"Get You Home" Tricks

[Rob]

From another thread:

Anyone got any recommendations for puncture repair stuff that actually works?
Spare tubes that fit.

In an attempt to be slightly more helpful - as its happened to all of us...
I got a valve extender with a pair of Mavic Cosmics back in the 90s. It just screws on to the valve and makes it 50mm longer. I carry it taped to my multi-tool for this sort of eventuality. You must be able to get them somewhere.

As an absolute last resort, if you can't fix a puncture, you can cut the inner tube at the site of the puncture and tie it back together in a granny knot. The circumference is somewhat reduced by this of course, but it will stretch over the rim. You can then get a reasonable pressure. The only time I had to resort to this it worked OK, but I had to pump the tyre up again every 5 miles as it leaked a bit! But it got me home.

And while we're on the subject - a gashed tyre casing can be solved by laying a crisp packet between the inner tube and the tyre. Again, it will hold a reasonable pressure without the inner bulging through the gash and will get you home.

Anybody else got any "side of the road bodge jobs" to share?

[cath]

Topeak valve extenders - st john cycles.

[nickb]

Rob, can i just add-instead of cutting the tube, just tie the knot where the hole is. That way you keep it a bit bigger too

[Andy J]

Last year I had a flat in Asygarth village, Put in the spare tube and started pumping the tube up. It got to approx 25psi and then wouldnt inflate anymore. This however managed to get me to the Palmer Flats Hotel at the junction you take to go down to the falls, luckily it was a scourching hot day and the hotel bar was open, I pulled the mobile out, had signal so made a phone call, ordered a pint at the bar and climbed into the car 30 mins later.

I have in the past had to pack my mtb tyre full of grass to get me back to the car, dont know how well that would work on a road bike?

[stevesavage]

Some tips here

http://www.bikeradar.com/beginners/gear ... 1437?img=1

[Arthur]

In an attempt to be slightly more helpful

I've had the whole "try to fit short value tubes in deep rims as well

For dealing with gashed sidewalls, I carry Park Tyre Boots. I've had to use them in the past and they do get you home with a rip in the rim that would have you walking otherwise.

Joining links for your chain are also a good thing (e.g. this for Campag 10 speed http://www.totalcycling.com/index.php/p ... INK_C.html).

Buy a set of two with your new chain, use one to fit it and carry one as a spare so you can join the chain if it breaks.

[Dr Dave]

Not a 'trick' as such but keeping an emergency stash of carbs in a jersey pocket is something that will get you home one day.

[Rob]

On a clubrun a couple of years ago Matt Shipley managed to snap his handlebar. Limped on to a petrol station where he managed to fix it with a jubilee clip.

On a hostel trip in Wales some years back we had a minor prang which resulted in my mate Giles creasing his rear rim. We got the wheel turning well enough to make it the 5 miles to Bala where we got to the bike shop 5 mins before closing time. Bought the only 700c rim they had in stock; "no call for them around here sir!" Giles rebuilt the wheel in the hostel common room that evening. This isn't quite as terrifying as it first sounds. The trick is to tape the new rim to the side of the old one (lining up the valve holes) before you loosen any spokes. You then transfer one spoke across at a time working round the rim to conserve the spoking pattern. Final tensioning and trueing can be done using the frame as a jig. Worked a treat and Giles was still using the wheel 5 years later.

[Helen]

On a ride to Cockayne Nick's headset gave up.He began taking it apart by the side of the road and a large number of the ballbearings rolled away.
We got it fixed as there was no option of giving up the ride. Nick remained super calm and I had my fingers crossed.Sometime later it was all re-assembled and we set off. Later I had to involve sympathy from some passing Mtb'ers to Keep Nick from following an off-road trial.
Dave C strongly recommends bringing insulating tape on a ride as it can be used for all sorts of things in a get you home kind of way.Good for those of us with a limited knowledge of how to do things.

I find the new style no glue patches very good.

Helen

[Willy H]

I found a good supply of orange baler twine (found hanging on a field gate) to be the vital salvation bandaging a REALLY gashed tyre when on last spare tube and patches had run out.

This was on a Wiggy Audax, and it got me back over 30 miles, but the treatment had to be repeated every 5 miles or so.

Three essentials though:

-Drop pressure in tyre before applying twine constrictor, else the bump-bump will drive you crazy.
-Use approved 'bandpaniekknoop' knot to finally secure twine (you don't want this stuff getting intimate with your real mech. This knot I learned from my dad on a 110km trip back from Grandma Willy as a 9-year old.
-Better free the rear brakes a bit, else you could hit the deck pretty spectacularly.

Now you know...works any time, any length of gash depending on skill as twinebinder!

[IanH]

I find a few assorted cable ties can be very usefull to hold things together tightly.

[tomf]

A boring suggestion: check your spares kit every month or so. That might have alerted Phil to the underlying problem (wrong tubes) before it mattered.

I had been carrying all my spares, tools etc in a saddlebag for nearly a year before I first needed it - following a bizarre double blow-out near Bossall this winter. I knew I was in trouble because I only had one tube and no patches, but when I opened up the kit I found that:

• Water had got into the "waterproof" bag; the tube box had turned to gungy pulp, and half the multi-tool was rusted.
  So much road gunk had worked its way in under the exposed handle of the pump that it was effectively set solid and couldn't be used
  Vibration had caused the multitool to partly disassemble itself - one of the hex nuts holding the two halves together had come loose. Hilariously although the tool contains the relevant hex key, you can't use that to tighten the nut on the tool itself.

I phoned a friend... but now I carry two tubes (in a ziploc bag) and always check the saddlebag and pump when I clean the bike.

[mal]

Leave bike at big posh house, summon taxi (or ambulance as on second occasion), return and collect bike in own car looking human and tidy in "proper clothes", give very nice ladies of the house a bunch flowers (on both occasions).

[Willy H]

Here's another one, for when disaster strikes in the middle of nowhere (when my shimano pedal disintegrated on the Northumberland moors.

1 we nearly all now take a mobile, and
2 we nearly all are AA RAC Green Flag or best of all Environmental Transport Association

I've been badgering them to have a small supply of basic 'get you to town' bike parts.

So far: no interest

Which makes me think: last year used car 2,000 miles, used bike about 8,000 I reckon. Bike is more likely to go wrong than car, mine anyway.

[Dr Dave]

Perhaps the CTC could take this up? A commercial arrangement with one of the national breakdown services could be set up for the right price I'm sure. Whether cyclist would be prepared to pay a subscription I'm less certain.

Or you could try to found a cycling equivalent of the RAC/AA??