what a rookie....

[elk]

this goes in the what a rookie category...

DH and I went riding today on a paved path (beautiful and deserted) that is basically a mile and 1/2 uphill and a mile and 1/2 downhill....not too steep but enough to put a burn on you when you're just returning from a long winter sans riding...

I was struggling like mad and had to get off and walk twice...last fall I never got off, just worked my way up. I was kind of bummed thinking about the buckets of strength I'd lost... and then in the last stretch downhill I glanced down and noticed I had a pretty flat tire in front...and when I called DH over he said the back was TOTALLY flat....

It took us a while to figure out the pump....it kept leaking...and then the valve on the tire was loose...which is how it went flat in the first place (I had filled them 2 weeks ago)...eventually we realized I had a REAL flat on the back...

it's fixed now. but to think I had been not only struggling but RIDING MY RIMS! I felt better and worse simultaneously...

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Yikes!
Didn't you feel that weird mushy 'flat feeling'?
Well the good thing is that maybe that accounted for your sluggishness.
Hope your tires and rims are ok....

[sgtiger]

LOL! I've done that. And another time the rear brake pads were not set right and I felt so sluggish riding. When I figured out the problem and fixed it, i felt like I was flying. Well....for me, anyway.

[elk]

yes...it was a relief that i hadn't morphed into a total slug...but i did worry about what i might have done to my Aurora...so i took her into the LBS, had them fix the tire and the rims seem fine...

I didNOT feel mushy...but I did feel the bumps and cracks inthe path especially hard...

[BarbaraAlys]

And the take-away lesson is....check your tires before every ride!

Honestly, there is so much to learn about the bike when you are starting out it is easy to feel like a dork, I do all the time!

Now, think how much fun that ride will be the next time with air in the tires!

Barbara

[SandyLS]

Yup, I'm guilty of doing the same thing. Sure was a relief to find out it was the tires and not the engine! Now I also check tire pressure before every ride.