It wasn't that bad really, but I haven't had this many issues commuting during one week in as long as I can remember.

Wednesday last week we had thunderstorms roll through during the ride home. I ducked into a sandwich shop and grabbed some dinner hoping it would blow over, but it just sat over us. I ended up catching a ride home from the restaurant owner (they close at 7 and I was their last customer); it turns out he lives near me.

Didn't ride Thursday, Friday was uneventful, but then yesterday I got out of work to find a flat tire, and with my Schwalbe Marathons too! When I changed the tube I found the problem was a rim strip failure. I tried to get the rim strip in a different position when I put the new tube in so I could get home, but before I even got it on the bike, PSSSSSSSSssssssssh, the second tube popped as well. So I called a friend and rode home in dishonor again.

Today I rode my backup bike, my 1983 Raleigh Marathon, aka Dumpster Queen. When I got her out of the garage last night, the rear tire was flat (luckily this didn't happen during my Memorial Day ride, but it probably picked something up during the ride). So fixed that, and she did okay. I stopped by the LBS to pick up new rim strips but they didn't have the right size. Then I noticed a tick-tick-tick-tick, and the front wheel out of true. Yep, broken spoke.



I'm driving tomorrow.


Still, no major injuries, not stranded out in the middle of nowhere, and really, it could have been a LOT worse. But I'm ready to get these equipment malfunctions behind me.

Dude, I know the feeling. It'll get better. I ride into a headwind on both sides of my commute, but I have had to learn to live with it. Busted a chain yesterday, and after walking a mile, bumped into a MTB dude who happened to work for SRAM, which happens to be right across the street from me. Brought me a new chain, so it got better.

Keep riding

When it comes, it comes in threes, good or bad. You should be fine after this for a while. Don't let it get to you, just move on.

Sounds like you have those crappy rubber rim strips. Get some proper cloth tape ones.

Actually it was worse than that. They were made of a mystery material- kind of a plasticky rubbery vinyl. The material simply extruded into the spoke holes until it blew out in one hole. When I changed the tube I tried to stretch the strip a bit so the torn section didn't end up over a hole. I may have been successful but I think the ragged edge of the strip may have been sharper than I thought. Cloth strips are next.

Always go with the cloth. You can never go wrong. Velo cloth all the way.

Actually, I'm going to get some right now.

My worst day commuting was worse than your worst week. Last summer, I had a flat riding to work one morning. I fixed it on the side of the road, but it went flat again on the trip home. I didn't have another spare tube and ran out of CO2 cartridges, so I had to walk home 3.5 miles in 90+ heat. I started carrying a frame pump again after that day.

Thought I was the only one that happened to! One day last week, I actually had a 14mph TAILWIND going home. I was grinning like a fool the whole way! Gotta count your blessings where and when you find them.

Since I snagged a spare wheelset on eBay, I don't know how I got along without it.

Time comes and you just want to GO. Grab the Bike and something's wrong. Tire is a little soft or whatEVAR. Might be tempted to give it a quick pump or run for it and take your chances. With the wheelset, you throw the matching wheel on your back or mount it right there and GO.

It's pretty common for me to have headwinds both ways. We usually have westerly winds so my trip home is often into headwinds, but it almost never happens that I have a tailwind on the way to work; it's usually either totally calm or the wind has turned and is blowing from the east.

ever been caught out in a T-Storm, find shelter from the storm, then manage to get stung multiple times on the inner thighs by a wasp with still 10 miles left to ride?

I usually have a headwind on the way home. But it is uphill, both ways. (I cross the river at about the halfway point, and from there on out it's climb, climb, climb.)

Please note: rim strip failure means that the Schwalbe Marathon tire mentioned above is an innocent victim in this woeful tale.

Yes, true. But then again I think that's what I said in the original post- rim strip failure has nothing to do with the tire; it's more that I was thinking I was bulletproof becuase of the Schwalbes, but there are things other than tires that can cause a flat.

I had a week like this about May 2009. Had 4 flats in one week. The last flat saw me getting a ride home on the bus.

Haven't had a flat since, though I did a spoke or two on the front wheel of my winter bike.

Ahem, Schwalbe make nice rim strips too...

Perhaps but my LBS doesn't carry them.