Bikeforums.net is a forum about nothing but bikes. Our community can help you find information about hard-to-find and localized information like bicycle tours, specialties like where in your area to have your recumbent bike serviced, or what are the best bicycle tires and seats for the activities you use your bike for.Joe Gardner
04-24-03, 10:11 PM
Just a friendly spring reminder to change your flat kit glue at least once a year. Even if it has not yet been opened.
Today, I was caught 28 miles from home, with a flat, no spare, and dried up glue. A nice 3.5 mile walk in bike shoes will help remind myself not to do that again. The day started off nice, just 5 miles into my ride i came upon a newbie cyclist who pinch flatted her rear tire. No wonder, she only had 40psi in them. Due to the nature of the flat, it was not patchable. Joe to the rescue! I always carry an extra tube. I was feeling good, I haven’t had a flat in 9 months, and the tube was on sale, $3 each. So I gave it to her.
Then it happened, 23 miles later, in the middle of nowhere Utah, PSSSTTTTtttttttttt! 120 psi to 0 in 3.1 seconds flat. A new personal record. Not a problem I say to myself, I have a patch kit with a 8 small and 4 big patches, I was smart, I put two kits in one box. I scuffed up the tube, put in a few pounds, then opened up a new tube of glue. Only to find out it has totally dried out! WTF? Is this normal? Can un opened glue go bad? Hmm, Yep!
Long story short, i put the tube back in the tire, and mount the wheel, put on my kool covers, and start walking. A block away, i see to cyclists coming the other way. I flag them down, to barrow some glue, all i need is a small dab. Guess what, neither had a patch kit or spare with them. WTF are they thinking? Another mile down the road, I see another cyclists, er, guy on a bike. A mid 40's, overweight guy huffing and puffing on his huffy. I stopped him, and asked if they knew of any local bike shops. He had never been in a bike shop in his life; I don’t think he knew they existed! I asked if he had a patch kit... he tells me that he is never far from home. Today, he is 12 miles out; I wish to myself he gets a flat.
Finally, down the road, I see it, a grocery store! I have never been so happy to see one of these mass markets. I hate shopping at these places, I do all my shopping at 2am, when its me, and the singing shelf stackers. I have always wondered if they knew they are singing out loud... I hope i never find out. Oh yeah, the store. It’s now approaching 5:30pm, and the place is packed. I quickly make my way to the "bike" area of the place, no bike patches, but i do find a boat patch kit, $1.79! I have $2 with me; I guess I can forget the double decker taco for the ride home. I buy the kit, and have my tire patched within 3 minutes. That wasn’t hard, now the ride home.
The ride home wasn’t much better. I had a stiff headwind, and a rather large mtn pass ahead. I couldn’t have averaged more then 8 MPH on the ride home, had I purchased that double decker, I know I could have been doing 18+. I made it to my front door just before sundown. Fell asleep for two hours, I was truly exhausted. I have never been so beat after a ride, was it the 50 miles I did so early in the season? Did the 3.5 mile walk do me in? What about the 40mph head wind, or the mtn pass?
So what did I learn? Never give a tube to a hot chick when she has a flat tire. Yes, even if she is HOT, and owns her own road bike! If you must, charge her $.89 for me, and enjoy a double decker taco, better yet, send it to me snail mail. You can find my address on the "donations" page.
Today, I was caught 28 miles from home, with a flat, no spare, and dried up glue. A nice 3.5 mile walk in bike shoes will help remind myself not to do that again. The day started off nice, just 5 miles into my ride i came upon a newbie cyclist who pinch flatted her rear tire. No wonder, she only had 40psi in them. Due to the nature of the flat, it was not patchable. Joe to the rescue! I always carry an extra tube. I was feeling good, I haven’t had a flat in 9 months, and the tube was on sale, $3 each. So I gave it to her.
Then it happened, 23 miles later, in the middle of nowhere Utah, PSSSTTTTtttttttttt! 120 psi to 0 in 3.1 seconds flat. A new personal record. Not a problem I say to myself, I have a patch kit with a 8 small and 4 big patches, I was smart, I put two kits in one box. I scuffed up the tube, put in a few pounds, then opened up a new tube of glue. Only to find out it has totally dried out! WTF? Is this normal? Can un opened glue go bad? Hmm, Yep!
Long story short, i put the tube back in the tire, and mount the wheel, put on my kool covers, and start walking. A block away, i see to cyclists coming the other way. I flag them down, to barrow some glue, all i need is a small dab. Guess what, neither had a patch kit or spare with them. WTF are they thinking? Another mile down the road, I see another cyclists, er, guy on a bike. A mid 40's, overweight guy huffing and puffing on his huffy. I stopped him, and asked if they knew of any local bike shops. He had never been in a bike shop in his life; I don’t think he knew they existed! I asked if he had a patch kit... he tells me that he is never far from home. Today, he is 12 miles out; I wish to myself he gets a flat.
Finally, down the road, I see it, a grocery store! I have never been so happy to see one of these mass markets. I hate shopping at these places, I do all my shopping at 2am, when its me, and the singing shelf stackers. I have always wondered if they knew they are singing out loud... I hope i never find out. Oh yeah, the store. It’s now approaching 5:30pm, and the place is packed. I quickly make my way to the "bike" area of the place, no bike patches, but i do find a boat patch kit, $1.79! I have $2 with me; I guess I can forget the double decker taco for the ride home. I buy the kit, and have my tire patched within 3 minutes. That wasn’t hard, now the ride home.
The ride home wasn’t much better. I had a stiff headwind, and a rather large mtn pass ahead. I couldn’t have averaged more then 8 MPH on the ride home, had I purchased that double decker, I know I could have been doing 18+. I made it to my front door just before sundown. Fell asleep for two hours, I was truly exhausted. I have never been so beat after a ride, was it the 50 miles I did so early in the season? Did the 3.5 mile walk do me in? What about the 40mph head wind, or the mtn pass?
So what did I learn? Never give a tube to a hot chick when she has a flat tire. Yes, even if she is HOT, and owns her own road bike! If you must, charge her $.89 for me, and enjoy a double decker taco, better yet, send it to me snail mail. You can find my address on the "donations" page.