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I arrived home from work to discover Mrs Diz had been forced to carry her mountain bike about 2 miles home due to it having a mechanical failure. After not very long she came to the first road she needed to cross and a cyclist on a road bike passed her without even enquiring if she was ok!
So the question is if you passed a lone female carrying her bike would you ask to her plight?
Road or mountain we are all bike riders alike!
My faith was reinstated with 2 guys on bikes offering to try and help a little later.
Rant over, sorry.
I always ask if I see a rider possible in need of help.
Gender, race or creed is irrelevant.
Unfortunately a lot of riders just pass on by regardless of what type of bike they are riding.
COVID 19 may be playing a part at the moment
I always ask, If they are OK that's fine. If not will usually help. Lost count to how many tubes I given away, pumps I've offered. Along with everything else.
I like to think I have the spares, tools, ability, inclination and normally time to help.
Not everyone does, even if they have the inclination.
You always check.
How many people in cars drove by? The fact that she was carrying, not pushing the bike would possibly indicate a failure major failure - jammed transmission / buckled wheel. Most cyclists wouldn't have the know how to fix this stuff
I saw a chap last week on a road bike having bother, stopped to check he was ok and he said he was fine.
Years ago in oz whilst driving a roadie flagged us down in the middle of nowhere, ended up giving him a lift to his holiday home and having coffee and cake with his family.
Thank you all, I’ve always asked if they are ok and like said above have given countless spares and tubes. Yes it was a major failure which left no option but to carry.
Once again thank you.
Ordinarily yes I will always enquire if they're ok or need a hand, however, due to riding with minimal tools now I won't have much to help with because my bike is looked after. With how things are atm and being in the high risk category I'm not enquiring at all because I'm not prepared to get close to people or risk catching anything from touching anything they own. Sad selfish times but I'm sure a taxi or lift is less damaging than me possibly coming into contact.
Here we go, ignorant bloody roadies. Some people are dicks no matter what they ride or drive.
Roadie here, I’ll always ask, it’s only polite.
I don't always ask, only if a person looks like they are struggling. This would include the OP's missus though.
I’ve just added a HTii tensioning tool to my riding kit after a dropped chain on a carbon frame meant taking the cranks off to avoid further damage. (Not my bike)
Yes, I do seem to carry enough tools to completely strip and rebuild the bike.
Provided I can find a decent rock to use instead of a hammer for drifting bearings in and out 😜
I was standing by my bike today at the edge of a trail, socially distanced chatting to my partner (she doesn't live with me)... mountain biker came past and asked if I was ok as he did so.👍
I'm going to get burnt for saying this but I tend to find mtb riders are more likely to offer help in my experience. In always on the mtb admittedly (on road or trail) so it might be a "tribal" thing?
But yeah, there are ignorant sods on all types of bikes.
Most aren't though.👍
On road bike today, asked two people if they were okay. Both were just waiting for someone
Always. Gender doesn’t come into it. Carrying a bike? I’d stop straight away.
It sounds like your issue is that because your oh is female people should of been more willing to offer assistance.
I always offer to help regardless of sex but given the covid19 situation I wouldn't and I question you expecting people to help.
2 miles is hardly a plight is it FFS
What was the melodramatic failure anyhow
Rule One applies here.
Always ask, even if it's just "all OK?" en passant. Doesn't matter who they are, just a polite ask is all that's needed.
Big-Bud
^^ Have you read the same post as me?
Roadie and mtb’er here, like a lot of people here, I’ve been cycling years.
I’ve had roadies stop and ask if I’ve got everything I need or if they can help. I’ve had a roadie ride 5 miles downhill, pick up a spare wheel and ride that back up a big hill when my rear (alu rim) was borked. Not all roadies have stopped.
Loads of Mtbers have also stopped when I’m fixing a puncture...But not all.
I always slow down and ask if they need assistance.
So the question is if you passed a lone female carrying her bike would you ask to her plight?
It's very easy when presented with a blatantly loaded question on a forum to say "of course we would all have stopped and helped your wife".
If I pass someone who's clearly stopped or struggling with a mechanical issue I at least ask if they need any tools or help.
But if I'm riding along the road and I see someone carrying a mountain bike on a trail approaching it…? Maybe it looks like they've got a mechanical, maybe it looks like they're carrying the bike for another reason. I dunno. It's not like carrying a mountain bike is a sure sign of a dead bike.
Maybe I don't even register them: maybe I'm concentrating on trying to rip my own legs off to get to the cafe before it shuts, maybe I'm glancing at the GPS or thinking about which route to take, maybe a hundred other things that would mean anything off the road doesn't make a dent in my consciousness.
What I mean is that, sure, consciously deciding to ride silently past someone who evidently needs help is a dick thing to do. But it might not have been that evident (I wasn't there, you weren't there, and even though your wife was, she was only seeing it from her perspective and with the privileged knowledge that the bike was unrideable) so don't write off human nature on the basis of one anecdote.
Few months ago I helped out a young (20-odd) lass whose road bike back wheel was a bit buckled and brakes rubbing badly. slackened off the brake a bit and had a go at straightening the wheel but some nips were seized so not a great job. Suggested she go steady on her way back to the uni.
Later in the day I had a look on Strava to see if she got back OK. SHe had and she'd entitled the ride "knackered my wheel; lovely old man helped me out"
Last time I help any ****er out ☹
Hi, got all you need?
genuine lol at scardeypants
Always ask.
Not sure why your toolkit size governs whether you do though. They might just need a 5mm allen key or a phone to call a lift in.
I've stopped the car a few times and even turned around and slung a bike in the back.
Pushing when you know you have miles to go is grim even a zip tie to allow ratcheting a broken chain to civilization is better than nothing.
I always ask, regardless of what bike I or they are riding (or stood next to).
I'd even ask if I was walking past and had no tools on me, if I'm near home I'd be able to go and get some.
Depends on the road I'm on as to whether I'd stop and ask if I was driving past but if they were trying to flag someone down I'd definitely stop and help.
Would generally stop and ask if they needed help on the trail and have even stopped while in the car for a roadie (because I had my travel tool kit in the boot). The only one thing I would say is I am reluctant to start giving out my spares (tube, magic link, co2 ect) because though unlikely to need it I would expect some else to give me their and then want it back if the same problem happens to them. Happy to give advice or even fix it if they have tool/spares but don’t know how to use them (I do ride with mates that only carry as much free air as they can so always rip into them if they have to borrow multi tool).
With covid19, still might ask depending on situation but wouldn’t hand anything else out (mostly due to still working so more likely to be a spreader).
Spin it around. If the failure was major a cyclist is not what she needed. She needed someone with a big car or a van it could be thrown in the back of and driven home.
Pandemic and social distancing aside would she have got in my (6ft 13.5st bloke with a big beard) car if I had stopped? I can totally understand if she didn't want to (or even thought me a bit creepy for asking) but that is what makes me sad.
Oh, and yes I stop. Never been a city commuter though - would I stop in London with thousands and thousands of folk about.? Not sure. You could end up stopping and shelling out a spare tube every commute.
I’m a deeply introverted roadie, and always ask.
I'd always ask and offer, and the same has come back my way once or twice too.
That said, folks in cars might be a bit reticent to offer a lift in the current situation - but to ride past a fellow cyclist with a broken bike and not even ask is cold indeed.
She needed someone with a big car or a van it could be thrown in the back of and driven home
what like an SUV? ^^^^ 🙁 I've thrown a few in the back of my antisocial mega death vehicle I just pull over and ask if got far to go 15minutes driving isn't much compared to pushing for an hour or so
as to being ignored by other cyclists pretty sure quite a lot of cyclists can't fix a puncture let alone deal with other mechanicals
my line on seeing anyone at the road/trail side is "have you got what you need?" most are just sorting...done a few broken / jammed chains messed up mechs
last person I stopped for had a big rip in sidewall glad they had someone coming to pick them up could have fixed but not a five minute job and doubtful first attempt would work
...roadie not helping ... duplicate post? thought was a sticky if not should be
i always ask. However i wouldnt help in the current covid 19 issues.
A couple of weeks ago i was stopped by a guy who asked if i could fit his rear wheel. no bike in sight and it was just in the local market apparently.
I said no. i still feel bad about it but also that i would have probably been mugged if i hadnt.