I was out a-riding on my bicycle on Friday night and foolishly picked up a puncture on my back tyre. This was triply unfortunate because 1) I was nowhere near home 2) it was practically a monsoon and 3) I hadn’t had the foresight to pack a pump, even though I had a puncture repair kit on me.
And so began my mission to find a place to repair the puncture before getting absolutely drenched – all I had to do was find a pump and the day would be saved. I’ve rated the various places I tried out of five, so that if on some rainy autumn night find yourself up the proverbial creek without a proverbial paddle, you too can get yourself home safe and dry…
Halfords York
Five stars for the Halfords crew – even though it was minutes from closing time, they kindly let me in and even went so far as to do most of the fixing gratis! (They were making noises about wanting to go home on time though…) Much appreciated.
★★★★★
Police Station
You’d have thought with all those bobbies on the beat riding bikes that a police station would have adequate provision for deflated police-bike tyres. Not so. The chap at the police station made a vague and unconvincing apology, and said that if I’d turned up before 4pm (!), I could’ve gone to the cycle recovery part of the police station and borrowed a pump there.
Two stars for the police station – they could have helped, but only if I’d had the foresight to disable my bike between the limited opening hours.
★★
Random Cyclist Wheeling His Bike
Really, I should have guessed before asking that any other cyclist wheeling his bicycle whilst it was raining torrentially was unlikely to have the requisite items on him for puncture repair – as it happened, he also had a flat tyre. It was a long shot. Whilst thoroughly unhelpful to my cause, he gets bonus stars on compassionate grounds. He was walking all the way to Naburn (four miles away).
★★★
Barracks
“What the bloody hell made you think that an army base would have a bicycle pump?! Bikes are for sissies – man up and drive a tank.”… was what I was expecting to hear if I asked the TA for a bike pump at 8pm. The army’s reputation does not serve it well in this particular instance.
It would also have been a further diversion from the route home, so I’m only awarding them one star.
★
Conclusion
As you might have expected, it’s the bike shop that emerges the clear winner here.
The moral of the story though is clearly this: don’t cycle without adequate kit to repair your bike, should the need arise. It might save you a very, very long walk.
Read More on Punctures
Foiling the Flat (Bike Culture article)
Tags: army, bicycle pump, halfords, police station, puncture, ta
Looks like the Bobbies are much more helpful that our police. Not much chance of help from them here. Here it would probably be the firemen who would be willing to help.
I leave a pump attached to each bike, not the cheapest way to go, but I know a pump will be there!
If our bobbies aren’t especially helpful, I hate to think what yours are like D: Didn’t consider going to the fire station – I shall try them next time I have a flat!
I did have a handpump before, but sadly it got stolen along with the rest of my bike – I do like your idea though, I should probably stock up on a pump for each bike! I think paying for a couple of pumps is preferable to paying for taxis…
Once upon a time years ago (about 35 to be exact) I was in a town by the name of Greystones about 12 Miles from my home in Dublin. I had been Fishing and I headed home on my Peugeot Racing Bike after 10.30 pm and suffered a puncture shortly after setting off. I had taken my Bike with me on the train intending to cycle home but the train service had stopped running by this time. I had no puncture repair kit with me but I did have a pump and I pumped the tyre up it lasted about a 1/2 mile until I had to pump it up again.
This continued for a few miles until I gave up as the leak just got worse and the tyre would not stay inflated for any reasonable time. I was blessed with a load of hills for much of the journey and I just scooted down the hills and walked on the flat parts. Eventually as I got nearer home I was reduced to walking as the tyre was starting to fall to bits. All I could hear was the flap flap flap of the tyre as I walked along in the silent streets.
I got home eventually after 2.00am and my Mother told me she had alerted the Police and that I had better go around and tell them I was safe. So I said; ‘What did you do that for’? And reluctantly went down to the local Garda Station then came home and had a cup of tea before heading to bed.
I now have several bikes and four pumps and many pucture kits and spare tubes and I make sure I always have a tube and a puncture kit with me when I am on my bike. I learned my lesson the hard way!
A pump, or two-canisters and inflator, a tube and a small patch kit, a few basic tools, all in a tiny saddle-bag, on each bike: more a charm than anything else, as I rarely need to use any of it (knock).
I simply never get punctures.
@John Fortunately I wasn’t walking home quite as far as you! I learnt my lesson before not to even try riding on a bike with flat tyres, since it does tend to wreck them.
@James Someone else suggested canisters, although I haven’t used them before. A charm eh? I think you should test it scientifically and see if you get more punctures if you don’t carry it round with you ;P
@Mick Yeah right! Or do you have that squirty gel stuff?
Mick probably rides solid tires which leave his acceleration and cornering ability at nil!
Not all bike shops are as helpful to the cyclist in distress as Halfords was to you, sadly. I’ve got a little blacklist running of shops I never intend to visit again unless my life depends on it, at which point they’ll probably refuse to serve me anyway.
…Just checked. Hard as a rock.
Can’t think why a bike shop wouldn’t help out a cyclist in distress though. There’s probably a special place reserved for them in hell…
Not solid tyres just good ones! And I replace them when (or even before) they need it. Georgies’ rear tyre is so far past its sell by date that it’s starting to reek. He has entered that mental zone where the inconvenience potential of a rise in the rate of punctures is traded against the cost of fitting a new tyre. The tyre in question is still on the bike, we shall see how long it takes him, I’ll keep you all abreast of developments.
If Geroge’s tyre is that bad, it sounds like you need to give him a payrise!
(George, slip me a fiver when I ride past GetCycling after work, hokay?)
As for the unhelpful bike shops, reasons seem to range between not being bovvered and not wanting to have my bike blocking the shop for other lucrative customers, the latter is particularly odd when I’m a certain sale of £30 worth of tyre.
Haha, I’m not at Get Cycling at the moment, although I shall forward your comment to the boss – you’ll have to come up to Acaster Malbis if you want that fiver
That does seem a very odd attitude to take. Their loss eh?
Give the fiver to Camilla, that’s probably the easiest way of getting it to me. Best of luck with the payrise!