Today looks to be the best day for bicycle commuting this week. I got up at 5:00 a.m., showered, dressed in my cycling clothes, ate breakfast, packed my commuting stuff into the bags on Nermal, and headed out the door.
About 2.5 miles into my commute, I had a flat rear tire. No big deal, I have a spare tube, pump, and tire levers.
Bicycle tubes come with a variety of valve types. The two most common are Presta and Schrader. Schrader is what most cars have. Nermal used to have Schrader valves.
My new wheel was set up for Presta. My recumbent has Presta also, and I was looking forward to not having two different kinds of valves to worry about. Nermal’s front wheel is still Schrader, but I carry both tubes, so it shouldn’t be an issue.
My pump is convertible between Presta and Schrader, but changing it requires taking it apart, and flipping two different parts around.
It took me entirely too long to change the tube, even longer to convert the pump, and my pannier that holds my laptop and change of clothes lost some mounting hardware.
So, I rode back home, changed clothes, and drove to work so that I could make it on time, and with my laptop intact.
I still managed a five-mile ride for the morning. Maybe I’ll squeeze in another ride tonight.
Our week started strong but has went no where. My wife went riding with me Monday night, I rode seven miles, not much but more than I normally get to.
But we have not got out again…
Tonight we will pay our last respects to an old friend at the funeral home.
But I am off work half a day Friday, I hope to get a ride in then.
Bummer about the flat, I picked up a repair kit last week, but don’t have a pump with me most times. I plan to stop by Clarksville Shwinn today maybe they can help me out.
I hate flats on the way to work. If you have a rim that’s drilled for Schrader, you can use a Presta tube in it, you just need a little plastic grommet to compensate for the difference in thicknesses. I’ve never gone out to actually buy one of them, but a set of Mavic rims I own has them. Then I just use the little threaded ring that comes with most presta tubes to tighten the stem down and make sure it doesn’t slosh around.
Mark,
My riding for the week is pretty much done. I’ve been busy again, and I have a wedding to attend on Friday, plans on Saturday, and driving ten hours on Sunday.
You really need a pump. I recommend the Topeak RoadMorph. It’s almost like a mini floor-pump. It’s easier to use than your standard mini-pump. You can also use the CO2 cartridge inflaters, but if you run out, you’re stuck.
Dave,
I don’t have a grommet, and haven’t bothered to look around for one, because I’m going to replace the front wheel too. When I have the money I’ll get the new front wheel built, and get new tires, because the current tires on that bike were simply convenient to buy at the time rather than what I wanted.