The Ambulatory Ride: Or The Most Difficult and Uncomfortable Ride there is:

[will_start]

Ok,

We've all probably had a time when we have had to limp our bike home
in some shape of form.

Well tonight, I had one of those moments.

A mixture of creativity, crossed with enginuity and pain, to ensure I don't have
to spend 5 times as long walking my bike home.

When that is the choice. i choose the uncomfortable, do what it takes
route to make it happen.

Enough of the pre-amble:
I broke my accelorator cable, whilst riding. and pulled it out
of the housing, and road the bike in a combination of NEW ways for me.

1. With the cable wrapped around the accelerrator.

This interesting, as your turn the accelorator forward
not back to make bike move.

2. A long Cable between my Legs

Picture pulling a cable between your legs, that comes
out of the depths of the carbeurettor of life.

3. Wrap the Cable Around your hand,
and thumb, then hold against acceloratatoror,
turn that best til it cuts.



Well, whats your limp home experience ???

[srdavo]

I've broken a couple throttle cables too. I used your same methods & managed to get home, each time.

My worst...
flat tire....
NOT repairable!
August, 2007....Noon....HOT!!

Trailer w/ 5 loads of clean laundry.
A mile & 1/2 from home.

I pushed bike & trailer a mile, before a buddy happened by & hauled my miserable, sweaty, tired carcass home.
(I carry a spare tube, now)

[Skyliner70cc]

4 flat tires about 28 miles from where I was staying. Temperature outside was over 100 deg F in the hot New Mexico sun. I gave up after the tube couldn't hold anymore patches and hitch hiked back to my place.

This was the last time I got a flat tire. I now use Kevlar tires and thick slime tubed tires.

[5-7HEAVEN]

Flat tires two miles downhill from home. Walked the bikes home.

Flat tire enroute to work on bikepath. Called son, drained gas from three tanks, removed wheels and threw bike into van.

Flat tire enroute to work on bikepath. Called son, threw bike onto ill-fitting bike rack and drove home.

New front engine quit two miles from home. Limped home on rear engine.

Rear engine quit enroute to work. Limped to work on front engine.

[Esteban]

Three flats in one day !!

[bluegoatwoods]

The day I built my first motor bike. Spring 2008. Got her started up and took a few test rides right in the neighborhood. When I felt ready to venture a bit further I put some more fuel in the tank. I didn't bother filling it; I didn't expect to need much.

right in front of my daughter's school the fuel ran out. I wasn't worried about that; these things have a motorcycle-style "reserve" on the shut off valve. I switched it to reserve and started pedalling and popping the clutch. Nothing. the only thing I can say is that the reserve on this particular valve doesn't work. I haven't investigated further even yet; I just make sure my tank is nearly full at all times.

In the windows of the school I could see one face after another looking out at me. Obviously thinking something like "what's that guy doing?". I also pictured my daughter thinking, "oh man, dad's out there making a fool out of both of us......". Turns out she never saw me, though.

I pedalled it home. A couple of miles. Not the worst thing in the world. But the seat wasn't at the right height for that and that chain made things more difficult than one might guess. Still, it coulda been worse.

[MikeJ]

One: A flat tire about seven miles from home at sundown. A nail skewered the tire. It was along a four-lane highway and 30 minutes until total darkness. No repair kit. No streetlights for four miles. Called ladyfriend. Her dinner cost about $25 that night.

Second: Broken engine mount at 13.5 miles in middle of a hot day. Peddled it home, mostly uphill against the wind. Took two hours. Better than another $25 dinner. Fixed engine mount.

Third: Flat tire from defective valve stem 33 miles out from home. Called ladyfriend. Cost another $25 dinner. Now carry two new inner tubes and a new tire pump. Less costly than another dinner.

[ibdennyak]

Running through large puddle of snow melt, didn't realize there was ice under the water, went down and smashed bike against protective barrier.....dragged broken bike about 4 miles while dripping dirty water at about 25 degrees.

Hauling little single cylinder diesel to shop, trailer broke seat post going up SAME HILL that got me before. dragged bike and trailer behind the killer barricade and called cab. (Friends with trucks all have caller ID)

Ran out of gas a couple miles from station/convenience store. No gas can. Bought 4 sodas and small funnel and drank as many as I could and dumped rest. Filled soda bottles with gas..........

[johnrobholmes]

Was riding home and the chain skipped up a cogg on my rear set. Since I had it single speeded it yanked the axle in. This started the tire rubbing the frame a bit. No worries, I can just go a bit slower.

Then the rear freewheel starts unscrewing because of the chain tension. It pulls into the frame, so that my pedals are locked. No more human assist.

I get another mile and the batteries start to give out from the extra load going home, no doubt double or triple normal load.

I push the bike another mile uphill, with 55mph traffic to my side. After this I am so beat I call my girlfriend and she manages to sneak away from work and take me the next mile home, bike in trunk.


I just about popped a vein pushing that bike uphill.

[Skyliner70cc]

Chain stretched on one of my shifter bikes as I was doing some serious mountain biking up Mt. Herman to Rampart Range Road (http://www.traildamage.com/trails/index.php?id=158)

If I let off on the gas and/or turned sharply to the left, the chain jumped off the sprocket. It took just a minute each time to get the chain back on and didn't affect my ride much. I did about 40 miles that day and it was a blast except for the snow patches on the trail/road that tested the limits of tire traction and limited riding skill