Thirty Mile Conditioning Ride Gets Interesting!

Last Sunday was a beautiful day and since I worked around the house all day on Saturday I felt I deserved a nice 30+ mile ride.  Since I live in Upper Bucks not too far Ottsville (Everyone knows where Ottsville is!)  You know this ride is going to be hilly.

I got the bike out of the garage, pumped up the front tire, started pumping up the back and ZZZZZZZZ the front tire popped.  What a way to start and this was the second flat on the front in a week and a half.  I checked the inside of the tire and checked the tube and could not find anything wrong.  Must be a leaking valve?  Replaced the tube and I am on my way up the first hill.

I decided to take a new scenic route with two bridges that are out.  Two bridges that are out on the same road, so there is little to no car traffic.  You get used to no bridges if you live in Upper Bucks. Up the hills to the airport, too windy for glider flights today so I kept going down the hill to the covered bridge (scenic part) and up the long ¾ mile climb.  To make it a little more challenging after the hill, I turned up another hill.  What was I thinking??

Struggling to the top, lungs gasping I had a nice long downhill but you know what follows a long downhill.  Meandering my way through back roads I finally ended up at a Dunkin Doughnuts in Dublin.  That would be PA, not Ireland.  A short rest stop and off again but the legs have cooled down so I struggle a bit to get my pace back.

Ahhhhh feeling good and a long downhill when ZZZZZZZZZZZZ, flat on the front again.  I am in the middle of nowhere.  Cars don’t even use this road and horses refuse to!   But I am a prepared Boy Scout; I have a tube and CO2 cartridge ready to go.  I check the inside of the tire really carefully again, nothing.  What is going on with this front tire?  This can’t be another faulty valve or can it?  I changed the flat but lost some of the CO2 air.  Now I have 10 miles to go and a ¾ filled tire.  Forget that other loop I was planning on doing!  I wobbled and bobbled my way home safe and sound.

Now I am determined to find out what is going on with the front tire?  I overinflate the tube and finally find a hole.  I match up the tube hole with the tire and inspect thoroughly, nothing.  Hmmm, this is annoying.  I put in a new tube, this would be tube number 4, you can never have enough tubes and pump up the tire to full pressure.  Running my hand around the tire I feel a slight bump.  Well now let’s put in a little more air and see if the bump gets bigger!  Sure enough the bump is bigger because there is a small hole all the way though the tire and the tube is pushing through.  Ah ha that is what is causing the ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ.

I am now the proud owner of a new tire, more tubes and a frame pump!  I will carry the CO2 cartridge but the frame pump is now my backup.

If you have not watched the video on our web site on how to change a tire, I would strongly suggest you do so before your next ride!   I just may make my own video.