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After I repaired the puncture, I refitted then spun the wheel around. The rim wobbled between the chainstays. When the tyre flatted I wasn’t aware that I’d hit anything which could have done so much damage as to buckle it
I looked through my tool kit for a spoke key. I couldn’t find it. I must have left it at home. With a final spin of defeat, I saw a crack across the hub body and the spoke flanges. It was unrepairable.
Google turned up the nearest bike shop, Back Country Recumbent Cycles. Wheel in hand Karen drove me there
The owner was Mark Waters, fresh faced and beaming having that morning completed the Oregon Outback Trail. He said he was in his seventies and asked how he could help me.
I presented my wheel and told him that I was on a tour. He didn’t have a suitable hub to rebuild my wheel but he immediately offered me a wheel from his own bicycle.
Fearful that I’d just broken my own wheel I was wary of destroying his. I procrastinated and thought it more responsible to get another built. A quick race to a bike shop in Bend confirmed that Mark’s offer was the way to go. A replacement wheel rebuilt around a $20 hub would total more than $250 with a new rim, spokes and building. Even the mechanic winced at the escalating cost.
About turn straight back to Mark and I took him up on his offer. He was happy for me to box up and post the wheel back from my journey’s end in San Francisco.
As I swapped the tyre, disc and cassette over in his workshop, we blethered about bikes, touring , adventures and misadventures.
It turned out that Mark was a Klunker veteran. He’d ridden the original Crested Butte to Aspen route over Pearl Pass with Charlie Kelly , Joe Breeze and Jacquie Phelan , I’ve met and ridden with a few of those pioneers. He was also a good friend of Grant Peterson over at Rivendell Cycles, an utterly unique counter culture bike shop. An hour or more of tales from the trails and I felt we’d known each other a lifetime
I left with a handshake and a hug and a wheel which saw me over some Washington passes.
Touring by bicycle opens doors you’d never imagine possible. I posted the wheel back with some whisky vouchers and an invitation to come and stay in Scotland and the promise to pay Mark’s kindness forward
What a lovely tale. Thanks for sharing.
Brilliant story.
Reminds me of the time I was on holiday in Canada and I had a few hours spare and tried to hire a bike to ride the trails in Kamloops. First bike shop I tried near the trail head didn't do rentals and couldn't think of anyone nearby who did. Then he offered me his bike so long as I brought it back for closing time!
There are a lot of good people in the cycling community
Touring by bicycle opens doors you’d never imagine possible. I posted the wheel back with some whisky vouchers and an invitation to come and stay in Scotland and the promise to pay Mark’s kindness forward
As part of an otherwise pretty bad week, I love this. Thanks for sharing.
It's the touring code innit. On the one proper long-ish tour I've done, we had need of a few friendly LBS owners and they all did all they could help us out. One even sold me his own (very nice, Pearl Izumi skullcap thing when I had cold ears and he didn't have anything suitable on his shelf. 😂). The mechanic @ Queen St Evans in Cardiff also bent over backwards to immediately fix something I hadn't noticed was wrong with my bike before the tour even started (and wouldn't take any money!!)
Similarly I (and I hope all keen cyclists!) would always try to help out a fellow cyclist who was far from home.
I'm liking that.
Most people on this world are just ace.
Not bike, motorhome.
Hired motorhome, Canada, near rockies, lovely deserted back road drive, went on and on, then after a long climb it flattened out at a lake in the middle of nowhere with a massive panorama of mountains, luuvverly. So park up next to lake, leisurely brew and sandwich, then set off, all ok till we left the dirt car park, clunk, clunk, clunk, so came to a halt, could see nothing, off we go clunk, clunk, further investigation with good lady driving and me walking alongside reveals a huge stone jammed between the rear double wheels, tools - none, so I’m lying on the road trying to poke it out with a brush handle when a bloke comes razzing past on a speed triple (motorbike), he slows and loops back to help, luckily a local who works at a quarry, who’s seen it all before, so he takes his belt off, gets under the motorhome, loops it round the stone, braces himself with his feet and gets me to inch forward, job done, but in the process he breaks his belt buckle. Would he take any money no, I tried a few times, but no, so we shook hands and he razzed off, we saw him again a while later as he blazed back the other way, waving as he passed.
with his trousers round his ankles. 😄
Once many years ago me and a mate were riding up one of the lesser known passes in the Pyrenees in 35 degrees plus, full panniers etc on a tour of Europe. A uk registered camper van passed us, slowed down and offered us some ice cold water which was much appreciated. We thanked them and they drove off as we continued toiling upwards.
Rounding the empty summit 30 mins later we came across them again. They had set up a camping table under their awning with chairs and calling us over cracked open 2 beers and some nibbles! "Thought you might like a cold one after that climb"
That was just one of so many instances over the years where total strangers have been cool to me on a bike.
Climbing a pass in California a car coming up behind pulled over and an elderly guy asked if I could use any water. I finished off one of my 1L bottles and he refilled it. I finished a small bottle of green tea he had as well. After a short chat he went to get back in his car and I signaled for him to drive off first. He replied, "No I'm going back down to my house", "I saw you riding past and just drove up to see if you needed anything."
Not quite a wheel but after I lost a cleat bolt on tour I went hunting for a bike shop in Negotin, Serbia. He didn't have any in stock so he took one off his own shoe and wouldn't accept any money.
Nice man.
Cluttered workshop 🙂
I'm more impressed that in the US, a lady named Karen both picked you up and didn't ask to speak with the manager. I think we need to know more about this interaction.
Moab bike trip, some kind of problem with my wheel, "workshop's a bit jammed, here have my wheel and come back day after tomorrow". Magic.
Last time I was biking in the US my freehub failed. Another rider, who I'd only met that day, leant me a spare wheel for the rest of my 3 week trip and I just posted it back to him the day before I flew home.
Karen and I toured the Pacific coast back in 2012, we never met each other. A group of other riders on the coast formed a Facebook group so we could help each other out. She was riding to a school reunion from Portland to San Francisco
She is now in her mid seventies complete with a hip replacement but still cycles everywhere. She was the executive director of the BTA, Bicycle Transport Alliance in Portland and latterly for another advocacy group.
She came to stay with us last year whilst on a European tour. Her son stays near Bend where he and his wife were expecting their first child. When she heard of my plight she helped me out
Genuinely glad I asked..Karen should absolutely be included in this.. she sounds just as awesome as Mark.
Me and the wife cycle touring somehwere up in north Jutland back in 2006 and were preparing pasta at one of the lovely Dansih campsites with communal kitchens.
French chap rolls in at dusk with the weirdest bike trailer I've seen, like a mini car transporter. Get talking and he's emigrating by bike to North Sweden from S France for work, with his worldly possessions and is doing serious mileage.
We offer him pasta and he accepts gladly, but when he sees our efforts says hold on, rummages in his trailer and produces a pepper grinder, salt cellar, piquante sauce and olive tapenade. We were in stitches it was all so French.
At breakfast he produced homemade jam.
I love bikes.
Toured around Sweden a few years ago.
One evening in a campsite a few bikers came in and set up near me, saw me eating noodles from a pan, so called me over to join their BBQ and beer party. I was somewhat hungover the following day.
A few days later I was wild camping on a beach and a bloke fishing offered me some of his catch, which I fried on my stove. Mmmm, lovely!
Swedes are lovely 😄
I finished a 1700 mile East Coast tour in July, Wells Beach Maine to Key West, did miss out South Carolina and Georgia so not a proper job, McMoont is right you do meet some lovely and generous people when bike touring. My real claim is that I didn’t get a single puncture.
Feel good thread of the week!
Enjoyed that. With regards to Grant and Rivendell, can I recommend
It’s not really a counter culture, just an “all bikes are great” culture.
so much joy in this thread. i always love a mcmoonter story but the rest bring much happiness
bikes are ace
Bikers just 'do' this stuff though don't they/we?
I'm lucky enough to have never been rescued (apart from Torridon Mountain Rescue, but that's another story) but I have helped a few people over the years by the wayside.
Working on my dissertation in Torridon in 1983, camping close by Balgy I would visit the bright lights of Youth Hostel in Toridon once a week for a bit of R+R and to ink up the maps. Met a trainee vicar from the USA who was keen to ride over the Bealach na'Ba. He seemed like a nice bloke so I lent him my bike, my only transport. Next day, off he went and had a great day. He returned my bike plus a cake too. I like being nice, it's a good feeling.
Theres a semi regular theme of me biting off more than I can chew riding to SSUK.
Being offered a jacket whilst stood at southampton docks waiting for a ferry because id convinced myself it wasnt going to rain all weekend.
Greeted with a plate of paella and a beer from strangers.
Sleeping in an STWers shed after a very long wet day.
Whats more surprising is Im an utter miserable b!@/!=# when I'm tired so Ive no idea why people are nice to me!
Hello thisisnotaspoon from Paella guy 🙂 Was jacket boy my brother? If so it was a good deal as I think he took advantage of your route planning after the ferry!