Unprepared people

On Thu, 23 Sep 2004 12:49:30 -0400, Dave Stallard <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

I was riding down the local bike path last night as night was falling.
I pass by a couple of girls by the side of the path. One of them calls
out "Do you have a tube?".

I thought about saying "no, sorry", but I said "Well I do, but it's
Presta". She said, "Mine's Presta too". I thought about handing them
the tube and passing on, but I didn't see a pump anywhere.

Neither of them had anything - neither pump, nor tube, nor patch kit,
nor tire levers. She had a tire you could could get off the rim
barehanded, that was all.

So I put the tube in her tire and pumped it up for her, and gave her a
few pointers. Then I told her "Get a pump, get two spare tubes, get
tire levers, get a patch kit".

Sheesh.

Dave

Not to be arguementative, but for the casual rider, doing 30-50 miles per
week, imagine how long it might take for them to experience a puncture or
flat. They may have only been riding a year and never had a flat until now.

So it's not -that- strange. Since I ride very close to home in a loop, I
don't carry a pump, spare or patch kit. Plus, I'm a klutz and with my
astigmatism I may end up gluing the patch to the wrong spot, and stuff.

Nice of you though to help her. Good story.

-B

"Badger_South" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

Quoted message said:

Not to be arguementative, but for the casual rider, doing 30-50 miles per
week, imagine how long it might take for them to experience a puncture or
flat. They may have only been riding a year and never had a flat until

now.

Quoted message said:

So it's not -that- strange. Since I ride very close to home in a loop, I
don't carry a pump, spare or patch kit. Plus, I'm a klutz and with my
astigmatism I may end up gluing the patch to the wrong spot, and stuff.

I've had no flats on 100 mile rides and 3 flats on 20 mile rides, so I think
it's silly not to be prepared to fix one. I think everyone who rides
regularly should have - at minimum - a spare tube, patch kit, frame mounted
pump, tool kit, tire levers and a CO2 inflator. I also carry latex gloves -
so I won't get my hands dirty - and a small bottle of oil. All this stuff
fits neatly in a small bag which attaches to my seatpost and seat rails.

Dave

On Thu, 23 Sep 2004 10:13:55 -0700, "Raoul Duke" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

"Badger_South" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

Quoted message said:

Not to be arguementative, but for the casual rider, doing 30-50 miles per
week, imagine how long it might take for them to experience a puncture or
flat. They may have only been riding a year and never had a flat until

now.

Quoted message said:

So it's not -that- strange. Since I ride very close to home in a loop, I
don't carry a pump, spare or patch kit. Plus, I'm a klutz and with my
astigmatism I may end up gluing the patch to the wrong spot, and stuff.

I've had no flats on 100 mile rides and 3 flats on 20 mile rides, so I think
it's silly not to be prepared to fix one. I think everyone who rides
regularly should have - at minimum - a spare tube, patch kit, frame mounted
pump, tool kit, tire levers and a CO2 inflator. I also carry latex gloves -
so I won't get my hands dirty - and a small bottle of oil. All this stuff
fits neatly in a small bag which attaches to my seatpost and seat rails.

Dave

Great recommendation and one I will be following when my route expands,
especially the gloves...uh, why the 'oil' unless you're meaning
'all-around' kit, not just flat kit. All I have now is the bike tool - my
bad. ;-)

But no excuses - hell they probably sell a pre-made kit (excepting the
spare tube) with the seat-rail bag, heh.

-B

Badger_South said:

Not to be arguementative, but for the casual rider, doing 30-50 miles per
week, imagine how long it might take for them to experience a puncture or
flat.

Three weeks.

*grin*

Although I ride more like 70-ish. My flat the other day was on a road
that I ride almost every time I ride, about 4 miles from home.

I ride with a spare tube, patch kit, tire levers and frame pump, even
when I'm doing my 9 mile loop. (That flat occurred on my 16 mile loop,
however.)

-km

--
Only cowards fight kids -- unidentified Moscow protester
the black rose
proud to be owned by a yorkie
http://community.webshots.com/user/blackrosequilts

On Thu, 23 Sep 2004 13:01:49 -0400, Badger_South <[email hidden]>

wrote in message : said:

Not to be arguementative, but for the casual rider, doing 30-50 miles per
week, imagine how long it might take for them to experience a puncture or
flat. They may have only been riding a year and never had a flat until now.

And I've not had a flat on the road in my car for at least ten years,
but every car sold has a spare, a jack and a wheel wrench.

It's not about the certainty of puinctures, it's about the high
probability of a Long Walk Home if you don't carry a few items :-)

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at Washington University

you know? said:

On Thu, 23 Sep 2004 13:01:49 -0400, Badger_South <[email hidden]>

wrote in message : said:

Not to be arguementative, but for the casual rider, doing 30-50 miles per
week, imagine how long it might take for them to experience a puncture or
flat. They may have only been riding a year and never had a flat until now.

And I've not had a flat on the road in my car for at least ten years,
but every car sold has a spare, a jack and a wheel wrench.

It's not about the certainty of puinctures, it's about the high
probability of a Long Walk Home if you don't carry a few items :-)

Guy

Yeah, true. I know I'm tempting fate and will get a patch kit and levers
and a pump when I go on my CBBT ride. I do carry a fiver in case I'm too
far away to walk, but like I said, right now I'm riding a loop close to my
house - oh, and I'm riding on 700x35 kevlar tires which are a lot less
likely to flat than a skinny road bike.

Point taken, though.

-B

Badger_South said:

you know? said:

On Thu, 23 Sep 2004 13:01:49 -0400, Badger_South <[email hidden]>

wrote in message : said:

Not to be arguementative, but for the casual rider, doing 30-50 miles
per
week, imagine how long it might take for them to experience a puncture
or
flat. They may have only been riding a year and never had a flat until
now.

And I've not had a flat on the road in my car for at least ten years,
but every car sold has a spare, a jack and a wheel wrench.

It's not about the certainty of puinctures, it's about the high
probability of a Long Walk Home if you don't carry a few items :-)

Guy

Yeah, true. I know I'm tempting fate and will get a patch kit and levers
and a pump when I go on my CBBT ride. I do carry a fiver in case I'm too
far away to walk, but like I said, right now I'm riding a loop close to
my
house - oh, and I'm riding on 700x35 kevlar tires which are a lot less
likely to flat than a skinny road bike.

Point taken, though.

-B

I've found the opposite to be true -- larger tires are more likely to hit
something in the road. Personally, I carry two tubes, tire levers, a
patch kit, and a pump (along with even more stuff). I also use slime tire
liners and still get flats every once in while (as when I ran over a small
nail).

--
Bob in CT
Remove ".x" to reply

Dave Stallard <[email hidden]> wrote in news:2rgd4rF19usmdU1@uni-
berlin.de:

Quoted message said:

I was riding down the local bike path last night as night was falling.
I pass by a couple of girls by the side of the path. One of them calls
out "Do you have a tube?".

Maybe that was a pickup line?

Badger_South said:

Yeah, true. I know I'm tempting fate and will get a patch kit and levers
and a pump when I go on my CBBT ride.

I used to carry only a patch kit, tools, and a pump. Then I ran through a
big patch of puncture vines, and enough made it through the Kevlar of the
tires and the Mr. Tuffy liner that the tubes were unpatchable.

Now, I'd rather have spare tubes than a patch kit, although I carry both.
--
Darin McGrew, [email hidden], http://www.rahul.net/mcgrew/
Web Design Group, [email hidden], http://www.HTMLHelp.com/

"Red meat isn't bad for you. Fuzzy blue-green meat is bad for you."

Badger_South said:

Yeah, true. I know I'm tempting fate and will get a patch kit and levers
and a pump when I go on my CBBT ride. I do carry a fiver in case I'm too
far away to walk, but like I said, right now I'm riding a loop close to my
house - oh, and I'm riding on 700x35 kevlar tires which are a lot less
likely to flat than a skinny road bike.

I have a saddle bag, and I just carry everything in there. It's always
there, for every ride, long or short. More convenient that way, as well
as more safe.

Dave

Thu, 23 Sep 2004 19:04:09 +0000, <[email hidden]>,

George said:

Quoted message said:

I was riding down the local bike path last night as night was falling.
I pass by a couple of girls by the side of the path. One of them calls
out "Do you have a tube?".

Maybe that was a pickup line?

I fell for come-on to my fenders. She had Shrader valves though and
rode like a bum. I guess the fenders gave her the idea I was a FRED.

These young women had Presta valves! That's always a good sign.

I'd have made sure to find out where to send the bill for my services
though.
--
zk

"Badger_South" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

Quoted message said:

Great recommendation and one I will be following when my route expands,
especially the gloves...uh, why the 'oil' unless you're meaning
'all-around' kit, not just flat kit. All I have now is the bike tool - my
bad. ;-)

The oil....probably not necessary. But I HATE squeaks. Drives me nuts when
I ride past someone and their drivetrain squeaks, especially on a NICE bike.

Dave

In article <[email hidden]>,

Just zis Guy said:

It's not about the certainty of puinctures, it's about the high
probability of a Long Walk Home if you don't carry a few items :-)

My last LWH was the result of a busted axle.

cheers,
Tom

--
-- Nothing is safe from me.
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca

Dave Stallard said:

I was riding down the local bike path last night as night was falling.
I pass by a couple of girls by the side of the path. One of them calls
out "Do you have a tube?".
...
So I put the tube in her tire and pumped it up for her, and gave her a
few pointers. Then I told her "Get a pump, get two spare tubes, get
tire levers, get a patch kit".

Sheesh.

Well, Dave. She WAS prepared to meet nice guys, wasn't she? Maybe
that's why she was out there...

On Thu, 23 Sep 2004 15:47:06 -0700, Zoot Katz <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Thu, 23 Sep 2004 19:04:09 +0000, <[email hidden]>,

George said:

Quoted message said:

I was riding down the local bike path last night as night was falling.
I pass by a couple of girls by the side of the path. One of them calls
out "Do you have a tube?".

Maybe that was a pickup line?

I fell for come-on to my fenders. She had Shrader valves though and
rode like a bum. I guess the fenders gave her the idea I was a FRED.

These young women had Presta valves! That's always a good sign.

I'd have made sure to find out where to send the bill for my services
though.

zk: Bike Gigolo

;-D

-B

Raoul Duke wrote:
|| "Badger_South" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
||
||| Great recommendation and one I will be following when my route
||| expands, especially the gloves...uh, why the 'oil' unless you're
||| meaning 'all-around' kit, not just flat kit. All I have now is the
||| bike tool - my bad. ;-)
||
|| The oil....probably not necessary. But I HATE squeaks. Drives me
|| nuts when I ride past someone and their drivetrain squeaks,
|| especially on a NICE bike.

So, when you ride past someone with a squeaky drivetrain...what do you do?
Run them down, tell them that it drives you nuts that equipment squeaks, and
then hop off your bike and offer to oil their drivetrain?

"Zippy the Pinhead" wrote: Well, Dave. She WAS prepared to meet nice guys,
wasn't she? Maybe that's why she was out there...
^^^^^^^^^^^^^
How do you know your repair job was going to hold up? I think you needed to
ride along with her for a good long distance, just in case.

BTW, one of the things I carry for emergencies is duct tape. I have a bunch
of turns of it wrapped around the handlebar. I've never had to use it, but
I did offer some to a pretty lady once--the offer was declined.

"Badger_South" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

On Thu, 23 Sep 2004 12:49:30 -0400, Dave Stallard <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

I was riding down the local bike path last night as night was falling.
I pass by a couple of girls by the side of the path. One of them calls
out "Do you have a tube?".

I thought about saying "no, sorry", but I said "Well I do, but it's
Presta". She said, "Mine's Presta too". I thought about handing them
the tube and passing on, but I didn't see a pump anywhere.

Neither of them had anything - neither pump, nor tube, nor patch kit,
nor tire levers. She had a tire you could could get off the rim
barehanded, that was all.

So I put the tube in her tire and pumped it up for her, and gave her a
few pointers. Then I told her "Get a pump, get two spare tubes, get
tire levers, get a patch kit".

Sheesh.

Dave

Not to be arguementative, but for the casual rider, doing 30-50 miles per
week, imagine how long it might take for them to experience a puncture or
flat. They may have only been riding a year and never had a flat until

now.

Quoted message said:

So it's not -that- strange. Since I ride very close to home in a loop, I
don't carry a pump, spare or patch kit. Plus, I'm a klutz and with my
astigmatism I may end up gluing the patch to the wrong spot, and stuff.

Nice of you though to help her. Good story.

-B

Same here. Most times I have the tube etc, but lately I've been 'unprepared'
and going on hope and luck. The last flat I had was in the garage before
taking the bike out, so I hope that's it for a while. I'm in the bad
eyesight category. Fixing flats especially patching, requires some closeup
vision which I simply do not have while wearing my contacts. I live tfor the
day I can afford to get my eyes lasered.

test