It was bound to happen
Ever since the roads got sloppy around Thanksgiving, I've been riding my mtn bike (which, for the record, is nowhere near as much fun as the fixie for street riding!) I'm running 2.1" rubber on the mtn bike, and it feels SO sluggish. Plus, I think the stem on the mtn bike is a little too long for me, and it's never really felt dialed for me.
But anyway, the roads were clear of ice, snow and slush this morning, and a Big Snow was predicted for tonight, so I took the opportunity to ride the fix in to work today.
Just as I was leaving home around 7:30am, I realized I had taken my bike repair kit out of my messenger bag when I packed the bag to head to Duluth for the weekend. I was already out the door when I realized this, and in a lapse of judgement I decided to go without for today. After all, I've been commuting on the fix off-and-on without incident for several months. Surely today would be troublefree, like all the others, right?
Wrong.
The ride in to work was great - it was so much fun to be on the fixie again!
The ride home from work started out great as well, until I flatted just north of 50th St. Without my repair kit, my options were pretty limited. So I started the ~ 2 mile walk home, though Linden Hills and on to Uptown.
There used to be a bike shop in Linden Hills - where was it now that I needed it? They closed a year or two back, as I recall. I think there's some sort of health club in the space the shop used to occupy.
The walk home actually was fine - almost enjoyable - weather was pretty mild. I did have better things to do with my time, though. By the time I got home, dried off the bike, fixed the flat (removing the small shard of glass), ate a little dinner, and rode to While Foods for some groceries, most of the night had slipped away.
I lost one of my tire levers a while back, so I only have two - it makes a huge difference. Getting the bead off the rim with only 2 tire levers was a real struggle. Note to self - get more tire levers.
So here's hoping that I can go another few months without flatting - and that I'll be a little wiser next time and not leave my repair kit at home!
But anyway, the roads were clear of ice, snow and slush this morning, and a Big Snow was predicted for tonight, so I took the opportunity to ride the fix in to work today.
Just as I was leaving home around 7:30am, I realized I had taken my bike repair kit out of my messenger bag when I packed the bag to head to Duluth for the weekend. I was already out the door when I realized this, and in a lapse of judgement I decided to go without for today. After all, I've been commuting on the fix off-and-on without incident for several months. Surely today would be troublefree, like all the others, right?
Wrong.
The ride in to work was great - it was so much fun to be on the fixie again!
The ride home from work started out great as well, until I flatted just north of 50th St. Without my repair kit, my options were pretty limited. So I started the ~ 2 mile walk home, though Linden Hills and on to Uptown.
There used to be a bike shop in Linden Hills - where was it now that I needed it? They closed a year or two back, as I recall. I think there's some sort of health club in the space the shop used to occupy.
The walk home actually was fine - almost enjoyable - weather was pretty mild. I did have better things to do with my time, though. By the time I got home, dried off the bike, fixed the flat (removing the small shard of glass), ate a little dinner, and rode to While Foods for some groceries, most of the night had slipped away.
I lost one of my tire levers a while back, so I only have two - it makes a huge difference. Getting the bead off the rim with only 2 tire levers was a real struggle. Note to self - get more tire levers.
So here's hoping that I can go another few months without flatting - and that I'll be a little wiser next time and not leave my repair kit at home!
posted by equipoise at 11:19 PM
3 Comments:
What kind of tires do you run on the fixie?
I run 700x25 Specialized Armadillos on my Cross-Check and haven't flatted for over a year.
I probably will flat this weekend now that I said something........
In my experience, flats happen in threes...get those tire levers quick!
The fix has 700x28 Hutchinson "Flash" road tires. I got them because they were super-cheap on discount (like $5.00 per) and seem to be of reasonable quality.
I probably have 500-600 miles on them, and this was the first problem I experienced.
Gilby - I'll get thoses levers ASAP!
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