What a sad story to tell. Here I am back on the Vespa, doing my Travis Bickle imitation (or Colonel Bill Kilgore) with the Randolph Aviators. I got another flat last night about two blocks from home. Luckily I had a fresh tube and I resolved that I would fly through the procedure this time.I donned my leather work gloves, picked up my tire levers and gouged away. I had that tire disemboweled in no time. And when I say "in no time", I mean at least 45 minutes.
Then I got all Blair Witch Project on it - I donned my head lamp and reading glasses and gave that tire a thorough tire-oscopy.You see, I was very suspicious - this was the second flat in a week and I thought there might be something in the tire that was causing the tube punctures. And when I say "I thought there might be something in the tire", I mean that I read on the side of the tube box that I should check the tire for foreign objects or punctures - a step I failed to take the first time.
Well, friends I found the problem - a small slit in the tire itself. So, I'm temporarily off the bike till I can devote another ten hours and five layers of skin toward fixing this.
3 comments:
Park makes a great tool that would be perfect for you. Here's the link: http://www.parktool.com/products/detail.asp?cat=17&item=TL%2D10#
probably save you a lot of skin and frustration.
Ross - thanks for the tip. However, it's a poor craftsman who blames his tools. It is also said that clothes make the man. What I'm trying to to say, Ross, is that I would probably just injure myself with a tool like that.
Next time I'm in Boston I'll drop by and give you a lesson, bike tires 101. I've taught triathletes and two wives, both groups considered to be the most difficult to teach. Wife #2 is a triathlete, the creme de la creme of unteachables so I know you'd be a breeze. I take that back, are you an engineer? Just kidding.
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