Thanks, but Seriously, No Thanks

Yesterday afternoon on my bike ride home my front tire’s tube blew out in a loud pop leaving the tire loosely applied to the rim of the wheel with tire sealant, the tube and a liner flapping as I attempted to stop. I was unable to stop, veering instead to the right of the bike trail and promptly falling down. Being lucky there was not too much damage to myself, a jammed thumb and some scratches on both legs. As for my bike, the full extent is yet to be fully explored. There are some scratches that don’t affect anything and the rim is roughed up but may still be useable, even the tire seems to be in an almost unaffected state. Earlier that morning I had aired up the tires and suspect that I may have added too much pressure for the afternoon heat. Or perhaps it was a combination of things, after all the tube in that tire had been in place for more than a year so age could have contributed. It’s hard to tell when a blowout occurs.

Shortly after falling, another cyclist who was on the same trail was kind enough to stop and ensure that I was alright and offer assistance. He offered to sell me a spare tube and presumptively I could have used it to get home but I didn’t much feel like riding anymore and the tires on his own bike being more narrow than my own I wasn’t certain that the tube would have fit.

If that were the balance of my interaction with the other cyclist there would be nothing to write about, however I have no such luck. Shortly after offering the tube the other cyclist, no doubt based on an assumption of helpfulness, decided to inspect my wheel in order to diagnose the problem that led to the tube blowout. His first assumption was that the sidewall was not properly installed. As kindly as possible I mentioned that the tire had been seated for more than a year and mentioned again that I was fine and appreciated him stopping and assured that I had everything under control. Undeterred, the cyclist condescendingly began to offer multiple maintenance suggestions all of which were either basic or even common sense to any cyclist.

At this point the encounter became strange and insulting. The other cyclist assumed that I was unfamiliar with the proper operation of my own bike. There was no reason for this assumption at all. While I am not a bike mechanic I am familiar with maintaining a bike and have built several while replacing complex components on others. Now, the other cyclist had no knowledge of my experience so he couldn’t know what I knew but why treat me like a child? I have a nice bike with quality mid-range components. It doesn’t squeak and is in very good condition (with some new scratches). There was no reason for this person to make the judgment that he did.

It is an all too common occurrence nowadays. It seems as though there are many people that believe that they are being helpful by being condescending and making the assumption that everyone else is an idiot. It is not helpful and when someone turns down your help, it’s not because they don’t know any better and require your sage advice, it’s that they have the situation under control and can make their own decisions.