wp-1450233872504.jpgA couple weeks ago we were stopped on the side of the trail adjusting the limit screw on my wife’s front derailleur after it had thrown the chain off early on a foggy weekend morning.

As we were standing there on the side of the trail an older gentleman cruised by on his bike, slowed down and asked “You guys okay?” 

We told him we were fine, and he kept rolling.

I really appreciated that he stopped and asked if we were alright. As luck would have it, we were rolling on the Neuse River Trail again tonight, and we passed the same guy on the trail. I waved, he waved, and we kept going.

A few miles further up the trail and there was a guy crouched down next to his bike, obviously diagnosing some sort of issue on it. As we rolled up, I asked if he was alright, and he said his front derailleur cable had come loose. I whipped out my Crank Brothers 17, and handed it to him, and he was able to get his bike ridable again. We shook hands, and took off in opposite directions.

I think the lesson here is that you should be prepared when out for a ride. Even if your bike is in good shape, you might be able to save someone else from having to make a 10 mile walk in the dark.

At the very least, take a second and ask if someone’s alright when you see them stopped on the side of the trail looking at their bike.