"Had to turn around and limp home"

[Mark McM]

I started riding before cell phones were common, so I'm amazed that some many rider's sole backup plan is their cell phone.

Like many others above, I do all the work on my bikes, so I'm usually aware of what condition they are in mechanically, and how to fix/adjust them in case there is a problem on the road. I can only think of one time that I ever had to get a ride home, and that was when I discovered a cracked fork blade mid-ride. (Admittedly, this could have been found earlier by inspecting the fork.)

I've had the usual list of calamities, including flat tires (up to 3 on a ride), broken chains, broken spokes, broken derailleur cables, snapped derailleurs, loose headsets and chainring bolts, chains jammed due to chain suck, etc., and always managed to get the bike back into rideable condition to ride back home.

[NHAero]

Originally Posted by Mark McM

Snip
I've had the usual list of calamities, including flat tires (up to 3 on a ride), broken chains, broken spokes, broken derailleur cables, snapped derailleurs, loose headsets and chainring bolts, chains jammed due to chain suck, etc., and always managed to get the bike back into rideable condition to ride back home.

I consider myself fortunate to thus far having not experienced a broken chain or snapped derailleur. I carry a spare link and my multitool has a chain breaker on it so I think I could address a broken chain enough to get home. If the RD (or hanger?) breaks, do you take it off the bike and shorten the chain and ride back as a single speed?

[Mark McM]

Originally Posted by NHAero

If the RD (or hanger?) breaks, do you take it off the bike and shorten the chain and ride back as a single speed?

That's the usual approach. So you have to pick a gear that will work for the rest of the ride back. Also, you have to avoid too much of a cross-chaining angle, or the chain may attempt to shift by itself to the adjacent sprocket. With horizontal dropouts it was possible to tension the chain by moving the axle forward/back in the drop out slot, but with vertical dropouts the chain may have some sag.

[GParkes]

This thread makes me laugh. Not because of the responses, but thinking of some of the people I ride with. I've been mocked for always having a clean cassette, always cleaning and tuning a bike, or riding one of the others in the stable when my main bike is being taken apart to be completely serviced.

I ride with some people that have (had) expensive bikes that have been completely ridden to failure in some way or another. If I spend $XX on a bike, I'm going to make sure it gets taken care of. I understand that some of them don't have the skills or tools to service their bike, but for God's sake, when it sounds like crap, isn't shifting properly, or is in general a mess - get it to a shop!!! It mystifies me.

[cgolvin]

As a ride leader I feel obliged to carry almost everything within reason that someone could need; my list includes some lessons from previous failures (others's, not mine):

• frame pump
• tube(s)
• minitool
• tire boot
• tube patches
• Wolf tooth master link/valve core tool
• master links
• Dyna plug
• valve extender (for the person with deep section wheels who brought a tube with a too-short valve stem)

I also carry a disc brake plastic insert to avoid the case that the piston gets compressed while the wheel is out. My bar bag has a chain tool but I only use the bag on longer offroad rides.

Originally Posted by fourflys

just a reminder to ALWAYS ask a rider at the side of the road if they need a hand.. I've got the "I'm good" 90% of the time, but you just never know..

I'm so used to getting the "I'm good" response that I've usually gone past them by the time I hear "no."

[JMT3]

I do my own wrenching and live and die by the torque wrench. I also clean my bikes way too much and when I do I’m looking and checking everything. Chains get replaced when I hit the 2,000 mile mark and rotate the front tire to the back and a new one goes on the front. Wireless shifting on most of my bikes and hrdro brakes so no cables. Brake pads get replaced at 10,000 miles and doing what I do keeps my bikes happy. Do have 6 different bikes but spend most of my time on a LitespeedT3 disc.

[Spinner]

Many moons ago, I was climbing a road northwest of Eagle Creek Park Indianapolis when my chain snapped. My friend and I walked +/- 50 yards to the hill top and strode into a driveway. The owner was at hand and asked how he could help. After some thought, I requested electricians pliers and a coat hanger. Putting the newly joined chain into a low gear, I gently pedaled 5 miles home.

P.S. I now remember that I also used a ball pein hammer with a large rock too.

[David Kirk]

The best one I ever saw was when I was mountain biking with a friend who worked at Serotta. We were about 10 miles into the woods in the Adirondacks when the ratchet mechanism in his rear hub failed. It would not lock into place and the pedals would spin freely forward and backward with nothing happening.

I thought for sure he was going to have a long, long walk out of the woods to get back to the car. We all stood around trying to figure something out. Then the rider Florian had an idea...he used his allen wrench to undo the front derailleur cable and he removed it. He found a suitable sized twig to stick in the front changer's parallelogram to hold it in the middle ring. He then took the derailleur cable and he weaved it in and out between the back of the cassette and the driveside spokes effectively making the rear wheel a multi-speed fixed gear. He then rode the rest of the ride having to pedal over everything the very technical trail had in store and he finished with the group.

Florian was the Swiss national Junior downhill champ and could ride up or down almost anything and it turns out he could do it fixed too.

When we got home he swapped the wheel out for a good one, put a new cable in the front derailleur and life was grand.

dave

[NHAero]

Originally Posted by David Kirk

The best one I ever saw was when I was mountain biking with a friend who worked at Serotta. We were about 10 miles into the woods in the Adirondacks when the ratchet mechanism in his rear hub failed. It would not lock into place and the pedals would spin freely forward and backward with nothing happening.

I thought for sure he was going to have a long, long walk out of the woods to get back to the car. We all stood around trying to figure something out. Then the rider Florian had an idea...he used his allen wrench to undo the front derailleur cable and he removed it. He found a suitable sized twig to stick in the front changer's parallelogram to hold it in the middle ring. He then took the derailleur cable and he weaved it in and out between the back of the cassette and the driveside spokes effectively making the rear wheel a multi-speed fixed gear. He then rode the rest of the ride having to pedal over everything the very technical trail had in store and he finished with the group.

Florian was the Swiss national Junior downhill champ and could ride up or down almost anything and it turns out he could do it fixed too.

When we got home he swapped the wheel out for a good one, put a new cable in the front derailleur and life was grand.

dave

Great story!
We fixed a leaking MSR backpacking stove in Tanzania many years ago with dental floss.
Necessity is the mother of invention!

[tellyho]

I carry a fair amount of tools, but I prefer to ride offroad. In that setting, I've had a number of mechanicals requiring intervention. Broken derailleur hanger is probably the most common. But I agree that on the road, preventative maintenance saves you from everything but flats. Mostly.

[donevwil]

In the late '90s a buddy and I were doing an epic training ride with the local Santa Rosa pros. About 50 miles from home my buddy rides over a stick which, of course, jumps into his rear derailleur, ripping it off the bike and bending the hanger. Neither of us has ever carried a chain tool, but lo and behold John Peters did. He jumped into action and turned my buddy's bike into a single speed. That was a long 50 miles home.

[nmrt]

Regarding chain snapping: Out my door, is a 2400 ft climb. One day, literally at the top of that climb, my chain broke. I think it was because I had installed the quick link one two many times. Not sure.

Anyway, and this is the funny part, all I did was turn the bike around and coast back home without one pedal stroke and a bit of luck -- the four traffic lights were all green for me.

Originally Posted by NHAero

I consider myself fortunate to thus far having not experienced a broken chain or snapped derailleur. I carry a spare link and my multitool has a chain breaker on it so I think I could address a broken chain enough to get home. If the RD (or hanger?) breaks, do you take it off the bike and shorten the chain and ride back as a single speed?

[bigbill]

When I lived in NE Texas, I carried three tubes because flats were so common. On two occasions, I needed all three on a 30 mile ride. I went with tubeless, but still carried at least two tubes. Those two tubes stayed in my saddle bag from 2017 to 2023 when I put them in a set of wheels that were not tubeless.

I also carry a multi-tool, CO2, and quick links. My gravel and MTB has a minipump so I can pump back up if the tire doesn't seal immediately. Several years ago, I broke a chain and was able to use the screwdriver on the multi-tool to pry the bad link off to install a quick link.

Like others posted, I do my own wrenching and always use a torque wrench.

[.RJ]

Originally Posted by cgolvin

As a ride leader I feel obliged to carry almost everything within reason that someone could need; my list includes some lessons from previous failures (others's, not mine):

• frame pump
• tube(s)
• minitool
• tire boot
• tube patches
• Wolf tooth master link/valve core tool
• master links
• Dyna plug
• valve extender (for the person with deep section wheels who brought a tube with a too-short valve stem)

I also carry a disc brake plastic insert to avoid the case that the piston gets compressed while the wheel is out. My bar bag has a chain tool but I only use the bag on longer offroad rides.

A few good additions to this kit would be zip ties, spare shift cable, a rolled up length of duct tape (or similar), $10-20 cash, a spare chainring bolt/nut or two.

I keep all of this stuff in a small backcountry tulbag for longer rides or when I'll be out beyond cell service.

And, when you're cleaning/servicing your bikes, make sure your tubeless valve nut isnt jammed on with dirt/grime, cause it sucks if you cant get that thing off and you need to put a tube in.

[fourflys]

Originally Posted by .RJ

And, when you're cleaning/servicing your bikes, make sure your tubeless valve nut isnt jammed on with dirt/grime, cause it sucks if you cant get that thing off and you need to put a tube in.

you know what would be awesome? A bike-specific Leatherman tool.. I LOVE having a Leatherman in the car for all kinds of things, but it certainly would be of limited use in a bike kit as they currently exist.. is there something similar that exists? (would fix the issue above)