Always carry a chain tool.

[Dirt]

Sorry to hear it, sir. Sometimes you need both a chain tool AND a quick link. I’d also make sure that you take a few minutes to make sure you know how to use it before you’re forced to figure it out. We met some folks last year in the middle of nowhere that had a chain tool, but couldn’t figure out what to do with it. They had been extremely rude to us an hour earlier. We were polite, in spite of that and helped them out.

Rock on, sir!

Pete

[creadinger]

@DaveK 13627 wrote:

(or use a quick link)

I had a very nice walk in to work this morning.

@#$%.

At least you could coast on downhills and ride scooter style on the flats? It happened to me once so I know it’s not a good way to start the day. At least once I got a flat halfway and had forgotten my pump or my patch kit at home. Man, I did a lot of stupid crap before finally learning the hard way.

[dasgeh]

This morning I got to learn the hard way that you should carry 2 CO2 cartridges with you… that, or not try to refill a flat tire that you think may be just a slow leak, before finding out that it was really a hole and replacing the tube, only to find out that there isn’t enough air left in the only cartridge you have to fill the new tube. I also learned that gas stations can’t help you fill a bike tire. And that the people at Fort Myer’s PX are very kind, even to nonmilitary.

[DaveK]

@creadinger 13641 wrote:

At least you could coast on downhills and ride scooter style on the flats? It happened to me once so I know it’s not a good way to start the day. At least once I got a flat halfway and had forgotten my pump or my patch kit at home. Man, I did a lot of stupid crap before finally learning the hard way.

Yeah, I coasted cross-style on the flats/downhills so I could jump off since I had to stay on the sidewalk. Prompted quite a bit of WTF looks. The problem is that I broke the chain coming up the hill at the Marine Corps Memorial and I work near Courthouse Metro. Not a lot of flats or downhills on that route…

Definitely agree on the Dirty edits – always carry a chain tool AND know how to use it. And carry a quick link. I have plenty but only for my 10-spd road bike, not my 9-spd commuter. Clearly this is a good justification for my wife to let me upgrade the commuter to 10-spd. After all, it’s for my own safety.

[Tim Kelley]

@Dirt 13639 wrote:

We met some folks last year in the middle of nowhere that had a chain tool, but couldn’t figure out what to do with it. They had been extremely rude to us an hour earlier. We were polite, in spite of that and helped them out.

You seem to have experiences like that often! Remember the kids with the lowrider that buzzed us on Black Rock Rd while narrowly missing the oncoming Range Rover and then broke an axle at the bottom of the hill? Yeah…

[dcv]

@DaveK 13627 wrote:

(or use a quick link)

I had a very nice walk in to work this morning.

@#$%.

was your chain old or in bad condition? knock on wood, i hope i never brake a chain.

[DaveK]

@dcv 13660 wrote:

was your chain old or in bad condition? knock on wood, i hope i never brake a chain.

A little bit from column A, a little bit from column B. I almost never clean my commuter and only maintain it when it starts making noises. Probably just the amount of grit that was worn into the link weakened it to the point where it snapped at the roller.

[OneEighth]

It was lovely morning for a walk, though…
Been there, done that, and am still thankful to the other cyclist who let me skitch a ride part of the way in.
Funny how the tool kit expands one experience at a time.

[DaveK]

@OneEighth 13663 wrote:

It was lovely morning for a walk, though…
Been there, done that, and am still thankful to the other cyclist who let me skitch a ride part of the way in.
Funny how the tool kit expands one experience at a time.

I have two already (one came in a tool kit I bought), just didn’t keep one in my panniers. That’ll change now.

[eminva]

I’m probably preaching to the choir again, but . . .

If another cyclist had offered you help, would you have accepted?

I always carry a pretty well stocked tool kit, including a chain tool and a link corresponding to my cassette. Anytime I see someone stopped along the trail, I ask if they have everything they need or if everything is okay. I’d guesstimate that 90% of the time the response is, “I’m fine.” Sometimes they look like they know what they are doing (but I ask to be polite, or in case they are missing a particular tool) — them I don’t worry about. Other times the cyclist is looking very puzzled and sort of staring at the bike. I can’t help but wonder if pride prevents them from accepting help?

Anyway, if you ever find yourself in a bind and I happen along, don’t hesitate to avail yourself of my toolkit, or, worst case scenario, cell phone.

Liz

[Dirt]

@Tim Kelley 13655 wrote:

You seem to have experiences like that often! Remember the kids with the lowrider that buzzed us on Black Rock Rd while narrowly missing the oncoming Range Rover and then broke an axle at the bottom of the hill? Yeah…

I inspire all kinds of people.

Going into the details of the episode would be unkind. Needless to say they had gone WAY out of their way to be rude and impolite to us in the parking lot. We were riding the same loop, but in different directions. We met up with them at the half-way point, fixed their bike while they pretended to be meek, then rode back. Everyone had left the parking lot but me when they got back to the lot. I had ridden there, so I still had 35 miles to make it home. One of the group… not the person whose chain had broken… came over and thanked me and apologized for how they’d behaved. I told her that it was the first time that I’d been tempted to leave someone stranded in a long, long time. She said she wouldn’t have blamed us.

It ended up being a positive experience for most of the people involved.

@Tim: That said, I wasn’t man enough to stop and offer to help fix the dude in the Honda’s front suspension when he buzzed us on Black Rock Road. I guess I still have work to do on my quest to “love and respect all mankind”.

[JimF22003]

I had a flat last summer where I actually asked for and got some help. I had CO2 cartridges, but had forgotten the chuck for it. I also carry a small lezyne pump I could have used, but it’s hard to get above 80 PSI with it. Since a nice guy stopped and offered help, I asked if he had a CO2 nozzle, and since he did I borrowed it. Unfortunately there was a small hole in the tire and as soon as the tube inflated it blew out… Oh well, I ended up walking in my socks to Spokes in Vienna and buying a new tire.

I am NOT going to start carrying spare tires around. I did that in the 70’s when I was using sew-ups

[Dirt]

@eminva 13669 wrote:

Anytime I see someone stopped along the trail, I ask if they have everything they need or if everything is okay. I’d guesstimate that 90% of the time the response is, “I’m fine.”

Great comment, Liz. Thank you!

I’ve got a friend who HATES it when people ask her if she’s okay when she’s stopped along the side of the trail. The “Do you have what you need?” question is one I’ve used for a long time as a result of my interactions with her. It is a good way to ask.

[DaveK]

@eminva 13669 wrote:

I’m probably preaching to the choir again, but . . .

If another cyclist had offered you help, would you have accepted?

Absolutely! And I would have been happy to accept it.

I have no shame and very little in the way of dignity, and even if I did, it’s stupidity to let that get in the way of accepting a much-needed hand when you’re in a bind.

I’ve helped cyclists on the side of the trail and given away tubes and such. I feel like it’s all of our obligation to look out for each other and do what we can to help one another. That goes for humanity in general but here and now we’re just talking about cyclists.

[pfunkallstar]

@Dirt 13679 wrote:

Great comment, Liz. Thank you!

I’ve got a friend who HATES it when people ask her if she’s okay when she’s stopped along the side of the trail. The “Do you have what you need?” question is one I’ve used for a long time as a result of my interactions with her. It is a good way to ask.

I like that one!

I try to avoid the “everything okay,” spend a second or two surveying the scene, and then propose a more specific area of assistance – need a pump, tube, patch, gauze pad (yep carry those too!) etc…

I’ve had tons of people accept my help and an equally good number flash a toolkit that would make most shop rats blush.

[Author]

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