April rides

[ny biker]

Okay I just changed both tires. It took more than an hour. As mentioned they were both looking worn so I had already bought new ones and was planning to put the new ones on after this weekend's ride. Luckily the big club ride planned for tomorrow was cancelled tonight. I didn't get home from work/running errands until 9:30 tonight and now it's almost 12:30. If I'd had to do other ride prep tonight (starting with digging out my Amfib tights for tomorrow's cold weather) and then wake up early just to get official notice that the ride was cancelled, I would have been cranky to say the least.

I also changed both inner tubes just to be safe. One of the new ones has a ridiculously short stem which I'm sure will drive me crazy so I might end up changing it again. Also I had a really hard time getting the rear wheel on and off the bike. But now it's all back together with new inflated tires. They're Continental Grand Prix 4000s II. I've used Conti Gatorskins before but this is my first set of GPs. I hope I like them! I folded up the unpunctured tube and am keeping it to use as a spare.

As for the cause of the flat, I had to inflate the bad tube and put it in water to find the tiny hole. Then I found the tiny piece of glass in the tire. There was a small hole on the outside of the tire which I had found on the road under the streetlight. But the glass was pushed in enough that I didn't feel anything sharp at the time. There's an old, larger cut in the tire that never led to a punctured tube, so my guess is that the tire is now just too worn and thin to be as puncture resistant as it was before. Btw they're Mavic Yksion Comp tires. I'd use them again.

So. It won't be spring-like on Sunday but it should be sunny and not too cold -- well, we'll have a hard freeze overnight but it should get above 50 later in the day. It will definitely be the better day for being outdoors this weekend. I don't know yet where and when I'll be riding my bike, but I'll be out there somewhere.

[Crankin]

I used the Conti 4000s before I started using Gatorskins. They are easy to get on and off, semi-good for flats, but not perfect.

[Pax]

NY, weird about the stem, also annoying in the long run. Glad you found the piece of glass, always hated a mystery flat.


Finally got in a great ride yesterday (and when I say great, I mean great for my new normal, short but wonderful). I rode to the beach, then up the sand to the inlet and watched the surfers surf for a bit. It seemed like such a short ride I didn't take water, lesson learned! Had to stop at 7/11 and buy a bottle at the halfway mark.

[Crankin]

We only buy tubes with the long stems, non-threaded.

[Geonz]

April's off to a slower than usual start... the usual commute April Fool's day.... I had snuck out a couple of Saturdays for my favorite 20 mile loop from the house but blustery winds at 45 mph were in the forecast.
So instead I plowed through the wind to the bike shop and paid for a new bicycle.


I already have a longbike but... this one is a discontinued model and marked down ... I test rode it just to make sure it didn't fit, except... it did.

Monday I rode from work to bike shop and left Xtracycle there and rode it back... Tuesday commuted and went to teh Bike Club Pre-Season Party ... went shortest way home rather than the nicer long way because of... 25+mph winds...
Rest of week commutes were okay tho' I didn't get to do my usual lunch "lap around campus" because it was generally raining (it does, at least, wait for me to get to work & it stops before I have to leave)...

Today I had a REAL ride... out to St. Joseph for the "Illini Chill," and back so 11 + 20 + 11 miles (but on the Trek 7.5 FX so they were lots easier)... winds only 15 mph and the temps got above freezing by noon! My legs are tired and happy...

[Pax]

Nice new bike, Sue, it must feel like flying after your old bike.

[Geonz]

LOL no, not with those FAT tires. It's actually a little bit slower, I *think* (but impossible to tell since it's been so windy). The Xtracycle is still going to have an important place, especially since it has the dynamo hub and the bicycle powered blender, and the Transport has very *nice* disk brakes on that front wheel but ... they're not going to charge a light, much less my telephone the way the Xtracycle will (or at least it should once I figure it out...)

WHat I am especially happy about, though, is that it seems to have (in the week I've had it) equivalent or even more "WTF???" effect on drivers, who have been giving me the same wide berth that I get on the Xtracycle (but not my 'fast' 7.5 FX). I'm going to try to construct a little crate for the front with ... oh, for starters, a portable charger for USB things... maybe try to figure out a camera mount? ... if I actually were good at such stuff, I'd design a rotating Squirtgun or Projectile Releaser or Bubble Machine...

[azfiddle]

Thursday I just had time for a quick 11 miles after work. Friday was a busy day and the midday weather wasn't great- still windy and occasional showers after work. But today was gorgeous! My husband and I rode up Mt. Lemmon past milepost 6 - (total 27 miles for including riding from the house to the base). Then I got off the Ruby, had lunch and took the Surly to buy groceries and to go look for a new saddle for her.. but no luck so far.

Tomorrow is looking less favorable, with 67% chance of rain after 11, accompanied by wind gusts up to 31. Too bad because they have Cyclovia schedule from 10-3 pm - closing down streets for pedestrians and cyclists....

[Pax]

... oh, for starters, a portable charger for USB things... maybe try to figure out a camera mount? ... if I actually were good at such stuff, I'd design a rotating Squirtgun or Projectile Releaser or Bubble Machine...

Bwaaahaaaa!! You crack me up! But I know you'll actually rig something up... please take pics.

[rebeccaC]

oh, for starters, a portable charger for USB things... maybe try to figure out a camera mount? ... if I actually were good at such stuff, I'd design a rotating Squirtgun or Projectile Releaser or Bubble Machine...

If you work out the bubble machine let us know and I’m getting a SON hub for my front commuter wheel…

btw…I have a friend who likes to ride across continents. She uses E-Werk and a cache battery with a SON hub to charge her garmin, phone and ipad mini.