Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - Bad Commuting Day.....

......guess I would just call it challenging!

Got to work just fine. Lovely ride in. I park the bike across in the storage area of the kitchen I work in and try to check the tire pressure once mid day but did not do it today. So I was walking the bike outside and noticed it was soft. Decided to fix it at work outside and to enjoy the weather and ease of a simple tire change. Took the read tire off, inspected the outside of the tire first, nothing I could see, took the tube out, filled it with air and no noise and could not feel, see, or hear any air leak. Took the tire off the rim, inspected the inside, didnt find anything. Turned the tire inside out and still nothing. Strange. So I decided to put the new tube in, put the tire on the bike, filled in with CO2 and then noticed I added too much. Damn it. It became unbeaded so I let air out, beaded it, and another CO2 in and it was perfect.

Started riding and went through the glass central of the world, Camden, NJ. Turned a corner and noticed it was turning flat again. Damn it. Off the bike and repeat. Noticed a BIG piece of glass and took it out, tried to patch the tube but the glass pretty much tore so deep into the tube that it was a gonner. I was screwed. I needed to get home because I have a conference call at 4 pm (I left work at 2:45 and it usually takes me 45-50 minutes). So I decided to go with the original tube (and still could not find the leak). So I pumped 120 psi by hand and off I went.

Went by the bike shop and got more tubes.

What was weird was the original tube. Why was it soft? I could not find anything, no leak no nothing. I wonder if one of my chef friends took a little air out of it.

GRRRRRRRR

IF someone let air out, I fail to understand the base mentality of some people who think it's OK to mess with someone else's bike. If anyone messes with their car all heck breaks loose, but if they mess with a bike it's just good fun to them.:wtf:

I periodically have trouble with those pesky presta stems... my tires rarely lose enough air to be noticeable over the course of 3 or 4o days (I pump them up every other ride at the very least) but once I went to ride and the tire was dead flat... hadn't touched it at all since my ride.

Go figure.

Did you get home on time?

Nope didnt get home until five and conference call was at 4 :(

I am thinking it was someone who let air out. I am convinced. Because I had had the orginal tube in all night and no loss in preasure and I rode into work and no loss in preasure. Paybacks can be a B1itch!

I am thinking it was someone who let air out. I am convinced. Because I had had the orginal tube in all night and no loss in preasure and I rode into work and no loss in preasure. Paybacks can be a B1itch!

Something can quite easily puncture the tube and not remain in the tire. That happened to me this past weekend. Went for a ride on Sunday with no problems. The next morning, the tire was soft. Removed the tube, inflated it with my floor pump and could not hear or feel and leak. Inspected the tire thoroughly and found nothing. Replaced the tube and it's been fine since then. So unless my girlfriend or my cat let some air out, I simply rolled over something that caused a slow leak and did not remain in the tire.

Many non-cyclists tend to think of bicycles as toys rather than vehicles so don't give them the same respect. One of my former c0-workers asked what it would cost to get a bike like mine (chrome-moly tourer with Deore and LX level components) so I told him about $1,200. "Geez, that's nuts," he said. I knew he was an avid golfer so I asked him what it would cost to replace his clubs. "That's different," was his only reply. To each his/her own.

Something can quite easily puncture the tube and not remain in the tire. That happened to me this past weekend. Went for a ride on Sunday with no problems. The next morning, the tire was soft. Removed the tube, inflated it with my floor pump and could not hear or feel and leak. Inspected the tire thoroughly and found nothing. Replaced the tube and it's been fine since then. So unless my girlfriend or my cat let some air out, I simply rolled over something that caused a slow leak and did not remain in the tire.

Damn cats!

Doesnt make since to me how air can leak out without it showing a small hole.

I may just be lazy or an incurable optimist (if you knew me, you'd know how ridiculous that last description was :) ), but my first reaction to a low/flat tire is to pump it up with air and hope/pray that it holds it - at least until I can get home. Of course, if there's a honking big piece of glass or a nail sticking out of it, I might skip that step. But if I can't tell why it's flat, I'll try the minimalist solution first, then escalate as needed.

I may just be lazy or an incurable optimist (if you knew me, you'd know how ridiculous that last description was :) ), but my first reaction to a low/flat tire is to pump it up with air and hope/pray that it holds it - at least until I can get home. Of course, if there's a honking big piece of glass or a nail sticking out of it, I might skip that step. But if I can't tell why it's flat, I'll try the minimalist solution first, then escalate as needed.

I thought about that but my first part of my commute going home is in a bad area.... Camden, NJ.... second highest crime rate in the US.

Bummer day.

I thought about that but my first part of my commute going home is in a bad area.... Camden, NJ.... second highest crime rate in the US.Yeah, it's better to be careful. I ride in fairly high crime areas a lot, and have had flats - most recently this past Monday, in Newark. But the parts of Newark I ride in aren't as bad as Camden, at least I don't think so.

I like to think I don't look like much of a target, though. An old guy, not at all well dressed, riding a banged-up, 40 year old bike ... Knock wood - so far, no issues.