I set out on Saturday for my seventh consecutive day of cycling. I was planning on riding 20 miles from East Windsor to Allentown, NJ and back. This would be the longest ride I had done this season, had I made it.
I had my flat tire with my new wheel set about six miles from my house. Normally, I ride with a spare tube in my seat pack. But, my new wheel set requires Presta-valved tubes and I had always ridden Schrader. I didn’t think of buying extra tubes when I was at the bike store, and when I realized the omission, I thought, “I have a patch kit. I’ll buy a tube next time I pass the bike shop. I probably won’t puncture since the tubes are new.” Yeah, right.
My patch kit was one of those that has a little tube of glue to make the patches stick to the tube. The last time I opened the tube was about one year ago. When I opened it Saturday, the glue was a solid mass.
I couldn’t contact anyone who could pick me up in a car, so I started walking back home. I walked about three miles along Old York Road toward Hightstown, the little town between Allentown and East Windsor. During my 45 minute walk, three passing vehicles stopped. The driver of the first vehicle asked me, “How do I get to Route 73?” That guy was really lost. I gave him directions and he roared off down the road. The second car stopped and the driver said, “Excuse me, can I get to the Turnpike this way?” I told him how to get there. Neither asked me if I needed any help.
I continued down the road. My Polar S710 said I was walking 4 miles an hour. I figured I was an hour from home at that rate.
Next thing I knew, a group of three cars with bikes on the roof started to pass me. One guy leaned out of the first car and said, “You need a tube?” The man got out of the vehicle, went into his hatch, pulled out a tube with a Presta valve, gave it to me, and said, “Are you OK?” I thanked him about five times, and the caravan drove off.
I sat down and changed the tube. I was home about 45 minutes later. I went to the bike store and bought some tubes for myself today.
The lessons I learned as a result of this ride are:
- Always carry a spare tube that fits your rim;
- Check your patch kit periodically to make sure that the glue in it is still viable; and
- When out in your car, take a look at the cyclists you pass, and offer help to anyone who looks like they need it.
Another thing you can do to avoid this problem is get a pre-glued patch kit. If I had this, I probably could have patched my tube and made it home, saving myself the three mile walk.
The entire story reminds me of The Parable of the Good Samaritan, which can be found in The Bible at Luke 10:25-37. Amazingly, when my wife and I attended church this morning, this passage was one of the Bible readings.