]

If I am on a ride (not a race) and someone needs something on the side of the road I always help if I can. Usually, if someone had problems like this guy, i.e. blowing his tire off rim (not seated well or something?) I will stop and change the tire for them. Put one of my cartridges on it and off they go and off I go. I don't carry a pump. Carrying one on the bike is always problematic, they don't fit on my bike well (I'm small), I hate on the bike bike pumps, they never work when I need them to, and I don't have to sit there for half an hour pumping tires too.

Besides it is good practice to fix tubes out on the road that way you are ready to do your own when you need to . Sometimes you learn things also, like Campagnola does not have brake releases like shimano they are hidden in the levers (who would have known!).

If you go about changing the tires swiftly and promptly, the guys don't even complain that a gal is changing their tire for them.

[MomOnBike]

All I know for sure is that I've loaned out my pump when asked. No biggie. I also have a patch kit and a small tool kit that I'd loan if the need arose.

Since I don't carry CO2, I don't loan that out, but probably would. (I guess you give that away, no?)

Why not? That's what makes a community work, the sharing of resources. If I loan out a pump it (in theory, at least) makes it more likely I'll get help if ever I need it. Right?

(going off to ponder philosophical issues...)

[Geonz]

I'd have thought "how about a pump" - in his shoes I would have preferred something that didn't cost the otehr person anything - and since I've got a road morph, he shouldn't have to work too hard I don't carry cartridges anyway...

[Nanci]

The last brevet I did, I stopped to help the _same_ guy by loaning him my pump, twice. He only had CO2. I almost missed the first cut off because of this. I made it by one second. People need to carry pumps, and even patches. You never know when you're going to have a really bad day and run out of CO2 _and_ tubes.

I would have given him my last anything, though- that's how I am.

Nanci

[DDH]

Okay, the novice here. I don't even know how to change my tire. I never carried anything with me when I rode before and didn't this morning. Not sure what good it would do me since I don't know how. I'm glad I read this though, because it makes me realize I probably need to learn how to take care of my bike. My DH always does everything with them. Guess that wouldn't do me any good though when he usually won't be with me. Guess I need to be more responsible.
I'm glad you stopped to help this person. If it was me I would be very thankful. Hopefully they have learned their lesson and will know better next time. As for me, guess I have some learning to do.
I've always just gotten on it and ridden and didn't worry about anything else.

[Triskeliongirl]

Yes, if a cyclist is stranded on the side of the road I would give them my last anything. But, on a recent ride a girl flatted about 1 mile into an organized metric century, with no tube, and since I knew there was sag support I made her wait for the sag vehicle rather than giving up my own supplies since she should have been better prepared, and probably flatted immediatly by failing to inflate her tires properly before the ride.

[Grog]

I gave a tube to a guy once. I rode past him and his friend, they were stopped on the side of the road on a rainy day (winter in Vancouver) and I asked if they needed anything. They said they blew about four tubes between the two of them in their ride (winter in Vancouver, bis) and patching was an issue in rainy weather. I happily gave them one of my spare tubes (I ride with 3 spares in the winter) and hoped they would be fine. The guy wanted to pay me for the tube, I asked that he just give one to the next person-in-need instead. He was happy with that. Pay it forward.

I don't like giving CO2 to a person who's blown their tires off already, means they might not be very skilled at using it. Maybe I'd offer to do it myself. But I'd rather take the frame pump (mine is not that bad). If I feel the person knows what they're doing I wouldn't hesitate handing them a cart.