The Chainlink

A minor gripe..

Okay, I'm sort of new around here, an usually just a lurker, but I gotta speak up.

 

I got a pinch flat yesterday on my way home from work at Milwaukee & Chicago. No biggie, pulled off the street and got out my "crash kit" with tools and a spare tube, and got to work. But in the 20 minutes I spent putzing around, I saw at least 2 dozen other riders fly by, and not a single person stopped to ask if I needed help. I mean, really? What happened to this community of cyclists that's supposed to exist? I don't say anything to the other riders that I see cutting in front of cars/pedestrians and blowing red lights, but this really takes the cake.

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Permalink Reply by Melanie K on September 23, 2011 at 4:31pm
I kind of expect that no one will help me, which is why I am fully prepared for flats and other cycling emergencies as well. I have to admit, there was one day in the spring, I got a flat and it was very cloudy out on an early morning commute. I started to do the fix on the sidewalk just past Belmont on Lincoln. I counted about 10 other commuters going past, not one bothered to stop or offer assistance, and then it started downpouring rain. At the time, it kind of ticked me off that absolutely no one at least asked if I was fine, but I figured it was a combination of it starting to rain and the fact that I had my stuff together that encouraged people to fly by. On the LFP, there are plenty of people who seem to offer help- my fiancee and I had no shortage of people stopping to see if they could help when he got a flat along the path, but on the actual streets its a lot different.
Permalink Reply by Tank-Ridin' Ryan on September 23, 2011 at 5:17pm

I agree with Ash here.  You probably looked like you had everything under control. 

 

I've also noticed that other riders are more likely to offer assistance if they're out of the bounds of public transit, ie. forest preserve bike trail.  People probably just assume you'll hop on the train or bus if you have a problem you can't fix.


Ash L. said:

I didn't realize I was supposed to be stopping. If I see a a rider that obviously knows the drill, already has his/her wheel off, etc than I assume they've got it covered. Changing a tire isn't really a two man job so I don't know how much another person would be of assistance unless you're just looking for moral support. I have stopped once when a teenager had her pants all stuck in her chain because she was still standing in the bike lane and looking like she was about to collapse in grief. I suppose what most of us do is take a quick observation of the situation and help if we are able.
Permalink Reply by Michael A on September 23, 2011 at 6:48pm

I have helped, given away tubes and air carts so many times I could not keep track........ but 20 minutes to change a flat??????  

 

It may be different riding up through the northern suburbs where I ride and train most, but it is almost to the point of being annoying with how many riders ask if "everything is ok" when someone flats or has a breakdown.

 

Permalink Reply by S.Presley☠ on September 23, 2011 at 7:09pm

I remember when I was in High school, this kid was a DeMolay. He said that if he was ever stranded on the side of the road, he could always signal for help. All he would have to do is stand in front of his car with his arms crossed in an "x" on his chest. If another DeMolay saw him they would stop to help.

Maybe we can make a folding sign like this one and carry it just in case.


with a little change...

Any way, I always ask if I can help...or if someone is OK. Keep the faith

Permalink Reply by h' Zerocats on September 23, 2011 at 7:31pm

Thank you . . . Am I the only one who's never heard of this?


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DeMolay_International

 


S.Presley said:

I remember when I was in High school, this kid was a DeMolay. He said that if he was ever stranded on the side of the road, he could always signal for help. All he would have to do is stand in front of his car with his arms crossed in an "x" on his chest. If another DeMolay saw him they would stop to help.

Permalink Reply by S.Presley☠ on September 23, 2011 at 7:47pm
I have never met another "DeMolay" since...
Permalink Reply by h' Zerocats on September 23, 2011 at 8:48pm

Knowingly . . . maybe you just don't have good DeMolaydar?


S.Presley said:

I have never met another "DeMolay" since...
Permalink Reply by Rich S on September 24, 2011 at 1:48am

Someone mentioned it earlier and I agree. How many of the people who passed don't know how to fix a flat? I'm actually a bit embarrassed to admit that in the last 3+ years of riding I haven't fixed one of my own flats. I know how to do it as I've seen it done plenty of times before ... I just haven't taken the time to try one myself. The funny thing is that one of my best friends barely ever rides and he's fixed plenty of flats. 

 

So what I'm saying is that if you looked like you knew what you were doing I probably wouldn't stop because I would not be of much assistance except for passing you a wrench or moral support or something. But if you looked like you were in distress I would absolutely try to help. I've helped a few strangers put a spare tire on their car because they had no idea how to do it themselves. 

Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on September 24, 2011 at 8:53am

No one stopped because it is not their job to help you and/or they had somewhere to be.

 

Commuting or traveling by bike is just like traveling be some other means.  People have somewhere to be and a time they have to be there by; to expect them to derail their plans and life because you have a flat is a pretty self centered way of looking at things.  If I have time I ask people if they need help but if I am running late or on a schedule they are on their own.  Shame on me for expecting full grown adults to be self sufficient. When I flat out or have an issue I do not expect anyone to stop and help me, I am responsible for my own needs.

 

If you had all the stuff you needed and had it under control why are you upset no one stopped?  It's not like you needed anyone's help...  Why is it disappointing that no one who cycles stops?  No one is disappointed when motorists don't stop for another motorist and they don't stop for the same reasons; they have somewhere to be.

Permalink Reply by Mike Zumwalt on September 24, 2011 at 9:06am
LOL! Waking up in a good mood today, huh Doug?
Permalink Reply by Melanie K on September 24, 2011 at 10:30am

I have stopped for motorists that are stranded, and I have stopped for cyclists to see if they need any help or don't have a pump, etc. even when I "have to be somewhere".  Usually the person has it under control, but always seems thankful that someone at least cared. I have also stopped and asked if someone needed help, and actually been able to help (you would be surprised at how many people carry a spare tube and patch kit, but no pump).  "Having somewhere they need to be" is many times just an excuse people use to justify why they can't take a second out of their lives to see if another human being is all right or needs help, since their lives are so important that they can't be bothered. It is just as self-centered as the OP wondering why no one even attempted to offer some help. 

 

All in all, while no one should have any expectation that a fellow cyclist should stop and offer assistance whether needed or not, it is always nice when there is someone out there that does. 

Permalink Reply by Michelle S on September 24, 2011 at 10:53am

I agree that you probably looked like you knew what you were doing and didn't need assistance.

 

I also had the opposite experience this summer. I was riding on the LFT on my road bike and got a horrible foot cramp so I stopped, laid my bike away from the path on the grass and started hopping around and stretching to try to relieve the cramp. So many people slowed down or stopped to ask if I needed help that I got embarrassed repeating my lame "no, thanks so much, just a foot cramp!" Obviously they thought maybe I'd crashed my bike. It was very heart warming.

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