Just call me Chief Five-Flats
09-02-10 | 02:11 PM
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Joined: May 2003
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From: Texarkana, AR
Bikes: 2016 Giant Escape, Univega Viva Sport, Centurion Sport DLX, Trek 420, Schwinn Sierra, Schwinn Hurricane
Just call me Chief Five-Flats
I realized this isn't really a C&V topic, but I couldn't think of where it would fit and as it all happened on C&V bikes, what the heck:
Tuesday night, I come out and find my bicycle has two flat tires, and I'm almost six miles from home. Ordinarily I'd have pulled a tire, patched it, pumped it up with the frame pump and been on my way in 15 mins. or so, but two of 'em was just too much... so I called a friend who came and picked me up.
I got home and brought the bike into the living room so I can change the flats in there while watching TV and stuff... While pulling the wheels, I notice the rear is getting kind of thin (not surprising after 1200 miles) and decide that while I'm at it I should swap the front and rear tires, rotate 'em if you will. I inspect both tires and find nothing in them, but I probably ran over some glass or something. After inspecting the tires, I get 'em mounted on opposite wheels and get after the tubes. Got the front patched, back in the wheel, bead seated and tube pumped back up to the ~95 PSI I usually run them at - no problem.
Then I get after the rear... now it's got two patches on it already, but I went ahead and patched it again. Got it on the rim, installed, bead set, blah blah blah, pumped it up... and 20 minutes later it was down to 60 PSI. Damn.
Pulled it and found that it was leaking at the patch. Pulled the patch and re-patched it. Got it all back together and pumped it up. An hour later all appeared to be well.
Woke up Wednesday morning, and the damn thing was down to 40 PSI. I decided that it'd hold long enough to get Gabe back and forth to school, so I pump it up. About two minutes later while brushing my teeth, I hear a loud "POW!" from the living room. Gabe looks at me and says "I didn't do it!"
So... I pump up the tires in my other bike, the one that's been languishing in the garage waiting for a teardown and rebuild, and take Gabe to school with that. Realized immediately that it was REALLY in need of attention. Got home from taking Gabe to school, went out and got a new inner tube for the bike, installed it and everything was hunky dory. Later that afternoon, I went to pick Gabe up from school and...
Ran over an effing thorn. There used to be some sort of weird bush that had these pyramid shaped thorns a couple of blocks from our house. The thorns are shaped like four-sided pyramids with a sharp, brittle, hard thorn on each point, so that no matter how it lands, a thorn is pointing up. I nailed one, and my front tire was flat before I got to Gabe's school. Five ****ing flats in 18 hours.
I am not amused.
Tuesday night, I come out and find my bicycle has two flat tires, and I'm almost six miles from home. Ordinarily I'd have pulled a tire, patched it, pumped it up with the frame pump and been on my way in 15 mins. or so, but two of 'em was just too much... so I called a friend who came and picked me up.
I got home and brought the bike into the living room so I can change the flats in there while watching TV and stuff... While pulling the wheels, I notice the rear is getting kind of thin (not surprising after 1200 miles) and decide that while I'm at it I should swap the front and rear tires, rotate 'em if you will. I inspect both tires and find nothing in them, but I probably ran over some glass or something. After inspecting the tires, I get 'em mounted on opposite wheels and get after the tubes. Got the front patched, back in the wheel, bead seated and tube pumped back up to the ~95 PSI I usually run them at - no problem.
Then I get after the rear... now it's got two patches on it already, but I went ahead and patched it again. Got it on the rim, installed, bead set, blah blah blah, pumped it up... and 20 minutes later it was down to 60 PSI. Damn.
Pulled it and found that it was leaking at the patch. Pulled the patch and re-patched it. Got it all back together and pumped it up. An hour later all appeared to be well.
Woke up Wednesday morning, and the damn thing was down to 40 PSI. I decided that it'd hold long enough to get Gabe back and forth to school, so I pump it up. About two minutes later while brushing my teeth, I hear a loud "POW!" from the living room. Gabe looks at me and says "I didn't do it!"
So... I pump up the tires in my other bike, the one that's been languishing in the garage waiting for a teardown and rebuild, and take Gabe to school with that. Realized immediately that it was REALLY in need of attention. Got home from taking Gabe to school, went out and got a new inner tube for the bike, installed it and everything was hunky dory. Later that afternoon, I went to pick Gabe up from school and...
Ran over an effing thorn. There used to be some sort of weird bush that had these pyramid shaped thorns a couple of blocks from our house. The thorns are shaped like four-sided pyramids with a sharp, brittle, hard thorn on each point, so that no matter how it lands, a thorn is pointing up. I nailed one, and my front tire was flat before I got to Gabe's school. Five ****ing flats in 18 hours.
I am not amused.
