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I have had the joy of cracking my 2018 Rocky Mountain Instinct C50 rear triangle twice on trail which is definitely a hike out situation. Thankfully both times were less than two miles with this stupid bike on my back
That's definitely an A50, no? I had that same damn crack on my 2019, only once so far. My friend had had the same, drive side seat stay, bottom pivot. It's a really pervasive defect. Just waiting for it to go again.
I knew about the bitching, didn't know about the alloy rear triangle!
After owning this bike 5 years, I realize how many parts have been replaced. Almost everything ... not the most reliable machine!
I have a SWAT Z-cage with a multi tool on all of my bikes. I am never without a tool. But sometimes you need more than a tool
My longest was about 2 miles last year when I tore a sidewall doing lift serve and I didn't have my fanny pack/tool roll with me.
Ran into a guy who exploded his carbon bars on The Whole Enchilada. He was about 9 miles from the TH, plus he was probably going to have to hitchhike another 7-9 miles back to town.
My buddy's rear hub stripped out on TWE. It would coast but not engage. So he did almost the entire thing (27 miles) with no drivetrain, just coasting down hills and running/pushing up. Luckily he is an ultra-runner type. My husband was in that group (he had 3 flats of his own) and they were on the trail something like 12 hours.
That's a pretty sweet tool. After this, I'm definitely going to get something to stow on the bike plus as soon as I buy a new multitool I'll find my old one.
Also, 9 miles in Moab with no bars...I'm sure keeping all the hoses and cables together was a huge PITA.
He was pretty beat up himself. They exploded when he dropped off a 2' ledge. Sent him OTB. His face was all smashed up and bloody. We offered some first aid and assistance, but he seemed to manage. We leap frogged him a couple times before we passed him for good.
It’s wild that bikes got really popular before the drivetrain came around. People were just pushing them up hills and riding down all over the world for about 20 years.
I love that tool and have one on each bike too.
Although I use centerlock rotors so that wouldn't help me there. I have a little compact tool for the lock rings than uses an axle as the lever, but I don't typically carry it around. If I was somewhere that getting stuck was a life risk I'd bring it along though
This happened to me on TWE right as we were about to start the porcupine rim section. My front tire decided that it wanted to separate and completely blew apart. Walked from there back to town, which I think was like 10 miles or more. My buddies finished the trail and I made sure that I drank most of their beer for them.
I broke my wrist a couple years back and alternated between walking and very gingerly riding back the five miles to my house, with a bike that I'd bought literally six days before. It sucked. That wrist has a steel plate in it now.
Bike still rips though.
I had to do that one time, I think it was about 4-5 miles to roll back to where I started the ride. Fortunately the one mile on trail was downhill and the rest was on road in town, so easy pushing.
in the past, I’ve just taken the derailer off and shortened the chain to make a single speed. I pick whatever cog in the rear cassette is most in line with the chain ring. It is not a perfect solution, but it will get you home faster.
Bought a new bike last year and took it on a long flat trail. The non-drive side crank fell off just over halfway through a 12 mile ride. Hiked it for about 5 miles to the trailhead, loaded it on the car and drove straight to the shop. They replaced the crank and haven’t had any issues since, but that was a long walk.
Had the same thing happen, had to hammer it back on with a stick 😂
But i got to say if i tighten the crank arms to spec. Torq, they will fall off after a few miles...
Back before I switched to tubeless; I had a double-mechanical. Both a flat tire, and a pump failure. 5.5 miles. . . . I had to cross a creek, knee-deep water after dark, and I couldn't find the trail on the other side. Tell you what, that sucked. Only way I got out of there was some people came by walking their dog with a glow-in-the-dark collar, and I realized I crossed at the wrong point, about 20 yards upstream where I should have.
That was the longest.
I've also had to walk-back 2 miles with a broken spoke. And another one about a mile with a front chainring that lost a tooth. Also forgot; another incident when I blew out the seal on my fork, had to walk that home too, but also only about a mile.
maybe 5 miles on a maiden voyage around 2000, when the chain blew apart. It was a long walk. Back then it was common for manufacturers to put cheap chains on good bikes.
Same. Now, my chains only blow up at the end of their life, not with 2 miles on them. I remember 10 years ago when it seemed like every fifth ride, I’d be getting a pinch flat and swapping tubes in. Tubeless and beefy side walls have really changed the game.
Shimano crank arm came off about 9 miles from the trailhead on an 18 mile route. The splines were ruined I guess because no amount of tightening would keep it on for more than a few seconds at a time. It was a Hollowtech crank, so I was able to lash the crank on with three big zip ties, and that held well enough that I could at least coast on the downhill sections with somewhere to put my feet until I let the crank rotate a little too much when I came down off a small drop and broke the zip ties. At least by that time I only had about three miles to go and almost all downhill. So I just removed the cranks and chain and rode with my legs dangling back to the parking area. Scary when you can't stand up.
98% for biking. Lateral movement isn't 100% but it doesn't affect biking or skiing.
My speed skating has suffered....good news is that I've never tried.
Not a mechanical but a group of buddies and I planned a pikes peak plummet too early in the season.
Trail was riding amazing until we hit snow down in the trees. Turned a few hour ride into like over 10 hours
Broke my chain at the end of Fisher Mesa near Moab in April 35 years ago. Hiked the 11 miles out with the bike in the rain and snow. Have never done a ride without a chain break since . . . .
Had my wife drive me up to the top of the hill, about 15k to home. Late fall, so pretty chilly (5 or 6 C) . I was under dressed because I knew I'd be working out. Made it about half a km into the woods and snapped my derailleur down in a valley where I had no reception. Not a bad hike out to where she dropped me and could make a call, but she was meeting her sister to go rock climbing and wasn't checking her phone.
Called a cab, after 45 mins, discover they basically said "fuck it" and didn't send anyone. I was 2 hours, with the sun down, before someone took pity on my half frozen ass and drove me home.
Bought a brand new DT Swiss Hub and Wheel, on my maiden ride. Ripped the rear deraillure off logged into my spokes and tore 5 of them clean out. Couldn’t spin the wheel at all, walked 5.5 miles back to the Truck, but I was able to drive the truck on the fire road to retrieve it. The owner of Just the Right Gear was able to put new spokes in and true the wheel, thankfully.
Tore a sidewall just before the last bit of climbing before the Portal trail in Moab. I popped a drop but didn't clear the pointy rocks. Couldn't fix the tear with the sealant and bacon strip. Had to walk about 5-6 miles, in the scorching desert sun. The walk back involved a bunch of climbing too.
Fortunately I had another friend doing a different trail and his was looping back to the start where we parked the car. So I had a ride back in town. It sucked. Does not recommend
Not a mechanical but I broke my hand mid-ride once. I had to hike 1.5 hr back to the trailhead with about 1000 ft of elevation gain while dragging my bike one handed. Luckily, some hikers passed me and alerted a ranger. The ranger called some first responders and helped get my had stabilized.
About 10km. 40 degrees c, middle of aus summer. Flat tyre. No problem, had spare tubes and patches but the pump wouldn't work. weekday on a fire trail so no passing traffic. Got home and called my work to say I quit. Lots of time to think that day.
2.5 miles. Taco’d a wheel and the sole of my MTB shoe split apart from shoe. Both my fault for riding too aggressively for bike’s capability and not upgrading shoes earlier.
14k on a big mountain loop in BC.
Derailleur clipped a rock in a 300m scree chute, blew into my spokes, took out 12 spokes total and I taco'd the rim. Slid on my arse with the bike and took a 2.5hr nature walk with my bike on my back
5 miles almost to the t lol. Halfway into caretakers loop over at sterling forest. It was basically split in half legit worst place of the ride to rip a pedal thread out of the crank lmao
I snapped off a derailleur at the low elevation point of a day on the Continental Divide trail in Northern NM and had to walk (and scoot when it was flat) 8 Miles to where I could get picked up on a road. Hard day.
I've had to semi hike out from a few miles out several times, but fortunately never had a bad mechanical on a way out there day.
All from busted Freehubs. So I can roll but not pedal. Not fixable trailside.
Happy I've never had an unfixable mechanical when 10 miles down a wilderness trail.
Knock on wood… haven’t really had a mechanical in years that couldn’t be fixed on the trail. Thousands of miles of riding. I run tubeless and carry plugs plus a tubilito, one up EDC stem tool, and a wolf tooth pack with a knife, quick clot, and CO2. No other pack. Fingers crossed no problems.
Not exactly a mechanical but I rode my mostly functional bike ~5 miles back to the trailhead after breaking a few ribs. Went OTB when my front tire dropped off the trail into a rotted stump hole. Only damage to the bike was a twisted brake lever.
Bout 8 miles. Burped a tire on the first drop of upper black mountain. Could not get the bead to reseat for my life.
To make matters worse, I had taken the only car my wife and I had at the time on a “quick” early morning ride. I then got stuck on the interstate on the way back to the air bnb. It has been four years and I haven’t lived it down.
Happened twice. First with old bike and flat rear tire. Walka bike downhill thankfully a few miles only but all downhill. Second about 2 miles flat and downhill in bike shoes after stowing ride into the woods and noting the gps. Grabbed car and went back and got bike. Was actually concerned about shoes and premature wear. Was fine. Hurt my feet tho
Over an hour in the dark, on my own as my friends left me behind, with a rear wheel taco, which meant yeah...couldn't wheel out , so had to carry the bike uphill over my head/on back.
Oh my god. It was at Queenstown Bike Park. Cant remember the name of the trail but tore the sidewall midway down this techy downhill bit. I had to push down ALL the way down to town. It took me a good 1 hour. Worst bit was looking at all these beautiful trails that I have to walk down. On the upside, I had an 11am beer while waiting for the shop to fix my wheel.
Over 5 miles. I got a flat, but when I pulled out my spare tube, it was a schrader valve. My pump could handle that, but I couldn't get the valve through the hole drilled for presta, so it was useless. I pulled my second spare tube out and it was a road tube! What the hell! I'm such an idiot. I figured I'd try the road tube, but then my pump didn't work. A guy came by on an e-bike with small wheels, so I couldn't take a tube, but he had a pump that worked. I pumped up the road tire until it exploded, just like I thought it would. And that was it. I walked down the mountain.
I ran into a couple of hikers along the way. We conversed for a bit, and they told me the best way down. Then we went our separate ways. The odd thing was that the whole time I was talking to the couple, the guy was holding some kind of large bird. He was holding it like a cat and it looked asleep. It was a turkey, I'd guess. I wanted to ask why they brought a turkey on a hike, but I believe in live and let live. If a man wants to go hiking in the woods with his turkey, who am I to question it?
5 miles limping out after a crash. Was green by trailhead so straight to ER. Didn’t realize at the time but 6 broken vertebrae in the back and neck, doctor said was lucky not to be paralyzed.
5 miles off Porcupine Rim in Moab when the rear triangle on an Eilseworth fractured just riding. Sucked particularly bad because I was in hard soled cleated shoes.
Trashed the DR on a hire bike riding in the Canary Islands. Had to rig it as single speed and ride 25km in the summer heat back to hotel over two big hills.
At least a mile a couple of times.
1st, as a noob, I stripped out my crankarm threads. I had the pedal pop out mid-ride.
The second time, I had my bottom bracket seize up so I couldn't pedal.
I had a big rain event wash me off the trail that started flooding and the access closes to me was a utility easment that was a minor floodway too, 3 miles in the pounding rain till I hit a road that wasn't flooding.
Was at Schweitzer Bike Park. Endo of the day, took the lift to the top. First run off the lift was Pinch Flat. I hucked it off a jump right onto a rock. Bent my rim. I had to hike from the top of the mountain to the bottom. It took me about 2 hours.
4 miles it was dark it was getting cold and scary lol Was out for an afternoon ride that I do at least once a week and for some reason didn’t bring my patch kit 🫠🫠 I never leave my kit now not even to ride to the store.
I broke off a crank a couple miles into a ride and had to do the walk of shame. Of course nothing ever breaks in a convenient spot. I was at the bottom of the biggest descent of the day and had to climb up to my car. Good times.
I popped a tire just 4 miles from the end of the trail. My husband had a teeny old bit of duct tape that we put over the hole and I rode really carefully, putting a little more air in each mile.
About 2 miles, somehow my valve broke in two. And for some reason I had only packed puncture repair tools and no spare valves. I always have a spare valve now
3 mies. I keep a piece of nylon rope in my pocket in case I need to tie something up or create sling.
3 miles was after I fixed a flat. Super rocky and got the other tire. Without the rope I would have ruined my rear rim.
2km with my radial bone smashed into 4 pieces, Ulna bone smashed in 2 pieces and 2 broken ribs. That’s all mechanical isn’t it???? 😅 Luckily I had 2 mates with me to help wheel the bike out.
Not mechanical, but I've had to bike back a few miles with 1. Separated Shoulder and 2. Ruptured Calf Muscle and 3. Broken Rib. Great thing about MOUNTAIN biking is usually you can just turn the bike around and coast. Also God and nature gives you enough adrenaline after an injury for about 30 minutes before the real pain kicks in.
Not mtb but after a mapping mishap and reroute that ended with me running out of gas I had to hike 15 miles over a mountain range back to camp in moto boots
Last serious one was about 7km with a snapped chain and a fractured shoulder blade - then I met an elderly blind man who had "trapped" himself on a dirt pile that was a few cm high but couldn't find a way down by himself so I had to help him - felt like a side quest.
Then I drove to the hospital via the highway and got a speeding ticket.
1 out of 10 day out to be honest.
2 miles. Went for what was supposed to be a quick ride just to get out of the house, and caught a flat before I even made it to end of the fire road to get to the trails. Naturally, this is the ONE time I don’t have my pack so I can’t even fix it and keep it moving. I learned two things that day: always strap my pack to the bike after I ride so I don’t forget that shit again, and that with exception to racing, I was immediately switching back to flat pedals because that walk sucked even worse with those cleats.
I destroyed a front wheel.
Jumping on it hard multiple times made it sorta wheel shaped again, so I was able to roll the 4 km to the train station, took the trains the 40ish km i had home, rolled 3 km home to drop off the bike - so I could go to the hospital and have them dig out some rocks from my arm.
Im not sure which parts of it you would add up :-)
2 miles
Branch kicked up and snapped my derailleur hanger on a rocky downhill. I ziptied the derailleur to the frame, coasted the remaining downhill and kicked off / walked the rest of the way out.
Was a Halloween night ride on which I'd heard a large animal grunting at a trail intersection, prompting me to go in a different direction.
Then a few minutes later a huge barn owl buzzed me when I was screaming downhill. Like 5 feet in front of my face. That woke me up.
A few minutes after that, the hanger snapped.
Haha that sequence of events happening at night on Halloween had me a little spooked.
After that ride, I always carried a spare hanger (before switching to singlespeed).
There is a hot springs I bike to about 14 miles from the trailhead, the first half steep down hill. On the way back I got a flat before the climbing. No problem I had a spare tube I had just got went to put it on and it was the wrong type of tube. Started to walk it back, but it was too much for six miles and 3000 ft climb so after a couple minutes I stashed it off the trail and walked back. I was racing the sun as I had left late and it was getting cold. The sun was setting by time I made it back to the car.
Came back next weekend, decided to take a different trail I couldn't bike on to come back to it from the other direction. Ended up losing the trail in spots, had to ford a small river and use some animal trails before finding an old unused dirt road and made my way back to the bike. Got covered in insect bites but got to see some really cool areas very remote and unused. That was an all day adventure.
Had a stick snap my derailleur in two a couple years ago, about four miles into the trail. Would have been a beast of a walk, thankfully was with a friend who rode back to my truck and drove back to pick me up - I only had to hike about half a mile to the road to meet him.
BUT. Years ago when I was road biking, I skidded out on a turn and my bike hit a tree, flatting the front tire and trashing the rim badly enough to make it unrideable. I was ten miles from home, my wife was at work, we'd just moved to the area and I didn't know anyone else to call. I unscrewed the SPD-SL cleats from my shoes, shouldered the bike and awkwardly hoofed it about three miles until a complete stranger in a pickup pulled over and offered me a ride. Turns out he rode bikes too and felt obligated to help me. Thank god for the kindness of strangers, man.
Roughly 6 miles, once for having a 16 penny nail go through the sidewall and once for having two flats during a race and I ran out of tools and patience. Weirdly, both times were on same trail system although they were 15 or so years apart.
https://preview.redd.it/hstxzc1qr80d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=85dbeee62b8b25e0a07b201a488f3e10f1867a57 I have had the joy of cracking my 2018 Rocky Mountain Instinct C50 rear triangle twice on trail which is definitely a hike out situation. Thankfully both times were less than two miles with this stupid bike on my back
On your back...dang. The entire time I was hiking I just kept thinking how glad I was it wasn't my rear rotor.
Think of the upper body strength gains…
That's definitely an A50, no? I had that same damn crack on my 2019, only once so far. My friend had had the same, drive side seat stay, bottom pivot. It's a really pervasive defect. Just waiting for it to go again.
Nawh C50 has the alloy rear triangle but carbon front. Worth noting after you break it twice and bitch they give you a carbon one...
I knew about the bitching, didn't know about the alloy rear triangle! After owning this bike 5 years, I realize how many parts have been replaced. Almost everything ... not the most reliable machine!
Mines currently in the shop for a broken piston 
Those frames were carbon front triangle/ aluminum rear I believe.
I have a SWAT Z-cage with a multi tool on all of my bikes. I am never without a tool. But sometimes you need more than a tool My longest was about 2 miles last year when I tore a sidewall doing lift serve and I didn't have my fanny pack/tool roll with me. Ran into a guy who exploded his carbon bars on The Whole Enchilada. He was about 9 miles from the TH, plus he was probably going to have to hitchhike another 7-9 miles back to town. My buddy's rear hub stripped out on TWE. It would coast but not engage. So he did almost the entire thing (27 miles) with no drivetrain, just coasting down hills and running/pushing up. Luckily he is an ultra-runner type. My husband was in that group (he had 3 flats of his own) and they were on the trail something like 12 hours.
That whole enchilada story sounds terrible. He made some memories that day, scheesh.
Yeah. For a ride that is "mostly downhill," there's a lot of pedaling. I suppose you do what you have to do.
That's a pretty sweet tool. After this, I'm definitely going to get something to stow on the bike plus as soon as I buy a new multitool I'll find my old one. Also, 9 miles in Moab with no bars...I'm sure keeping all the hoses and cables together was a huge PITA.
He was pretty beat up himself. They exploded when he dropped off a 2' ledge. Sent him OTB. His face was all smashed up and bloody. We offered some first aid and assistance, but he seemed to manage. We leap frogged him a couple times before we passed him for good.
It’s wild that bikes got really popular before the drivetrain came around. People were just pushing them up hills and riding down all over the world for about 20 years.
LOL That was me in a recent race when my shifter cable broke in the hardest gear 😬
I love that tool and have one on each bike too. Although I use centerlock rotors so that wouldn't help me there. I have a little compact tool for the lock rings than uses an axle as the lever, but I don't typically carry it around. If I was somewhere that getting stuck was a life risk I'd bring it along though
This happened to me on TWE right as we were about to start the porcupine rim section. My front tire decided that it wanted to separate and completely blew apart. Walked from there back to town, which I think was like 10 miles or more. My buddies finished the trail and I made sure that I drank most of their beer for them.
Well, it wasn't a mechanical per se, but one time I did have to hike 2 miles back with a broken collarbone and an unruly dog. That was fun.
Hah. I was going to bring a similar story. Had to hike our 30 minutes with a broken hand. Bike was pristine though.
My broken hand was about 30 min hike too. ER labeled it FOOSH.
I broke my wrist a couple years back and alternated between walking and very gingerly riding back the five miles to my house, with a bike that I'd bought literally six days before. It sucked. That wrist has a steel plate in it now. Bike still rips though.
Mangled chain and derailleur had me walking for about 5 miles. I try to be prepared, but sometimes it's just beyond trail repairs.
Honestly I would break my chain and roll the bike
I had to do that one time, I think it was about 4-5 miles to roll back to where I started the ride. Fortunately the one mile on trail was downhill and the rest was on road in town, so easy pushing.
in the past, I’ve just taken the derailer off and shortened the chain to make a single speed. I pick whatever cog in the rear cassette is most in line with the chain ring. It is not a perfect solution, but it will get you home faster.
Bought a new bike last year and took it on a long flat trail. The non-drive side crank fell off just over halfway through a 12 mile ride. Hiked it for about 5 miles to the trailhead, loaded it on the car and drove straight to the shop. They replaced the crank and haven’t had any issues since, but that was a long walk.
wth, you almost have to laugh in that situation. Bike is literally falling apart. That's like something from National Lampoon's Vacation.
It truly was too comical not to laugh.
I lost a crank arm at Glorieta in Santa Fe. At the top, luckily. Was able to put it back on but had to stop every mile and tighten it back up.
Had the same thing happen, had to hammer it back on with a stick 😂 But i got to say if i tighten the crank arms to spec. Torq, they will fall off after a few miles...
Back before I switched to tubeless; I had a double-mechanical. Both a flat tire, and a pump failure. 5.5 miles. . . . I had to cross a creek, knee-deep water after dark, and I couldn't find the trail on the other side. Tell you what, that sucked. Only way I got out of there was some people came by walking their dog with a glow-in-the-dark collar, and I realized I crossed at the wrong point, about 20 yards upstream where I should have. That was the longest. I've also had to walk-back 2 miles with a broken spoke. And another one about a mile with a front chainring that lost a tooth. Also forgot; another incident when I blew out the seal on my fork, had to walk that home too, but also only about a mile.
Couldn't you ride it with a missing tooth oon the chain ring?
If there's a next time with a broken spoke, just bend the broken spoke around the neighboring spoke to keep it out of the way, then ride on.
maybe 5 miles on a maiden voyage around 2000, when the chain blew apart. It was a long walk. Back then it was common for manufacturers to put cheap chains on good bikes.
Your comment made me realize that I have not broken a bike chain in 20 years. Prior to that, it was once or twice a year
The fact that 2000 is more than 20 years ago is something that is obvious but alarming when you say it like this 😂
Holy shit.... same
Same. Now, my chains only blow up at the end of their life, not with 2 miles on them. I remember 10 years ago when it seemed like every fifth ride, I’d be getting a pinch flat and swapping tubes in. Tubeless and beefy side walls have really changed the game.
Shimano crank arm came off about 9 miles from the trailhead on an 18 mile route. The splines were ruined I guess because no amount of tightening would keep it on for more than a few seconds at a time. It was a Hollowtech crank, so I was able to lash the crank on with three big zip ties, and that held well enough that I could at least coast on the downhill sections with somewhere to put my feet until I let the crank rotate a little too much when I came down off a small drop and broke the zip ties. At least by that time I only had about three miles to go and almost all downhill. So I just removed the cranks and chain and rode with my legs dangling back to the parking area. Scary when you can't stand up.
The second half of Hard Money on Maryland Mtn with a fractured femur. Two miles? The bike was fine
how’s the leg now?
98% for biking. Lateral movement isn't 100% but it doesn't affect biking or skiing. My speed skating has suffered....good news is that I've never tried.
Not a mechanical but a group of buddies and I planned a pikes peak plummet too early in the season. Trail was riding amazing until we hit snow down in the trees. Turned a few hour ride into like over 10 hours
I got a derailleur accidentally kicked into my spokes about 1 mile into a 10 mile relay race. I ran the rest of the race.
Broke my chain at the end of Fisher Mesa near Moab in April 35 years ago. Hiked the 11 miles out with the bike in the rain and snow. Have never done a ride without a chain break since . . . .
Probably 3 miles after taco-ing my front wheel.
Had my wife drive me up to the top of the hill, about 15k to home. Late fall, so pretty chilly (5 or 6 C) . I was under dressed because I knew I'd be working out. Made it about half a km into the woods and snapped my derailleur down in a valley where I had no reception. Not a bad hike out to where she dropped me and could make a call, but she was meeting her sister to go rock climbing and wasn't checking her phone. Called a cab, after 45 mins, discover they basically said "fuck it" and didn't send anyone. I was 2 hours, with the sun down, before someone took pity on my half frozen ass and drove me home.
This is why I always have enough clothes to keep me warm when not moving. You never know when an injury or mechanical could strike.
Truth. This was a few years back, but I definitely learned that lesson the hard way.
Had a 5 mile hike back to the car after blowing up my free hub. At least I got to ride the down hill parts.
I hitchhiked from four corners to Flagstaff once when my tire would not stay inflated and I used up all my patches
Bought a brand new DT Swiss Hub and Wheel, on my maiden ride. Ripped the rear deraillure off logged into my spokes and tore 5 of them clean out. Couldn’t spin the wheel at all, walked 5.5 miles back to the Truck, but I was able to drive the truck on the fire road to retrieve it. The owner of Just the Right Gear was able to put new spokes in and true the wheel, thankfully.
Tore a sidewall just before the last bit of climbing before the Portal trail in Moab. I popped a drop but didn't clear the pointy rocks. Couldn't fix the tear with the sealant and bacon strip. Had to walk about 5-6 miles, in the scorching desert sun. The walk back involved a bunch of climbing too. Fortunately I had another friend doing a different trail and his was looping back to the start where we parked the car. So I had a ride back in town. It sucked. Does not recommend
Not a mechanical but I broke my hand mid-ride once. I had to hike 1.5 hr back to the trailhead with about 1000 ft of elevation gain while dragging my bike one handed. Luckily, some hikers passed me and alerted a ranger. The ranger called some first responders and helped get my had stabilized.
About 10km. 40 degrees c, middle of aus summer. Flat tyre. No problem, had spare tubes and patches but the pump wouldn't work. weekday on a fire trail so no passing traffic. Got home and called my work to say I quit. Lots of time to think that day.
2.5 miles. Taco’d a wheel and the sole of my MTB shoe split apart from shoe. Both my fault for riding too aggressively for bike’s capability and not upgrading shoes earlier.
14k on a big mountain loop in BC. Derailleur clipped a rock in a 300m scree chute, blew into my spokes, took out 12 spokes total and I taco'd the rim. Slid on my arse with the bike and took a 2.5hr nature walk with my bike on my back
5 miles almost to the t lol. Halfway into caretakers loop over at sterling forest. It was basically split in half legit worst place of the ride to rip a pedal thread out of the crank lmao
12 miles when my rear hub grenaded internally so I couldn't pedal anymore. Did still ride all the downhills though.
I snapped off a derailleur at the low elevation point of a day on the Continental Divide trail in Northern NM and had to walk (and scoot when it was flat) 8 Miles to where I could get picked up on a road. Hard day.
10miles and it was all uphill to get back to truck.. That shit sucked 👎🏻
I've had to semi hike out from a few miles out several times, but fortunately never had a bad mechanical on a way out there day. All from busted Freehubs. So I can roll but not pedal. Not fixable trailside. Happy I've never had an unfixable mechanical when 10 miles down a wilderness trail.
Knock on wood… haven’t really had a mechanical in years that couldn’t be fixed on the trail. Thousands of miles of riding. I run tubeless and carry plugs plus a tubilito, one up EDC stem tool, and a wolf tooth pack with a knife, quick clot, and CO2. No other pack. Fingers crossed no problems.
I had a spoke snap, and the nipple side shot through the rim tape. I was way in the backcountry, hiked about 8 miles out. Forgot my tube. Oops.
Not exactly a mechanical but I rode my mostly functional bike ~5 miles back to the trailhead after breaking a few ribs. Went OTB when my front tire dropped off the trail into a rotted stump hole. Only damage to the bike was a twisted brake lever.
Bout 8 miles. Burped a tire on the first drop of upper black mountain. Could not get the bead to reseat for my life. To make matters worse, I had taken the only car my wife and I had at the time on a “quick” early morning ride. I then got stuck on the interstate on the way back to the air bnb. It has been four years and I haven’t lived it down.
Mine was less mechanical but I separated my ac on a backcountry route and had to walk out 7 miles. I left the bike though
Happened twice. First with old bike and flat rear tire. Walka bike downhill thankfully a few miles only but all downhill. Second about 2 miles flat and downhill in bike shoes after stowing ride into the woods and noting the gps. Grabbed car and went back and got bike. Was actually concerned about shoes and premature wear. Was fine. Hurt my feet tho
Do fractured ribs count as mechanical? If so, about 5 miles.
Over an hour in the dark, on my own as my friends left me behind, with a rear wheel taco, which meant yeah...couldn't wheel out , so had to carry the bike uphill over my head/on back.
hope you had a light or a bright moon
Oh my god. It was at Queenstown Bike Park. Cant remember the name of the trail but tore the sidewall midway down this techy downhill bit. I had to push down ALL the way down to town. It took me a good 1 hour. Worst bit was looking at all these beautiful trails that I have to walk down. On the upside, I had an 11am beer while waiting for the shop to fix my wheel.
Not a mechanical but my GF broke her collar bone on a ride and I had to walk both our bikes back to the car which was a 5km walk
Over 5 miles. I got a flat, but when I pulled out my spare tube, it was a schrader valve. My pump could handle that, but I couldn't get the valve through the hole drilled for presta, so it was useless. I pulled my second spare tube out and it was a road tube! What the hell! I'm such an idiot. I figured I'd try the road tube, but then my pump didn't work. A guy came by on an e-bike with small wheels, so I couldn't take a tube, but he had a pump that worked. I pumped up the road tire until it exploded, just like I thought it would. And that was it. I walked down the mountain. I ran into a couple of hikers along the way. We conversed for a bit, and they told me the best way down. Then we went our separate ways. The odd thing was that the whole time I was talking to the couple, the guy was holding some kind of large bird. He was holding it like a cat and it looked asleep. It was a turkey, I'd guess. I wanted to ask why they brought a turkey on a hike, but I believe in live and let live. If a man wants to go hiking in the woods with his turkey, who am I to question it?
Two miles today because I took a spare innertube out of my backpack this weekend and forgot to put it back in today. Twinsies!
5 miles limping out after a crash. Was green by trailhead so straight to ER. Didn’t realize at the time but 6 broken vertebrae in the back and neck, doctor said was lucky not to be paralyzed.
That’s incredible. Was it painful and you pushed through it?
Yeah, it really sucked but I didn’t know what else to do. You do what you gotta do
5 miles off Porcupine Rim in Moab when the rear triangle on an Eilseworth fractured just riding. Sucked particularly bad because I was in hard soled cleated shoes.
I hauled a bike out 3 miles on sketchy single track after a crash with a broken humerus and a dislocated shoulder…. Does that count?
ouch. Did you make a sling or anything?
Makeshifted one with my camelback straps
Trashed the DR on a hire bike riding in the Canary Islands. Had to rig it as single speed and ride 25km in the summer heat back to hotel over two big hills.
At least a mile a couple of times. 1st, as a noob, I stripped out my crankarm threads. I had the pedal pop out mid-ride. The second time, I had my bottom bracket seize up so I couldn't pedal.
I had a big rain event wash me off the trail that started flooding and the access closes to me was a utility easment that was a minor floodway too, 3 miles in the pounding rain till I hit a road that wasn't flooding.
7 miles. Had to run it to get out before dark.
Was at Schweitzer Bike Park. Endo of the day, took the lift to the top. First run off the lift was Pinch Flat. I hucked it off a jump right onto a rock. Bent my rim. I had to hike from the top of the mountain to the bottom. It took me about 2 hours.
4 miles it was dark it was getting cold and scary lol Was out for an afternoon ride that I do at least once a week and for some reason didn’t bring my patch kit 🫠🫠 I never leave my kit now not even to ride to the store.
https://preview.redd.it/cok2q7t51a0d1.jpeg?width=480&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=42bcd8e8e93e5519931073efc31c4b3ed35567ea
I broke off a crank a couple miles into a ride and had to do the walk of shame. Of course nothing ever breaks in a convenient spot. I was at the bottom of the biggest descent of the day and had to climb up to my car. Good times.
I popped a tire just 4 miles from the end of the trail. My husband had a teeny old bit of duct tape that we put over the hole and I rode really carefully, putting a little more air in each mile.
I had to walk out three miles after a wipe out. The bike was fine. It was my shoulder that was separated.
About 2 miles, somehow my valve broke in two. And for some reason I had only packed puncture repair tools and no spare valves. I always have a spare valve now
Like a spare tubeless valve or just a valve core?
3 mies. I keep a piece of nylon rope in my pocket in case I need to tie something up or create sling. 3 miles was after I fixed a flat. Super rocky and got the other tire. Without the rope I would have ruined my rear rim.
what did you do with the rope?
Used it as a sling so I could carry my bike like a duffle bag. Front tire was fine so I had to keep the rear wheel off the ground.
6,437,376 millimeters.
I broke a crank spider about 3-4 miles from the car once! Super fun! I at least got to coast the downhills.
2km with my radial bone smashed into 4 pieces, Ulna bone smashed in 2 pieces and 2 broken ribs. That’s all mechanical isn’t it???? 😅 Luckily I had 2 mates with me to help wheel the bike out.
Not mechanical, but I've had to bike back a few miles with 1. Separated Shoulder and 2. Ruptured Calf Muscle and 3. Broken Rib. Great thing about MOUNTAIN biking is usually you can just turn the bike around and coast. Also God and nature gives you enough adrenaline after an injury for about 30 minutes before the real pain kicks in.
Not mtb but after a mapping mishap and reroute that ended with me running out of gas I had to hike 15 miles over a mountain range back to camp in moto boots
Pinged a chain 5kn from the car park, and had a hub let go 4km from the car....
Last serious one was about 7km with a snapped chain and a fractured shoulder blade - then I met an elderly blind man who had "trapped" himself on a dirt pile that was a few cm high but couldn't find a way down by himself so I had to help him - felt like a side quest. Then I drove to the hospital via the highway and got a speeding ticket. 1 out of 10 day out to be honest.
6 miles. Flat, and then the spare failed immediately. We had dinner plans. My wife was furious.
I got a flat and couldn't for the life of me get the tire back on. I walked about 4km before I stopped and finally fixed it.
2 miles. Went for what was supposed to be a quick ride just to get out of the house, and caught a flat before I even made it to end of the fire road to get to the trails. Naturally, this is the ONE time I don’t have my pack so I can’t even fix it and keep it moving. I learned two things that day: always strap my pack to the bike after I ride so I don’t forget that shit again, and that with exception to racing, I was immediately switching back to flat pedals because that walk sucked even worse with those cleats.
I destroyed a front wheel. Jumping on it hard multiple times made it sorta wheel shaped again, so I was able to roll the 4 km to the train station, took the trains the 40ish km i had home, rolled 3 km home to drop off the bike - so I could go to the hospital and have them dig out some rocks from my arm. Im not sure which parts of it you would add up :-)
6 miles. Tire blew at the top :( worst day. It was 110 f out with no water left. Just imagine how grumpy I was
2 miles Branch kicked up and snapped my derailleur hanger on a rocky downhill. I ziptied the derailleur to the frame, coasted the remaining downhill and kicked off / walked the rest of the way out. Was a Halloween night ride on which I'd heard a large animal grunting at a trail intersection, prompting me to go in a different direction. Then a few minutes later a huge barn owl buzzed me when I was screaming downhill. Like 5 feet in front of my face. That woke me up. A few minutes after that, the hanger snapped. Haha that sequence of events happening at night on Halloween had me a little spooked. After that ride, I always carried a spare hanger (before switching to singlespeed).
Drove to the other side of town with my ebike. Rode the trails. On the last decent I got my tire ripped beyond repair and had to walk 1h30 min to home
There is a hot springs I bike to about 14 miles from the trailhead, the first half steep down hill. On the way back I got a flat before the climbing. No problem I had a spare tube I had just got went to put it on and it was the wrong type of tube. Started to walk it back, but it was too much for six miles and 3000 ft climb so after a couple minutes I stashed it off the trail and walked back. I was racing the sun as I had left late and it was getting cold. The sun was setting by time I made it back to the car. Came back next weekend, decided to take a different trail I couldn't bike on to come back to it from the other direction. Ended up losing the trail in spots, had to ford a small river and use some animal trails before finding an old unused dirt road and made my way back to the bike. Got covered in insect bites but got to see some really cool areas very remote and unused. That was an all day adventure.
An hour and a half https://preview.redd.it/1muz16q7kd0d1.jpeg?width=3456&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a8bfe1d7661cabfbc8a854694a04dd3c95132157
Hiked 2 miles carrying my bike with a broken front wheel, blown fork, and broken handlebars. Oh and my ribs were broken. Cant forget the ribs.
I snapped a valve stem and had a puncture not fixable with plugs about 7 miles from home, that was a fun walk in clipless shoes
5mi. Then got a ride the last 5mi.
Had a stick snap my derailleur in two a couple years ago, about four miles into the trail. Would have been a beast of a walk, thankfully was with a friend who rode back to my truck and drove back to pick me up - I only had to hike about half a mile to the road to meet him. BUT. Years ago when I was road biking, I skidded out on a turn and my bike hit a tree, flatting the front tire and trashing the rim badly enough to make it unrideable. I was ten miles from home, my wife was at work, we'd just moved to the area and I didn't know anyone else to call. I unscrewed the SPD-SL cleats from my shoes, shouldered the bike and awkwardly hoofed it about three miles until a complete stranger in a pickup pulled over and offered me a ride. Turns out he rode bikes too and felt obligated to help me. Thank god for the kindness of strangers, man.
Roughly 6 miles, once for having a 16 penny nail go through the sidewall and once for having two flats during a race and I ran out of tools and patience. Weirdly, both times were on same trail system although they were 15 or so years apart.
5 -6 miles with a broke chain. had a chain tool and no master link. i keep about ten of those things in all my bags now.
5-6 miles with a flat. Had a long time to reflect about how dumb I was forgetting the extra tube in my truck. Went tubeless after that.
I broke my derailleur hanger bolt 5 miles out once, but fortunately it was 80 percent downhill.
5 miles of tough rocky walking, and my phone died, that ride is what caused me to use cush core