thank god for these new tires (hutchinson atoms). it only took me a quarter of the time it took me to replace the tube from my previous tire (vittoria zaffiro 2).

also, good thing there was a street light very close. i wasn't in total darkness.

regarding wheel damage, i heard a bad sound and stopped almost immediately. the wheels don't look damaged but im a noob. anything i should pay attention to when i ride tomorrow?

thanks.

Flats happen all the time without damaging the wheel. Unless you hit something that caused the flat, like a pothole or other big or sharp object, it's likely your wheel is fine.

yeah, that's what im worried about, i did hit something then soon after, i knew my front tire was flat from the sound i heard.

If you pinch flatted you should have two small holes in your tube, like a 'snake bite'. If you hit something hard you may have damaged your rim. Spin it around while looking at the gap between your brake pads and the rim. See if you notice any irregularities in the rim.

Running your finger over the rim will give you a good idea of it anything is screwed up. Only other possible thing that could total the rim was this one other crazy story I heard on BF where a nail actually hit the rim dead on and went straight through the rim. But if the clincher rims are okay the wheel should be fine.

so far so good. although i think i only saw 1 hole on the tube.

i ran my fingers on the rim tape to feel for debris but there was none and i didn't seem to feel anything oddly shaped.


thanks a lot guys... it looks like i'll be fine.