You have a puncture, someone helps, what next?

CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Debate!

You have a puncture, someone helps, what next?

(34 posts)

Started 11 years ago by skotl
Latest reply from Nelly

No tags yet.

12 Next »

skotl
Member

So this was a wee bit weird.

I won't mention the route because I don't want to draw specifics, it's more to ask what other people would do in these circumstances.

A few weeks ago, I'm on my way home and I come across someone with an upended bike. I do what I always do in these circumstances, which is to pull up and ask whether he had everything he needed.
"Err, no. I have a spare tube but it's got a hole in it" he replied.

"What size of tyre is it?" I asked? Turns out he was running 700x21 and I have a spare 700x23 so I give him that and give him a hand getting it into the wheel, wheel back on bike and pumped up.

Job's a good 'un and we now have two working bikes between us. "Cheers" he says and off he goes.

I was a little gobsmacked. If he'd offered me £3 for the tube I'd have waved him off.
Perhaps he didn't have any cash on him and was embarrassed? I'd still have thought that he'd ask for my details so he could send me a replacement tube (and I'd have declined).

I wasn't looking for cash, and wouldn't have accepted, but I was just a little surprised that the offer wasn't made.

Am I being too precious?
Do others always stop and offer help (as I still do)?

Posted 11 years ago #
Instography
Member

I don't always stop but I'll slow and see if everything's in hand or if help's needed.

I suspect as you parted company he thought to himself what a thoughtless idiot he'd been and that he should have offered to pay for the tube. But that's what happens in those circumstances. People are, I think, genuinely caught unawareness by strangers being randomly and unnecessarily generous and they forget what they're supposed to do.

Or maybe not. But still, you did good and you should content yourself with that and hope that he'll do the same for someone else some day.

Posted 11 years ago #
chdot
Admin

It's good that you stopped - and could/did help.

We had a whole thread about "To stop or not to stop? (...for another cyclist)" -

http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=5681

Posted 11 years ago #
Nelly
Member

Skotl, I think your concern is the lack of manners, rather than the £3, but hopefully the person in question helps another poor unfortunate at some future point.

I suspect the person genuinely forgot, I like to give people the benefit of the doubt.

Posted 11 years ago #
SRD
Moderator

I think most of us would have done what you did. And had exactly the same reaction after.

Posted 11 years ago #
Kenny
Member

I had almost the same scenario, but with a co2 canister as I did not have a MTB pump, and off he rode with no offer of cost being returned and I thought it a little rude. But it is only £1 and so not worth the point if getting irritated for long. So aye, I reacted just like you.

Posted 11 years ago #
wee folding bike
Member

I've done that in the past. If someone offers a few bob then I ask them to drop it in the next Marie Curie box they see. I don't need the £3 that much and Marie Curie do good things with it. The recipient feels good about themselves and Marie Curie gets something out of it. They might even get more than £3, who knows?

These days I usually have 16" tubes so the market is limited. I carry patches too.

Posted 11 years ago #
gembo
Member

Helped a guy in the summer and he was overly appreciative.

Would be bad if you stopped to help, gave away your spare then got a puncture yourself. Cursing your generosity in giving away a spare tube whilst gluing a patch on to your punctured tube, in the rain and wind as it starts too get dark

Posted 11 years ago #
skotl
Member

Thanks for the responses, folks. Glad it's not just me.

As Instonography said, I'm sure the guy thought "oh darn" as he headed off so I'll chalk it down to the good deed that it was intended to be.

@Nelly - absolutely not the £3.
@Gembo - aye, it occured to me that I'd look a bit of a numpty if I got a puncture 30 yards down the road :) think I'll start carrying a couple of spare tubes now (can't be faffed with puncture repair kits).

Cheers all

Posted 11 years ago #
minus six
Member

Marie Curie do good things with it

They still promote the barbaric Liverpool Care Pathway so count me out

Posted 11 years ago #
wee folding bike
Member

It might not be so barbaric as reported in the media.

Posted 11 years ago #
AKen
Member

I read the thread title and imagined this might be the start of a gentle romantic story - the kind you might read in The People's Friend.

Posted 11 years ago #
skotl
Member

Story's not yet finished :D feel free to supply an alternative ending!

Posted 11 years ago #
MeepMeep
Member

Is this the part where we start a "Missed Connections" thread?

Posted 11 years ago #
kaputnik
Moderator

You carry a wee bag of faerie dust* and stalk out the path you were on, and next time you see him you ride past, drop them ahead of him and then restore order to the universe?

* = broken glass shards, thumbtacks, sections of briar.

Posted 11 years ago #
deckard112
Member

I've been in similair situations but I have to be fair and say I wouldnt be offended that the beneficiary didn't offer me money or replacement. I'd just take satisfaction that I'd helped someone that day. Your post seems to suggest he was pleasant enough and said cheers? Enjoy the sense of helping fellow man!

Posted 11 years ago #
paul.mag
Member

Am pleased to hear that you stopped. I suspect that the person you helped was hugely appreciative and like others have said would be kicking themselves that they didn't offer some cash.

I think far too many riders or maybe it's just commuters don't stop or even ask if they can help. I say this as someone who got a puncture on corstorphine rd and had about 7 (give or take) cyclists go past me and not one of them looked to help. It wasn't an issue and perhaps they all judged me capable of fixing the puncture I just find it a little sad that some cyclists are as insular to their surroundings as car drivers.

Posted 11 years ago #
jdanielp
Member

Unless I'm in a rush to get somewhere I will slow down and ask if everything is okay when passing a stricken cyclist, although if they are clearly set about working on something I might not bother. I have yet to actually get involved in any serious path-side mechanics though, which is maybe just as well since my skills are limited.

Posted 11 years ago #
MeepMeep
Member

The times I don't stop to offer help is simply because I've noticed the puncturee too late and am going to fast to make a safe sudden stop - not because I'm not interested in helping.

I usually tend to ask "have you got everything you need?" rather than "do you need help?". Avoids anyone feeling patronised and, let's be honest, Mr MeepMeep tells anyone who'll listen that I'm useless at bike maintenance - I just carry the tools for the extra weight. *huff*

Posted 11 years ago #
Wilmington's Cow
Member

I fixed a puncture for someone at St Leonards pone morning. She was completely stuck, and was moving to the States the next day, so on her way to do something or other. I just patched it up and sent her on her way with a cheery smile.

Loaned someone a mini-pump when I didn't have time to stop properly, gave him a card and asked him to give me an email to get it back to me. Which he did, then left it at my house (I was out, but it got popped through the door).

Had a spectacular blow-out heading through Musselburgh on the way to the East Fortune airshow a few years back, and an old chap on a club run coming the other way stopped and gave me his spare tube (my tube was ripped to pieces). He wouldn't even let me know his name to thank him properly, let along take me up on my offer to pay for the tube, or get him another.

Always ask someone, as stated above, "Do you have everything you need?". Only once been caught out by someone saying no, because it was the one and only day I'd ridden to work forgetting to put my little tool roll in, so in the end I couldn't help.

Posted 11 years ago #
skotl
Member

That's exactly what I say to them (as evidenced by me asking @baldcyclist the same question a few days back). Happy to accept the karma - if I was in it for the money, I'd pick a cheaper hobby!

Posted 11 years ago #
neddie
Member

A wise old cyclist once said to me:

"Fix yur bike up weel, at home where its warum and dry. Carry a tuul kit and a tuoobe & yu'll only ever end up fixing some wan else's bike"

Posted 11 years ago #
threefromleith
Member

I usually ask "Are you OK there?". Only once has someone said, "Not really.." Was happy to stop & help him get his tyre back on, then used one of my CO2 carts to quickly get him up to pressure and on his way (he was an older chap, it was cold & dark and not ideal weather for hanging around trying to slowly pump the tyre up).

All I really want is for someone to do the same for me sometime when I'm stuck :-)

Posted 11 years ago #
Wilmington's Cow
Member

"All I really want is for someone to do the same for me sometime when I'm stuck :-)"

This.

Posted 11 years ago #
Dunny
Member

Last night on the towpath just after Wester Hailes (when it gets dark,) I stopped and helped a wee Italian guy who had a flat back tyre. His English was minimal but he managed to tell me that it was a slow puncture, and he had to reach Bruntsfield. He had no pump, so I put some air in it for him and it didn't immediately deflate again. So I thought, ach you'll be fine, and didn't mention my spare tube in my bag.

Now I feel guilty I never offered it, and wonder if he did actually make it. So I think you did the right thing skotl, forget the cash for the tube - the guilt in not offering a tube keeps you up at night. He was just a wee guy and it was very dark...

Posted 11 years ago #
gembo
Member

@dunny

He was heading towards more light. Your inflation might have lasted until the aqueduct where he would have pushed towards bruntsfield.

Say 3 Hail Marys and 2 How's Yer fathers and absolve yourself of the guilt

Posted 11 years ago #
skotl
Member

Tricky one. At least you stopped, Dunny!

There was a bit of a debate re motives on this thread so I prefer to view it as a query of how many folks will offer help to their fellow cyclists.
I'm heartened at the positive response :D

Posted 11 years ago #
gembo
Member

Also, I will give a spare tube away, if I have two spare tubes. Imagine giving your tube away then getting your own puncture further down the track. You would be kicking yourself then

Posted 11 years ago #
DaveC
Member

I carry 3 tubes and don't have a problem giving a spare tube away, I carry a punture repair kit also.

Posted 11 years ago #
Nelly
Member

I gave a guy a tube a year or so back at Stenhouse - only occurred to me later that I was sans tube.

Dave C - thats a lot of tubes to carry, do you puncture a lot on the fife commute?

Is it thorns, glass, potholes ? Mine last night (first for over a year) was hitting a pothole, but I seem to have been lucky with glass etc recently.

Posted 11 years ago #

RSS feed for this topic

12 Next »

Reply »

You must log in to post.

// CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum

About This Forum

CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Debate!

You have a puncture, someone helps, what next?

Reply »

RSS Feeds

Links