I don't carry my phone on rides as I ride most miles on the trail and with friends often. I do ride on the roads at night and I will carry my phone in case of an emergency. Much harder to fix a mechanical in the dark. 
But even when I ride in the mountains I don't carry my cell as the road we ride is up then down. If something happens there, pretty much rolling back to the truck. Not to mention that we can not get reception up there.
Most times I can repair most things well enough to get back. I've fixed a broken chain once, flats many times, broken spokes (adjust and tie up spoke). Many wheel truing deals on the side of the road for friends. Broken cables, frames, saddle rails, you name it.
But one time I did get stuck. A buddy and I rode across the valley and up a mountain. Cajon Pass heading toward the high desert. My tires seemed fine but the jagged road up along the side of the pass really tore up my back wheel. Seca tire. It totally thrashed the middle of the tire and it was a fairly new tire. Maybe 300 miles.
It split down the middle and I was with a friend who carried a phone so I didn't have mine. If I had been alone, I would have carried mine. But he had to go to work a few hours after the ride. So I used his phone to call Gina. She still had 2 hours at work before she could leave but luckily, I was only 5 miles from her work so it was not too far out of the way.
But my buddy had to go so after I used the phone, he took off heading back to complete the ride with 30 miles still remaining. So I waited out there for 2 hours before Gina could pick me up. I could have risked it but I'm not that stupid to descend a 10% grade of 3 miles or so ha ha ha!
I could have walked but by the time I got to Gina's work, it would have been time for her to get off and I would have probably thrashed my shoes. So I waited up in the mountains.
This was back in 2009 I believe. She showed up so I took a pic of my support crew checking out my bike ha ha!
So post your story of getting stuck or whatever. I have only been caught this one time in 25 years.
But even when I ride in the mountains I don't carry my cell as the road we ride is up then down. If something happens there, pretty much rolling back to the truck. Not to mention that we can not get reception up there.
Most times I can repair most things well enough to get back. I've fixed a broken chain once, flats many times, broken spokes (adjust and tie up spoke). Many wheel truing deals on the side of the road for friends. Broken cables, frames, saddle rails, you name it.
But one time I did get stuck. A buddy and I rode across the valley and up a mountain. Cajon Pass heading toward the high desert. My tires seemed fine but the jagged road up along the side of the pass really tore up my back wheel. Seca tire. It totally thrashed the middle of the tire and it was a fairly new tire. Maybe 300 miles.
It split down the middle and I was with a friend who carried a phone so I didn't have mine. If I had been alone, I would have carried mine. But he had to go to work a few hours after the ride. So I used his phone to call Gina. She still had 2 hours at work before she could leave but luckily, I was only 5 miles from her work so it was not too far out of the way.
But my buddy had to go so after I used the phone, he took off heading back to complete the ride with 30 miles still remaining. So I waited out there for 2 hours before Gina could pick me up. I could have risked it but I'm not that stupid to descend a 10% grade of 3 miles or so ha ha ha!
I could have walked but by the time I got to Gina's work, it would have been time for her to get off and I would have probably thrashed my shoes. So I waited up in the mountains.
This was back in 2009 I believe. She showed up so I took a pic of my support crew checking out my bike ha ha!
So post your story of getting stuck or whatever. I have only been caught this one time in 25 years.
