Bike Noob

Because I'm Always Learning Something New

  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Partners

Archives for June 2010

The Flat Spare

06.24.2010 by Ray Niekamp // 5 Comments

Among the spate of flats I’ve had recently, one stood out as particularly irritating. I was riding down a flat, suburban residential street when I felt the rear tire sag. I pulled over, got the tire off, and got the spare tube and tire levers from the seat bag.

But when I tried to pump the spare a little to mount it on the rim, I discovered that it had a puncture. I always carry a small patch kit with me, so I set about patching the tube.  It seemed to have worn with age and use — there was more a crack in the rubber than a puncture. I finished the patch, rested the bike against a nearby fence, and proceeded to clean up and put away my mess. When I walked over to the bike to put everything back in the seat bag, the tire was flat again. I got it pumped it up to 90 psi, and figured since I was only about two miles from home, I could make it back on a soft tire.

I couldn’t. I rode about a half mile, and the tire was flat again. This time, it wouldn’t take air.  The puncture must have widened with the riding.

I had two choices. I could pull off the tire and patch the leak I had missed the first time, or I could just walk the bike the remaining distance home. The temperature was about 90ºF (32ºC), the sweat was dripping onto my sunglass lenses, and I was tired and cranky. I walked.

I keep my spare tube in an old sock, to prevent it from rubbing against hard surfaces or sharp-edged tools in my seat bag, so what caused the puncture in the spare is a mystery. I assume it was always there, and I missed it when I put that particular tube in the seat bag.

Has this ever happened to you? What other tips do you have to prevent your spare from getting damaged in the seat bag?

Periodically, it’s worthwhile to check your spare tubes.

Like this:

Like Loading...

Categories // tires Tags // flat tire, tires, tube

Presta, Schrader – What Does It Matter?

06.22.2010 by Ray Niekamp // 5 Comments

The other day, my wife and I took an easy ride in the neighborhood. The ride was uneventful, until we approached a stoplighted intersection for a left turn. I looked behind me, and she wasn’t there! That was odd, since the last time I saw her, she was less than 100 yards behind.

I turned around and doubled back. There she was, at the curb under a large shade tree.

“I got a flat tire,” she said.

I immediately broke one of my tire levers trying to pry her 28 mm tire off its rim. The tube came out easily, but when I grabbed its replacement, I saw a problem. Her tubes have Schrader valves. My pump can only do presta valves.

She rummaged around in her seat bag, and came up with four CO2 cartridges and an inflator. Two of the cartridges were used. Why they were still in there, I don’t know. One emptied from the inevitable misfire. Luckily, the final cartridge filled the tire just the way it’s supposed to.

That night, I turned the kitchen table into Bike Tire Central. I had just taken advantage of a sale at Performance, and had stocked up on tubes. I found one, and took it from its box.

Yes, I made sure to leave it spic and span when I was done.

Oh, crap. It had a presta valve. So did the other replacement tube. But the valve holes in Pat’s wheels are large,  to accommodate Schrader valves. I put one of the presta tubes on, and found it wasn’t going to work.

The rim hole for the Schrader valve is large enough that the presta valve lock ring sinks into it.

I must be something of a packrat, because I seldom throw out anything related to biking. Out in the garage, I found two old tubes with Schrader valves that fit her rims. Both needed patching, but I also had three patch kits lying around.

The tire is okay for the time being, and there’s a replacement tube in her seat bag with the correct valve. She rode 28 miles Sunday morning, and didn’t get a flat. But I can see that Bike Tire Central will be busy again soon, when I get new replacement tires for her and mount them — along with Schrader valve tubes — on her bike.

Like this:

Like Loading...

Categories // tires Tags // tires, tube

Hot Weather Riding – A How-To

06.20.2010 by Ray Niekamp // 9 Comments

Bill Maroon

Well, summer is here, and that means hot weather riding. We’ve already talked about dealing with humidity. And for many of us, getting an earlier start helps beat the heat. But you can ride when the midday sun is beating down and the temperature is climbing. Bill Maroon, a member of my club, reported on his Saturday ride on a tough Austin route — the Dam Loop. Besides being entertaining, his report is also a good example of what we might do to prepare for and ride in hot conditions. Bill gave me permission to share his report on Bike Noob.

I made the decision the other night that 7 a.m. starts on the rides was too early.  Therefore, I started promptly at 9:30 a.m. for my yearly Texas Sweat-box Acclimation.  A four-hour bottle of Infinit was mixed, half went in the freezer, the other half in the fridge.  One bottle full of water and one half full joined the Infinit in the fridge as well.  All three were my trusty Polar BPA free 24 oz. tall boys.

I drank two 32 oz. cups of water slowly as I ate my breakfast and started getting ready. A double shot of Anderson’s Arabian Mocha espresso was in order to get me moving.  About an hour or so before the start, I took three Endurolyte electrolyte caps so that they’d be in my system early.  Right before the ride I poured the rest of the Infinit in with its frozen half and topped off the water bottles.  The frozen bottle went in the middle pocket with the Infinit and other water bottle on the bike.  I only took a Clif Bar, one package of Clif Shot Blocks, one Clif Shot Gel pack, and a handful of Endurolytes figuring that’s all I’d really need.

The start of the ride was pretty good. I didn’t really start hitting the water until I reached Barton Creek Blvd., at which point I was regularly taking pulls with small sips of the Infinit.  My goal was to kill this bottle of water off by the time I reached Route 620, and my timing was spot on.  A nice tailwind heading north on 620 moved me along easily, and then began the slog on up to Route 2222.  My first pit stop would be the Starbucks at Four Corners and my second bottle was depleted just as I rolled into the parking lot.  Two refilled bottles of ice water courtesy of Starbucks and I was back on the road making my way to River Place.

Knowing what climbs were ahead, I tried to take it easy getting back over to River Place but this is about the time the tailwind turned into a Vicious Evil Headwind (VEH).  Slogging up to the fun descent on River Place hurt and it was pretty hairy at 47 mph downhill into the VEH.  The downhill ended and I was left with the two back-to-back gut checks of the rest of River Place followed by Big View Road.  At this point I was still feeling pretty good but was having some flashback from last years Tour das Hugel (Tour of the Hills) and how much I dislike hills.

Making my way over to City Park I figured that my quads had not suffered enough so on up Courtyard I went (Ed. note: Another big climb, not part of the usual Dam Loop).  Upon cresting the top I figured it couldn’t hurt to have my Clif Shot since I could feel my energy starting to drain and the heat seemed to have gone up a notch or two.  An Austin Flyer rider was on the other side making attempt after attempt to climb Courtyard from the 360 side and just barely making it to the top before starting over.  She was in a very special place of personal torture.

Into the home stretch I killed another bottle of water and pulled into the new gas station on Route 360 to refill.  It was at this point that I noticed that my hamstrings and calves were making it known that they were not pleased with the abuse.  I consumed two more Endurolytes and drained the Infinit.

The stop seemed to make things hurt more and the VEH was not letting up. The rest of the hills from the gas station up to Bee Caves Road were torture with every pedal stroke initiating a series of cramps that threatened to stall me out on the hill. Backing it off seemed to help and I was able to make my way to Mopac without incident.  It was also at this pont that I noticed that my once black bibs were now mostly grey with some white racing stripes.  I guess I was losing quite a bit more electrolytes than I thought!

The rest of the ride across the Mopac bridge and then down to the end was mostly without incident save for a young girl that did a “Right Hook” as I was turning onto the Mopac feeder.  All in all it was a good ride and I definitely made some mental notes on what it takes to ride in this heat.

Stats were 55 miles, 3:38 moving time, ~3500 feet of climbing and just under 4 hours total.

Ed. note: Clearly, I haven’t been paying enough attention to pre-ride hydration. And I think I’ll have to stock up on some Endurolytes and Shot Bloks. Thanks for sharing your experience, Bill.

Like this:

Like Loading...

Categories // guest post, Heat Tags // guest post, heat

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • Next Page »

Get Email Updates

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 257 other subscribers

Categories

  • Accessories
  • Bike fit
  • Bikes
  • Blogging
  • Books
  • clubs
  • Cold weather
  • Community
  • Commuting
  • Components
  • crash
  • cycling
  • Equipment
  • Favorite rides
  • fitness
  • food
  • guest post
  • Heat
  • Injury
  • logs
  • Maintenance
  • Mental
  • Nutrition
  • Odds 'n ends
  • People
  • Poll
  • Racing
  • Records & stats
  • Review
  • Rides
  • running
  • Safety
  • soreness
  • Specialized
  • Technique
  • Technology
  • Tips
  • tires
  • training
  • Travel
  • Uncategorized
  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Partners

Recent Posts

  • Getting Back on the Bike: Road Cycling Tips for Older Cyclists
  • Are BCAAs and EAAs Good for Cycling?
  • How to Fix Numb Toes When Cycling
  • How to Find and Vet a Bike Club
  • Celebrate Pearl Izumi with Big Savings in the Memorial Day Sale

Categories

  • Accessories
  • Bike fit
  • Bikes
  • Blogging
  • Books
  • clubs
  • Cold weather
  • Community
  • Commuting
  • Components
  • crash
  • cycling
  • Equipment
  • Favorite rides
  • fitness
  • food
  • guest post
  • Heat
  • Injury
  • logs
  • Maintenance
  • Mental
  • Nutrition
  • Odds 'n ends
  • People
  • Poll
  • Racing
  • Records & stats
  • Review
  • Rides
  • running
  • Safety
  • soreness
  • Specialized
  • Technique
  • Technology
  • Tips
  • tires
  • training
  • Travel
  • Uncategorized

Archives

  • May 2024
  • December 2023
  • November 2023
  • March 2022
  • October 2020
  • November 2018
  • May 2018
  • September 2017
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • January 2016
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • October 2011
  • September 2011
  • August 2011
  • July 2011
  • June 2011
  • May 2011
  • April 2011
  • March 2011
  • February 2011
  • January 2011
  • December 2010
  • November 2010
  • October 2010
  • September 2010
  • August 2010
  • July 2010
  • June 2010
  • May 2010
  • April 2010
  • March 2010
  • February 2010
  • January 2010
  • December 2009
  • November 2009
  • October 2009
  • September 2009
  • August 2009
  • July 2009
  • June 2009
  • May 2009
  • April 2009
  • March 2009
  • February 2009
  • January 2009
  • December 2008
  • November 2008
  • October 2008
  • September 2008
  • August 2008
  • July 2008
  • June 2008
  • May 2008
  • April 2008
  • March 2008
  • February 2008

Copyright © 2026 · Modern Studio Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

Go to mobile version
%d