Categories: all aviation Building a Biplane bicycle gadgets misc motorcycle theater

Mon, 09 Oct 2006

Monday most foul

If you don't like griping, you may want to pass on this entry.

I woke up this morning feeling fine, ready for a bicycle commute into work. I stretched out my legs, and ate a spot of breakfast. Got my stuff shuffled into the appropriate bag.

I got myself all geared up -- high-viz vest, shoulder bag, helmet, gloves. After this point, things started going wrong.

  1. Lock the door on my way out. Realize I've left my cardkey behind. Unlock the door and retrieve it.

  2. Get the bike out, glad to see no more flats. However, rolling it a foot or two in the cramped garage reveals a rubbing sound. Adjust the rear fender, which is rubbing yet again, despite repeated re-adjustments.

  3. Get myself out, lock the garage, get on the road. Roll 50 feet before realizing I'm not wearing my gloves. Of course, they're locked in the garage. Turn around, unlock garage, get gloves on, re-lock garage.

  4. Finally on the road. Make it perhaps 1/4 mile before realizing I left my phone behind. Turn around, ride back, unlock door, retrieve phone, re-lock door, nearly drop phone as I juggle it, keys, and gloves.

  5. Now, really, finally on the road. No further troubles until 50th and Phinney (about 3.5 miles from home), where the bike starts shimmying uncomfortably. Look down, sure enough, flat front tire.

  6. Pull over at a convenient concrete structure, repair flat. Notice another nascent puncture next to the full-blown one, make note to repair it too. Completely fail to do so. Back on the road, 20 minutes later.

  7. Make it down Fremont hill without incident (thinking of nascent puncture all the while). Turn onto 34th, in the home stretch. Rear tire suddenly feels mushy. Yep, rear flat.

  8. Walk the remaining short distance into work, carrying the bike down stairs to avoid damaging the rear rim. Into my office, 35 minutes later than I wanted to be there.

  9. Rush to staff meeting. It's been cancelled, which I hadn't known about, having not yet had time to check my email. Rushed and felt flustered for nothing.

So yeah, Monday isn't treating me that nicely so far. On the positive side, I've received a bit of advice which will hopefully help me avoid these flats in the future. Seems the advised procedure is to fill the tube with a bit of air before levering the tire back on, to help avoid getting it pinched.

After today, I sure as hell hope that's what I was doing wrong. Five flats in under a month, all of them pinch flats, is driving me to distraction.

Posted at 10:36 permanent link category: /bicycle

Categories: all aviation Building a Biplane bicycle gadgets misc motorcycle theater