hi i am wondering what your response would be if you were riding along at a trail centre and saw a fellow cyclist with a problem that they didn’t appear able to fix.
would you stop to offer help or just keep going?
i ask because i love going to my local trail (cannock) but get really put off by the thought of something going wrong with my bike. i wouldnt know how to fix it. i know i should teach myself how to look after my bike but i just haven’t done it yet.
what would/do you do?
jane

depends on if she was fit or not.

Of course. Have done so quite a few times – I suspect that a female MTBer is more likely to be offered help!

1st rule of Ride Club = always ask if OK if someone is off the bike.

If your pretty I’d help you, lol just kidding yeah I’d stop and ask if you were ok/needed a hand.

I’d like to think if I was struggling somebody would stop. In fact they have/did.

i always ask if riders need help. civility costs nothing

I always ask if they are alright,then at least if they don’t need my help then I can carry on down the trail and not feel bad for flying passed them 🙂 Sometimes you forget to put the right tool in or they are a beginner and just need a few tips so i wouldn’t see a problem with having to help someone.

thats all reassuring 🙂
i think it just puts me off a bit thinking i would have a long walk back.
but nothings actually gone wrong with my bike so far. (must be lucky:))

I always ask people if they have everything they need. Avoids denying anyone’s pride. I do this everywhere, not just at trail centres.

Regardless, It’s more fun to ride with other people anyway.

i stop my van as i got stuff in if i see a cyclist with punture etc and offer help

yes its more fun to ride with others, i agree. but my mates just are not into it.

I always ask if they are ok and if they have everything they need. Always.

I always ask and have stopped many times to help riders with help, tools, spares such as tubes, energy food, spare links often if i am doing a big enduro ride i will take extra tubes for other folk. I like to think that others will do the same for me one day

Always. Normally a “you alright?” or if they are in the process of fixing something “Have you got everything you need?” seems to do the trick.

Although you’ll probably get a lot of positive replies on here I reckon in the real world something like a quarter of people would stop*. Some probably won’t stop because they feel they lack the skills to help and some will just be bit grumpy gits.

But you are right you really should teach yourself how to do the basic get you home stuff like puncture, rejoining a chain and tightening stuff that comes loose.

* Slightly random statistic that sounded about right.

i always ask stopped riders and offer help/spares

I would ask them if they were ok and help ’em out if I could. Who wouldn’t?

My normal greeting is “Allright there!” or “Allright mate!”, if I see someone with a breakdown I’ll slow down and make it a bit longer “_You_ allright there?” and look a bit longer at them. If someone is in obvious difficulty (physical) than I hope we’d all stop straight away.

Have to learn the basics for looking after yourself though. Do you carry a basic kit Jane? Inner tube, puncture kit, pump, chain tool, power link, allen keys. Do that, and learn to use it. Basic first aid kit as well…

I always ask ( hoping they say no)

Always stop, even when commuting.

I think my best one was when I was on the A27 dual carriageway near Brighton and a guy was pushing an old motorbike up a hill. I was in the work van and had transported my motorbike the previous day, so still had a plank for loading and tie-downs. I stopped, the guy had run out of petrol, and it was about 5 miles to the nearest petrol station, he was pretty pleased 😆

Cheers, Rich

People run out of tubes or patches (or Stan’s fluid) or don’t have the right tools with them – someday it will be me.

I believe in repaying your favours in advance – I always ask, stop if needed (even during the Kielder as can be vouched for – it’s not like it affected my chances of winning).

I always ask. I like the diplomatic “have you got everything you need?” I’ll use that from now on!

(I have been teaching a series of basic bike maintenance courses this year and it’s always a warm feeling to know that there go another bunch of riders who can fix their own bikes.
(Sorry LBSs, less punctures to fix. But the way I see it, they’ll be buying tubes, brake blocks and cables…))

I always check people are ok if I see them on a trail tinkering with their bikes/or perhaps lost, but then I waff to most people I see anyway as Mtber’s are all one big happy family 😉

always ask…

have been asked…

have helped fix peoples bikes before and people have helped fix mine.

Kev

Always, ALWAYS ask at the very least, no matter who or what is wrong. Bikes are easy to fix usually. I had a mate come round my house when he was new to MTBing and I went through his whole bike and showed him how it worked and how to fix it. I think it helped. 🙂

I always ask and I’ve stopped and spent 20 minutes helping someone put a shifter back together. I’d like to think people would help me if I was stuck so I try to make sure I do the same for others

Actually, if you sit at the side of the trail with a flat or a snapped chain, I reckon you could make new friends pretty quickly.

Yes, always ask. Have done various things from lending a pump as they haven’t got one, replacing snapped gear cable (yes I do carry spares) even gave someone a Park chain tool at Mountain Mayhem one year, he’d snapped his chain & didn’t have a tool with him, thought it’d be better for him to finish his night lap rather than walking.

I think people will always offer help. However the trick, whether you know how to use them or not, is to carry the tools and spares you need, that way anyone can help you.

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U01xasUtlvw[/video]

Think most mountain bikers do – generally a very friendly bunch 🙂

Cannock is my local too, I’ve offered to help many people but seldom see a lady in distress there. I’d certainly let her know I’ve got the right tools for the job and the fact that I’m devastatingly handsome will make it a pleasure for her too. 😉

Always ask

Have helped a few people

Have always been asked when I’m fixing a puncture or something

Have been helped a few times with chain repairs even though I can do it myself – often helps to have another pair of hands I find

Totally agreee with thebikechain and Jedi.
😉

Please, do not let the minor risk of a mechanical get in the way of going out for a ride on your bike.

If things really did grind to a halt, then you’ve just got a bit of a walk back to your car, or wherever.
Its no biggie 🙂

Like most MTB’ers I’ve met, I ask if people need assistance, I carry far too much in the way of spares and tools 🙄
I’ve handed out several inner tubes along the trail which are not always returned or replaced.
But I view it as my just being a part of the MTB crowd.
I’ve even broken off from a ride to take people to hospital 😯
(it was their collar bone)

So, get out there and ride, you’ll be fine.
😀

Why just a trail centre? Wherever I’m riding I’ll offer help, and it is nice to be offered assistance in return.

Last time out at Llandegla I twisted a chain link through 90 degress, never buggered a chain so badly without breaking it before, took me & my mate between us about 15 minutes to sort as the link had got stuck in the rear mech cage, so if I had been on my own then some help would have been gratefully accepted.

[edit] I’ve done rides where I’ve forgotten to pack essentials, usually I forget to pack a pump when I’m riding on my own ( 👿 ) which is a PITA on a wet weekday in the Lakes!

I’m riding there Sunday, youre more than welcome to join me and a few others…

Drop me a line?

Yeah, always. As jedi says, I’ve even stopped my car before and offered the use of the track pump that lives in it.

Helped out a lost Sportive rider recently, he was stopped on a hill looking at his little printed map they’d given him so I said I’d show him the way back (it was on my way so no probs). Got to the top of the hill, looked back and he’d set off and broken his chain almost immediately. 🙄
Obviously he didn’t have a chain tool so I had to lend that out too.

I don’t mind helping people out but some people really don’t help themselves…

I’ve always asked if someone needs help, usually by shouting “have you everything you need?”. Given out a couple of inner tubes in the past – once in Dalby and found when I got back to the café there that the kind person had bought me a hot chocolate and cake. Karma – love it!!! 😀

Rachel

I’ve helped out lots of people and people have helped me. But you should be able to do it yourself, take your bike apart and put it back together – best way to learn and the insentive to do it is you can’t ride it until it’s rebuilt

Group hug peeps! 8) 😉

If it’s a lone rider I’ll always stop and ask if they need a hand altough I don’t usually if they’re with a group. Have contributed a few inner tubes in the past, let people use my pump many a time and on occasion repaired a broken chain and donated a split link.

It does surprise me though that some folks with otherwise decent kit will head out onto the trail with no tools etc – not even the means to fix a puncture!