indigoiis
09-08-2007, 11:56 AM
Howdy,
So, after reading the posts on here about rear flats, I was almost delighted (but also a little scared, being far away from home) when my rear tire flatted on today's ride. My DH was already far ahead. The mom in me, or the survivalist, or whomever, said, "Okay, well, here it is, now's as good a time as any to learn to do this." I had memorized the little trek magazine, so, I was happy that I knew what to do first. Disengage the brake. Well, with my brakes, for some reason, this is a near impossible feat (WILL BE CORRECTED TO BE SURE.) I squeezed, I tugged, I pulled, and I could not get that little fekker undone. DH comes back up the hill after awhile, looking for me. He looks at it. "W T F" he says. Apparently, this particular bike has a very peculiar brake setup (good to know, huh?) and to get it undone, at least as far as we could see, was to take it apart. So we did, and got that undone, and then he sat in the grass and watched me do my tire. I didn't want him to help me, but I am glad he was there.
So I did it just like the trek girl showed us, and was very proud of myself, and it wasn't very hard at all, just kind of flustering with the remembering part mixed with the actual doing of it. I unwrapped the new tire and we realized it was the fat kind of valve, not the presta. So it is good I had the pump cuz I did not have the right kind of thing for my cartridge that would work with a fat valve. So I pumped, and then he pumped, and got the tire back up. I later visited a gas station to top off the air.
The ride was really good, but, I have to say, after mile 50, my tailbone and seatbone thing happened again. It just hurt. And my shoulders. And everything else. It's so frustrating! I feel like I could go all day - really, I would, if it were not for PAIN. I had like, this little episode where I got all snivelly (and this is not like me) and I think it was more out of frustration than anything. I mean, I have been lifting weights and doing stretching with my shoulders and arms and neck, so what's up with that? Plus, my helmet has a visor that you just want to rip off the helmet because it obscures your vision, and you have to cock your head up higher to get a good view ahead, further frustrating the neck pain thing. How in the heck am I gonna ride a century in 2 weeks???? Yikes!!! I wanted to take the bike and throw it into a ravine. Ditto the helmet. And the gd shorts that weren't doing what I bought them to do, and that's to keep my arse bone from making contact with anything hard. Right into the ravine. The jersey? Too hot. The bag where I keep everything? Too annoying. The shoes? Too black. And to boot, the road was a mess. Nothing was making me happy. We even had a really cute female bull terrier run alongside us. Ugly dog. BAD DOG! I was on a mean streak. Gawd. I told DH, GO AHEAD AND PLEASE JUST GO HOME. Leave me here. Well.
He didn't leave me, we just kept peddling.
I'm glad I didn't get another flat, cuz that was my only tube.
I'm glad I got a flat though. It was a good learning experience.
According to century training, another 65-70 miler is called for next Saturday.
I did this today and I can do it again, but I must find a solution to my pain issue. I did 57 miles last Saturday and the WTB saddle was fine (about mile 50, I started to become tired.) Maybe that's what it is. Maybe my body knows what the last mileage I did is, and it starts to complain afterwards.
Maybe.
Anyhow, the point of the story is, don't be afraid of a flat tire. Memorize how to do it, and then you'll be fine. It's not very hard if you have the steps laid out in your head.
Anj
So, after reading the posts on here about rear flats, I was almost delighted (but also a little scared, being far away from home) when my rear tire flatted on today's ride. My DH was already far ahead. The mom in me, or the survivalist, or whomever, said, "Okay, well, here it is, now's as good a time as any to learn to do this." I had memorized the little trek magazine, so, I was happy that I knew what to do first. Disengage the brake. Well, with my brakes, for some reason, this is a near impossible feat (WILL BE CORRECTED TO BE SURE.) I squeezed, I tugged, I pulled, and I could not get that little fekker undone. DH comes back up the hill after awhile, looking for me. He looks at it. "W T F" he says. Apparently, this particular bike has a very peculiar brake setup (good to know, huh?) and to get it undone, at least as far as we could see, was to take it apart. So we did, and got that undone, and then he sat in the grass and watched me do my tire. I didn't want him to help me, but I am glad he was there.
So I did it just like the trek girl showed us, and was very proud of myself, and it wasn't very hard at all, just kind of flustering with the remembering part mixed with the actual doing of it. I unwrapped the new tire and we realized it was the fat kind of valve, not the presta. So it is good I had the pump cuz I did not have the right kind of thing for my cartridge that would work with a fat valve. So I pumped, and then he pumped, and got the tire back up. I later visited a gas station to top off the air.
The ride was really good, but, I have to say, after mile 50, my tailbone and seatbone thing happened again. It just hurt. And my shoulders. And everything else. It's so frustrating! I feel like I could go all day - really, I would, if it were not for PAIN. I had like, this little episode where I got all snivelly (and this is not like me) and I think it was more out of frustration than anything. I mean, I have been lifting weights and doing stretching with my shoulders and arms and neck, so what's up with that? Plus, my helmet has a visor that you just want to rip off the helmet because it obscures your vision, and you have to cock your head up higher to get a good view ahead, further frustrating the neck pain thing. How in the heck am I gonna ride a century in 2 weeks???? Yikes!!! I wanted to take the bike and throw it into a ravine. Ditto the helmet. And the gd shorts that weren't doing what I bought them to do, and that's to keep my arse bone from making contact with anything hard. Right into the ravine. The jersey? Too hot. The bag where I keep everything? Too annoying. The shoes? Too black. And to boot, the road was a mess. Nothing was making me happy. We even had a really cute female bull terrier run alongside us. Ugly dog. BAD DOG! I was on a mean streak. Gawd. I told DH, GO AHEAD AND PLEASE JUST GO HOME. Leave me here. Well.
He didn't leave me, we just kept peddling.
I'm glad I didn't get another flat, cuz that was my only tube.
I'm glad I got a flat though. It was a good learning experience.
According to century training, another 65-70 miler is called for next Saturday.
I did this today and I can do it again, but I must find a solution to my pain issue. I did 57 miles last Saturday and the WTB saddle was fine (about mile 50, I started to become tired.) Maybe that's what it is. Maybe my body knows what the last mileage I did is, and it starts to complain afterwards.
Maybe.
Anyhow, the point of the story is, don't be afraid of a flat tire. Memorize how to do it, and then you'll be fine. It's not very hard if you have the steps laid out in your head.
Anj