[Closed] Long bike rides far from home. What do you do if something goes wrong ?

It's why people carry tools, spares, first aid kits, phones, and money. A map so you can tell people where you are helps too, but I'm guessing you'd have that covered..

Very rare that something really does go really wrong, but there are lots of people in this country, and most of them speak English, you can always ask for directions to the nearest train station, or get a taxi, or find a bike shop, or call an ambulance. All depends on the type of problem.

Only time I've really suffered was when I was about 25 miles from home, and tore a tyre to pieces on a descent. Had to call my mum to come and rescue me 😀

Question... What on earth do you reckon you could do damage wise to your bike on either of those routes to make it unrepairable?

Personally, only either a snapped chain or a series of punctures is probably likely to be a problem, so just take spares and the tools to fix...

What were you up to not riding on Sunday anyway Graham? Waved at you as we saw you go past just on our way back to the Duke William...

Oh, and if you do have a major issue, make sure you've got your phone on you would be my best advice, and the number of someone who can help you out!

Crawl inside a freshly gutted sheep.

walk

Crawl inside a freshly gutted sheep.

Or a Tauntaun

Hold on...

This is MTQG, who suggested that we would be unable to follow him around yet another nondescript bit of Midlands farmland, and if we tried he would crush us into oblivion under the wheels of his warhorse... or something.

I call troll.

What on earth do you reckon you could do damage wise to your bike on either of those routes to make it unrepairable?

Yeah, I carry tools and spares, but well, even with a Rohloff and tubeless, you never know.
Something as trivial as a broken saddle rail could put an end to the ride.
I guess for the chances of it happening, the cost of a 25 mile ride in a taxi wouldn't be too bad.

Mboy, rest day last Sunday. (Sounds good that. Like I've got a proper training plan, not just having a day off)

>so I may be worrying over nothing<

Correct

No disrespect but your planned rides aren't exactly out there.

Something as trivial as a broken saddle rail could put an end to the ride.

WTF? MTFU? If you can't cable tie the saddle on the seatpost, take the seatpost out, and ride the rest of the way home standing up. Can also cable tie the saddle to the top of the seat tube.

If you know your bike and have looked after it you should be able to tell if it's going to be okay. If on the other hand you've bodged bits and pieces, neglected maintenance or just using kit that's way past it's sell by date then might one day have a problem.

On my road bike I carry two tubes, no levers or tools. My bikes have never ever let me down in over thirty years.
BTW I've given up on gas as I've had issues with frozen valves and one canister that didn't have enough puff.

Think about tourists, they go for miles without issues.

Only unbodgable breakage I've had was a snapped frame. THis of course occured on a 140 mile point-to-point road ride with around 30 miles to go.
Fortunately I was down south and so was in an area where public transport actually exists and got the train.
Otherwise, I relay on my great boding skills 😀 (mended a bent mech hanger once using an allen key, a stone, a dockleaf and my teeth!)

rather than a mechanical more what if you suffered a accident causing you to be unable to ride? worse still you are riding solo??

mechanicals there is always a way out,
run of tubes stuff tyres with bracken/leaves etc,
chain snap - singlespeed/scooter/
frame snap - fix with stick, don't laugh I have seen it work for a while

for safety sake I am now carrying a SPOT on epic rides as at least I know I can summon help if it goes massively tits up assuming I am concious to hit the button

PLENTY of bike shops of various descriptions within spitting distance of both of your mentioned routes Graham. You're probably not many miles at any point from at least being able to fix most things if you've not got the tools.

Broken frame or shredded tyre would of course be a ride ender, but it would anywhere... You'll not find me carrying spare tyres or frames with me though, I'll take my chances and should either happen, I'll get a taxi to the nearest train station with the bike...

I always carry lots of cash, my credit card and phone on remote rides.
I got stuck in the Black Mountains once in the dark with the missus and was reasonably lost with no lights.
Dropped into a farm house and gave the farmer a 50 in exchange for a lift in his ute with the bikes to Crickhowell which was about 10 miles away.
Best 50 I've ever spent.

Graham i fancy doing either those routes if you want company, i live 7 mins ride from the worcs-brum canal too, im guessing you know you have to come off the towpath before kings norton because of the tunnel, a good alternative at that point is the north stratford-brum canal

>I always carry lots of cash, my credit card and phone on remote rides<

That lot are about as much use as an ashtray on a motorbike on remote rides - where do you guys ride ffs?

Something as trivial as a broken saddle rail could put an end to the ride

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I broke a seat-post setting off from the car park at Swinley. Bagged it up, rode 22 miles.

Why the accusations of trolling ?
I see people everywhere from Mountain Mayhem to Brecon Beast pushing their bikes.
It happens. It might happen to me further from home than I can walk in what's left of the day. Why not try to share some ideas about what to do if it does happen ?

Maybe the seat rail wasn't a good example then.
I cracked my seat stay and chain stay on the Marin Rough ride. The bike was unrideable with the tyre rubbing on the chain stay.
I had the threaded pedal insert come loose on my carbon cranks. It lasted half a lap at SITS, it probably wouldn't have lasted half a lap of the Avon Ring.

Plenty of bike shops near the route, yes, but on a Sunday, it's Halfords or nothing.

I've worked out that what I've paid in AA membership since I bought my Land Rover 12 years ago, is many times more than what it would have cost me to get it towed the one time it did fail to get me home. It's just an insurance really.
It looks like the best option with the bike is to not bother with the insurance and take a chance, then stump up for a taxi at worst if I really need it.

[url= http://www.eta.co.uk/breakdown/bicycle ]Cycle Rescue[/url]

I've never used it myself

I always carry lots of cash, my credit card and phone on remote rides.

And where do you ride when alone 😈

Thanks for the link, Fubar, I thought I'd heard of something like that.
£35 a year and that's only to the nearest railway station, or home if nearer.
Just out of interest, what would a 25 mile ride in a taxi cost on a Sunday ?

RocketDog, I haven't got a date planned yet, but yes, it would be good to have some company.
I was thinking of doing the Stourport Ring first as the nearest part of the Avon Ring is still about 20 miles from me, which would put it up to 150 miles in a day.

and from worcester to brum is all uphill and very busy ATM with the holiday boaters (some of who have no clue with lock gates and regularly flood sections of towpath 🙄 )

the section just before Hanbury up to stoke gets very muddy after rain too, this will slow you down a lot, came up there on wed night though and it was a dust fest

Zip-ties and 'gaffa'-tape are your friends.
The tape is great for field-expedient butterfly sutures too.
The side of most roads is surprisingly rich in stuff you can use to hack a repair.

The worst thing I've had happen far from home was not a mechanical, it was a big 'bonk' - as ever when things go wrong, 'twas late one winter's afternoon, light going, getting cold, windy and starting to get damp - I aimed for a garage for supplies, but found it closed. I sat on the side of the road and had a little sob to myself, head in hands. If it got that bad now, I'd have to call it in, and get a lift home somehow. On a longer ride now I also keep a spare fruit-bar in amongst my bike repair stuff for that contingency.

Why the accusations of trolling ?

The accusations of trolling are because MTQG is a very experienced rider who probably does more miles than at least half of the people who post on here. Given that, it seems a very new-to-the-sport kind of question to be asking.

Yes, it happens, but you just get on with it; fix it if you can, or phone/walk/get a taxi if you can't.

...and as an aside, how much seatpost have you got sticking out of your current frame G? Think that might have some bearing on your record with frames?

+1 for credit card / mobile phone, tis the lazy mans multi tool 😀 and a lot easier than taking everything but the kitchen sink.

because this is Stw we would make a bivvy, trap local wildlife [ graham and i would eat berries and the mushrooms]
I take pretty much the same as you.
Only bad ones I have ever had have been close enough to get home.
Pedal stripped crank once and it hurts to do 10 miles one legged- I was 50 miles in mind]. Broken wheel took out half the spokes and snapped a QR in the middle breaking [ oddly both of those wheels were at the same spot commuting to work].
Graham something might happen but it is unlikely and it is character building [ really crap at the time but you will get out alive]
I carry a spare folding tyre on long [road]rides but have never needed it.

MTG,
you're probably more likely to put yourself out of action, rather than your bike - silly crash leading to busted bone or head or something. In this situation you might as well be 5 miles from home as 50 miles from home as your only route out is a 3rd party help (ambulance or farmer or something). But, things like this are very rare, and it is surprising how resourceful you could be when stuck.
My strategy is to take basic spares to fix tyres, chain, loose bolts etc, a phone to summon help if in range, a 1st aid kit (really basic) to strap things together or stop dirt getting in, and a waterproof to help keep warm. Then leave a route description with a trusted one and go ride - if you get stuck you have 2 choices - get out or stay put. Getting out involves walking, crawling or scootering etc. Staying put involves finding a warm ditch or somewhere to get a bit of warmth.

Haven't needed to employ the emergency strategies yet, but I rely on the fact that not many people die in this country from being outside all night. Of course, not reading newspapers helps keep my niaivety.

The side of most roads is surprisingly rich in stuff you can use to hack a repair

I've used bits of plastic for patching a tyre that had split, and also some binder twine fortowing someone who's freewheel had given up (the 'wrong way', ie constant freewheeling, not fixed) It is flat in Lincolnshire though and we were on road bikes so that is a viable option.

Well if the worst does happen, happy walking...A healthy diet of ray mears programmes could well make the difference!

Plan ahead and know the route well enough to know where the escape routes are, and know people who are prepared to collect you, this is over and above the usual tools and clothing.
In lord knows how many miles of riding I've only had one serious problem that I couldn't repair and ride home. Fortunately the residents of the house where the problem happened heard it and gave me a lift home. Result.

for safety sake I am now carrying a SPOT on epic rides

How epic though? Reliance on a SPOT could be dangerous in some places, as it means you remain immobile when walking out yourself would be a wiser idea? Mountain Rescue can take hours to come so should not be factored in your plans at all...

...and over the years I've had the lot, broken freewheel, blown a wheel rim off, numerous punctures and other tyre related disasters, broken saddle, snapped chains, and just plain run out of gas 30 miles from home.

It's the UK, it's actually surprisingly hard to die from exposure, even in the winter if you have any intelligence.

Whats a SPOT (apart from one of things teenagers burst in the mirror)?

Both CTC and the ETA offer a rescue recovery package, or perhaps use the "Stagecoach", seen lorts of signs for them around.

http://www.eta.co.uk/breakdown/bicycle

SPOT is a GPS tracker that isn't reliant on mobile networks

[i]SPOT is a GPS tracker that isn't reliant on mobile networks[/i]

He's riding round canals in the Midlands; he's never going to be more than 5 miles from a chippy, or more than 7 miles from a hairdressers, or more than 12 miles from a bike shop...

For those who didn't click the links, the routes I'm planning are canal and river loops. Down the river to Worcester, up the canal to Birmingham, back down another canal to Stourport for example.
Never more than a couple of miles from a road, so I'm not looking for survival tips.

Another question where I'll probably get accused of trolling.
How much do taxis cost per mile and do they take credit cards ?
I've never been in one, so I genuinely don't know.

I've done enough solo marathons to have a good idea of how much food and drink I need to carry, so I don't think that's a problem.

This has really put me off trail questing.

I would shoulder the bike and stick out my thumb. Plenty of farmers' Landies and tradesmen's vans bombing around the lanes where I ride. From years of hitchhiking I would say that to be carrying a broken bike would guarantee you a lift within minutes. I used to hitch with my climbing rope stuck prominently on my rucsac and it worked like a charm because drivers could see [b]why[/b] I was hitching.

speckledbob - what's this thread got to do with trailquesting? It's got more to do with epic rides.

Walk / hitch / train / taxi to get back depending how far
Taxi - just go past an autobank or wait for payment until you get home. Should cost under a £ a mile.

Its never happened to me that I can think of in many years of touring

Tell me what do you do for a living again?

Then tell me you're incapable of repairing most things on a pushbike.

Then tell me you're not trolling?

Bodge it

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[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/30189432@N00/4737724883/in/photostream ]My Flickr[/url]

you see the george berwick thread graham ..... THERE IS ALWAYS A WAY !

the only time i got a lift home from a passing bus was when my roadie tube ruptured into 2 ends and i had only patches and a pump with me .... and knots didnt work

so now i carry a spare tube 😀

I've got a lift once, in New Zealand. Just got too tired to ride, 20 miles from nowhere, a nice person passing saw me and offered me a lift to the nearest town. I bought rejuvanating pizza, got some riding tips, and continued with the ride. It was fine.

Only thing that comes close to stopping you riding back home is a broken frame, or a tyre completely exploding. I carry spare tubes, a chain tool and a spoke key, and with that, and impromptu tyre boots made out of whatever is handy, you can usually get yourself home if something goes wrong that isn't the frame breaking.

Oh, and I did have a really bad sprain up on Box Hill somewhere, had to limp / ride back a couple of miles to the train station one footed, catch the train home, then called friends to get someone to meet me at the station at the other end.

Then tell me you're not trolling?

[url= http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2679/4407885343_9db6e09e60_m.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2679/4407885343_9db6e09e60_m.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/8805115@N04/4407885343/ ]Broken pedals[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/8805115@N04/ ]Vegan Graham[/url], on Flickr

I can scoot home from work or coast down a hill with one pedal, but if I was 20 miles and a couple of hills away from home late in the day, I'd be looking for an easy way out.

TJ, thanks, £1 a mile would be acceptable as an emergency measure.
Is that one way, even if it's out of their normal area with little chance of a return passenger ?
What if I'm soaked with wet mud ?

All the "You can bodge most things" posts are very helpful, until it comes to something that's not covered by "most".

^^^^^^^^^ Make sure your kit's up to the job in the first place, buy some sturdier pedals, or at least service and check it before leaving home.

Several times in the past I've caught the late train to Plymouth and ridden back to Taunton overnight across Dartmoor and Exmoor. One year I got to the Barbican (about a mile from the start) and my wheel rim exploded (good old rim brakes 😡 ) I hailed a taxi back to the railway station and was home in time for breakfast. 😳

i pity the fool that runs egg beaters .......

Since you aren't going very remote, can you not just arrange with someone to pick you up should anything happen?

I went hiking once up in the trossachs, got lost trying hike over from aberfoyle to rowardennen in a maze of forest gaps(well not really, turns out i knew exactly where i was, but the maps I had at the time we're crap though, which ment I'd taken a number of wrong turns lengthening the walk). But I decided buck it, it was getting dark and I'd over estimated how much I could trek i a day. So i turned back, walked to loch ard and phoned my wee brother to come and pick me up as there was no public transport on a Sunday, 100 mile round trip for him... It's not exactly rocket science. Mind you in his words that was my one and only rescue phone call used up! God bless him, pretty sure he'd do it again and go further if necessesary!

seems to me you are getting concerned over nothing considering you could probably walk to a train station within 5 miles.

Yes, no amount of servicing and pre ride checks will stop Egg Beaters snapping.
I'm using Ward Industries titanium spindles now, so that's one potential ride ender avoided.

The phone a friend option sounds best, except that I'm a miserable unsociable old git and I spend so much time on the internet that I haven't got any friends in real life.

A mate had snapped crank 30 miles from home and we took turns to push him up the hills, arm round the back one on each side worked pretty well. So take mates with you!!

bs3eggs - ive had that experiance with a mates failed alfine also - yer arm gets sore after a bit 😀

Cope.

yeah and your legs with an extra person to push,

[img] http://www.rotorburn.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=208622&d=1313661401 [/img]

This one grounded me last week causing a 2 hour walk home. Before anyone suggests singlespeeding it, the bike is full sus so the chain kept slipping off whenever I went over any bump. 😥

Is that the hollow shear bolt sheared ?
I used to carry a spare when I rode derailleurs.
I now carry an 8mm spanner so I can shift gears on the Rohloff manually.

I overtook someone at Erlestoke 12 pushing his bike. He's lost a chainring bolt and folded the chainring under load.
After the event, I found the creaking on my bike, which I had put down to a cracked frame, was one of my chainring bolts missing.

Had that happen last summer on the Camino de Santiago ^^
Couple of strong zipties to attach the mech to the frame, wedging in various size sticks even gave me a few gears.

Thusly (using a peg from my camping stuff)

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I've never considered that there would be any other option than walking home..

Great work with the fix above. Thanks. I hope I never have to try it.

In this order.
Fix it
Bodge it
Scoot home
Walk home

Do your maintenance before you leave home is probably the best thing you can do but there's always a risk you'll have an insurmountable problem. Very rare though. Take a credit card and phone for emergencies.

Furthest for me is 15 miles I think, had about 6 or 7 punctures in two miles. Ended up with no good tubes and ran out of patches. Pushed it home the 15 miles. It's character building. I've cycled home further than that with one crank though, also character building. 😉

hugor,

I would have deflated the rear shock, then single-speeded it home, albeit slowly.
Better than a walk.

I rode over thirty miles in the highlands last weekend with a bodged up 2" gash through my tyre side wall. I'm confident in my bodging skills. Happy to solo ride in the Scottish mountains.

Bodge it. Too many punctures too few patches and spare tubes. Cut the tube at the latest puncture and tied it off. Uncomfortable lump every wheel revolution and needed inflating every 10 mins,but got us back.

Where there's a wheel there's a way. Sorry, that was terrible but I couldn't resist it.
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