Towpaths and punctures.

Posted on 9th Feb 2015 by essiep

5°C, lighter, calm.
Unwanted side-effect, punctures. Just patched the tube that went down yesterday, it had two holes and needed two patches. One was a snakebite, probably from the moment the nail punctured and pinched the rim against the road. It’s not so obvious that the tyre is going soft on soft round.
In the meantime, both tyres on the bike have gone soft overnight.. At least two more punctures!
That averages out at nearly two per ride. Sigh.

Tyre liners, change tyres or some of that goo that seals from the inside? What’s the best idea?

Touring wheels.

Posted on 2nd Feb 2015 by essiep

-2°C, Clear sky, light NW breeze.
Cold commute tomorrow. Fitted the new rear wheel for the ride. Very low temperatures are forecast all week. Bitter.

Here is another photo from Sunday’s outing on the cyclocross bike. Here, I am riding back from a dyke on the shore of the Ribble estuary. It looks like a flood effort on the edge of mud-flats. It’s a large nature sanctuary, dull of birds I don’t recognise.
With hindsight, I should have practised moving mounts and dismounts. It’s a competition technique for CX races but would also be useful on soft grassy land too. Like a roadie, I get on and pedal off. Trouble is, the first turn can spin the wheel. If you trot along then get on, you already have momentum to balance.
Next time…

Deore wheels.

Posted on 29th Jan 2015 by essiep

Light snow, 2°C, North wind 12,
You have to trust your wheels. The rim years the most and that’s where failure is most likely. The braking surface becomes thin with years of braking. Once thin, the surface can fracture- I know, the happened before. The tyre pressure exerts a strong force outwards, so breakage most often happens just after inflation.
What I really don’t want to have, it a failure 20 miles from home, in the dark. Nightmare.

The idea that led me into the bike shop was to replace the rim and have a re-build. The old hub gap been rebuilt half a dozen times, had several axles and free-hubs. So I came out with a new pair of wheels. Confidence. Shimano still make the same hub with the same bearings as the old STX hubs I bought in the 90s.

Ice, rain and a puncture.

Posted on 18th Jan 2015 by essiep

I rode 8-speed with MapMyRide+! Distance: 38.5mi, time: 02:47:50, pace: 4:2min/mi, speed: 13.8mi/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/846930091
It started well. The ice was insignificant and the sun-bright.
In the last 10 miles, clouds built up and the temperature dropped. I didn’t mind the 6 or so miles in rain until a flat on the rear wheel. The rims were covered in black slimy muck and my hands were soon cold. Cold rubber is stiff making the tyre a bitch to get off. By then, my hands were too cold to undo that little nut on the valve.
I must have got something right though. I could not get the pressure high, but it held while I rode the last miles.

Now for some soup, a good way to warm up.

One puncture for me..

Posted on 6th Jan 2015 by essiep

5°C, moderate W, dry and clear.
Commute 18 miles.
Ordinary ride home marred by a puncture. A forced stop in the dark is never welcome but fortune smiled. There was a pub nearby with blazing bright carpark lights. So I carefully fixed it, really don’t want it to go down in some inky black lane.
After another 5 miles, there was another guy fixing his puncture, so I stopped for a chat. Nice bloke.
No sign of comet Q2 near Orion, a veil of cloud in just the wrong place.

Expensive whisky in the supermarket. Decimal places are important Co-op.

Micycle

Mike thinks b/hikes

Category Archives: bike servicing