Going for solo long bike rides and worrying about mechanical problems

Triathlon Forum
1

I’ve started to get really bored by my usual 8-10 miles loop and would definitely like to get into doing ‘linear’ distances (maybe a 40-50 miles loop and leaving the car towards the ‘middle’ of it) but I’ve been wondering what people here do for long solo bike rides: besides carrying tubes etc. do you just trust that some guy with a pickup truck or something might give you a ride to your car if something happens?

Pretty much all my friends are quite a ways away from where I bike (I tend to go out in the boonies where the nice roads with low traffic are and they all live downtown) so it’s really out to give them a call if something happens (some of them don’t even own a car).

What do you all do? have you ever been in a situation where you were stranded 20-30mi away from your car and had to either hitchhike, call a cab, etc.? how do you prepare for your long solo bike rides?

2

I carry a tube, a folding hex wrench tool kit thing, a cell phone, and a credit card + I.D. I figure that can get me out of just about any jam I find myself in. If your tube and tools can’t get you home, well, maybe it’s time you call and old friend and catch up on times passed.

But seriously, the one time I couldn’t get home (my rear derailleur hanger broke), I tried taking the train (on which I was flat out denied admission on w/ my bike, “How do you expect me to get home?!” I shouted to the engineer as the train rolled away. “Ride your bike!” “Why the F do you think I’m taking the train! I can’t very well ride home with my derailleur dragging on the ground!” I retorted. I digress…still a little pent up anger there) but when I couldn’t get on the train I called a cab. $25 later it was the most expensive ride I’ve ever been on.

3

spare tube, multi tool, spoke wrench, patch kit, ID, credit card, a $20 bill, a Cliff bar and a cell phone usually. THe one time I had a major mechanical issue was 2 miles before the turn around of a 100 mile training ride when my chain broke. Found a guy at a state park that was just about to go on lunch and he gave me a drive back to his place 20 miles back the way I was heading to go home, he had the tools to fix the chain and I managed to reconnect with my riding buddies as they came by. They got 100 in, I got 76 in with a short break in the middle.

I go for long rides out in the mountains all the time and don’t worry much about it, I have never had a problem getting help when I really needed it. Just to be sure, bring a pretty girl with you on the ride so you don’t get bored if it’s a long wait :wink:

4

I’ve been training and racing for 14 years. I’ve never been stranded anywhere. I took a bike mechanics class from the Brazilian National Teams RAAM team mechanic about 11 years ago. I make sure my bikes are always in excellent shape BEFORE I ride. The only thing I carry is a flat repair kit, whether it be for clinchers or tubbies. I can count on one hand the number of flats I’ve had in 14 years. I do not carry any tools at all, unless I’ve made adjustments to my bike position. I then carry 1 or 2 allen wrenches that will allow me to tighten the bolts or re-position either the seat or handlebars/aerobars during the ride.

The best thing you can do is be sure your bike is in good repair BEFORE your ride. I spend hours per week working on my 2 tri bikes. Take it apart, clean it, check it, replace it, put it back together!! Its a constant process if you don’t want problems in training or races.

5

tube, levers, C02 cartridge, $10 and a quarter. If I was in your situation, I’d also carry a mini-tool, with a chain tool in it, another spare tube, and a frame pump instead of the CO2. Thats all you will ever need on the road.

6

I’ve never been stranded, but I have had multiple flats and spokes break. I would strongly recommend a box of patches along with your kit. Even though I have never had a breakdown, I’ve helped many others either with my group or along the road, so I always carry a multi-tool also.

7

The others have it pretty well covered, but I’ll chime in too. Let me just say that this is probably overkill, but I pack for the end of the world. Three tubes, tire levers, 2 CO2 catridges, a pump, patch kit, chain tool, set of Allen wrenches, 1mm-7mm, either $5 or my wallet, a small first aid kit, and lately, my cell phone. These all stuff nicely into my camelbak, and weigh about one pound total.

I got to be this way because I mountain bike a lot, and one morning I double-flatted screaming across a rock garden. I replaced both tubes and flatted again(sharp stuff, that granite) at which point my buddy lent me borrow his spare tube. Half an hour later, HE flatted, and we were out of tubes. Patch kits are great, but only if you can find the leak.

Fortunately, on my solo road rides(up to 100 miles) The worst thing to happen to me is a flat 5 minutes out. But I like to be prepared for the worst.

8

Marco, I ride in a place where for most of the ride there is no cell phone reception. It’s up in the mountains, not far from LA, but still very desolate. When that is the ride that I have planned, I will tell a friend where I am going and what time I expect to return. If I am not home, or if they do not hear from me within 2 hours of my expected arrival, they need to come looking for me. Follow all of the other good advice here, but also let someone know your route.

Regards,

MZM

9

thanks for all the replies, on my rides I usually pack what people here have BUT the chain tool: what do you use it for? I have half an idea that with a chain tool if your derailleur breaks you can shorten the chain, but besides that I’m not quite sure: I thought if the chain breaks you can’t really do much about it unless the break is on the link that can be opened? I’m probably wrong though…

10

If the chain snaps while you’re on your ride, you can remove 2 links around the break and rejoin the chain the old fashioned way, before there were special pins and removable links. Check on the Park tool or Sheldon Brown websites to see if there is a how-to.

11

I agree with the recommendations here. I might also add (unless I missed it somewhere above) to carry an extra spoke or two on the long rides, esp. on rough roads. Easy enough to tape on to the bottom of your top tube.

Lennard Zinn’s “Zinn and the Art of Bicycle Maintenance” has some MacGyver-like solutions for on-the-road equipment failures (such as the old trick of using an energy bar wrapper as a temporary tire patch).

12

(such as the old trick of using an energy bar wrapper as a temporary tire patch).
Bills work too. I used a $20 to get home last week after a tire blowout.

13

I carry a tube, a folding hex wrench tool kit thing, a cell phone, and a credit card + I.D. I figure that can get me out of just about any jam I find myself in. If your tube and tools can’t get you home, well, maybe it’s time you call and old friend and catch up on times passed.

But seriously, the one time I couldn’t get home (my rear derailleur hanger broke), I tried taking the train (on which I was flat out denied admission on w/ my bike, “How do you expect me to get home?!” I shouted to the engineer as the train rolled away. “Ride your bike!” “Why the F do you think I’m taking the train! I can’t very well ride home with my derailleur dragging on the ground!” I retorted. I digress…still a little pent up anger there) but when I couldn’t get on the train I called a cab. $25 later it was the most expensive ride I’ve ever been on.

ahoodlum,

Had you had a chain tool, like a Park CT-5 in your seat bag, you could have shortened your chain to make your bike a single speed to get you home. This tool also comes in handy if your chain breaks while riding, something that has happened to me twice in the last 50,000 miles. But it was no trouble to drop out the bad link and put the chain back together to permit me to get home without any other difficulty. Actually, it took less time than fixing a flat.

I concur with the previous recommendations of 1 or 2 tubes, tire levers, patch kit and a multi-tool with allen wrenches and straight and phillips head screwdrivers.

I would add a piece of Park Tool tire boot and a small foldable sharp knife, the chain tool and a spoke wrench that fits your spoke nipples.

With these modest tools and supplies(mine fit in one of those minimalist seat bags so I’m not talking 10 additional pounds of shit) you should be able to manage almost any breakdown to get you back home without additional cost or assistance.

Mind you, ID, a copy of proof of health insurance and $20.00 to $40.00 is mandatory and goes without saying.

All the above is based on top of you or your LBS maintaining your bike in good mechanical condition. This will decrease considerably the likelihood that you will ever need to use any of your tools and supplies in your seat bag other than your tube, patch kit and tire levers.

14

Marco in BC,

One Fourth of July(National Holiday here in the States) a buddy of mine and I went on a 110 mile round trip ride into the country and back. Our wives were out shopping until they dropped and we/they didn’t have cell phones. At about the 52 mile mark my buddy snapped his handlebar at the stem. Fortunately he managed to avoid getting it caught in the front wheel or it would have been catastrophic failure.

At first we thought we were screwed. But then realized we could probably loosen the stem clamp and slide the bar over slightly so the clamp straddled the break. This enabled us to ride the 3 miles into town to get to a hardware store(a rural community). However, the store was closed for the holiday so we had to ride another 8 miles further to get to a hardware store that was open.

We used a small pipe nipple inside the bar to “pin” the break. Reclamped the bar with the stem again straddling the break and used a hose clamp on either side of the stem with a small metal bar underneath the clamps to insure that the bar would not pull apart during the now 63 mile ride home.

We both did call home to leave messages on our answering machines to explain our expected delayed return.

It took my buddy about 30 miles to finally convince himself that his handlebar was rigid and secure enough to ride pretty much as he usually did. During these miles I had been trying to convince him it was secure enough to get him through the rest of the season.

The last 30+ miles we were hammering along as we usually do. He did replace the bar immediately, though. Besides it being the prudent thing to do, he was sure it wouldn’t be USCF legal. He was a cat 4 racer.

This is just a personal experience I’m sharing as evidence that even you should be able to manage most situations that at first might seem overwhelming or catastrophic. A cool head and a little ingenuity will actually get you quite far.

So don’t be intimidated to ride further and explore. It is a journey of self discovery that you most surely will enjoy. As you discover the empowerment of your self reliance, you will feel even more confident to explore and ride further.

Hey, you got the bike to ride it didn’t you? Then get out there and ride it! Get a map of the surrounding 50 mile/80 km area and begin exploring. You’ll discover many places you enjoy going to and different ways to get there and back. Some ways more desirable than others. This is how many of us discovered much of what we now know. Good luck, ride safe and have fun.