Rough Night

[Trek420]

I had two flat tires and some major shifting problems resulting in lost and jammed chains ....

I'm wondering about the flats. Flats happen, a lot but you should not get that many. In my 5 California AIDS Lifecycle rides (7 days, 545 miles) I had 3 (three ) including all the training.

So there's something going on.

Everyone feel free to chime in with more tips. Let's keep you on the road.

Feel free to ignore us if any/all of this you already know:

Check your tire pressure often, at least before each ride. Under inflated tires are more prone to flats.

Don't hug that curb. Ride as far to the right as is safe to do so of course but not so far that you're in the debris. The rough road debris like broken glass etc is way on the right. Find a good line that's safe but outa that mess.

Speaking of debris if you ride over some stop safely and brush off the tires front and back. I can do this in motion for the front. Haven't got the hang of clearing the back . But just pull over, use your gloved hand, spin the wheels and brush it off.

You're getting repeat flats so if/when you fix a flat make sure to check all around the inside of the rim for bits of metal, rough spots on the rim, debris that will put you right back on the side of the road.

More tips, anyone else?