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“I Saw It on YouTube Once…”

10.06.2011 by Ray Niekamp // 10 Comments

Don Blount’s post about flats called to mind an experience I had a couple of weeks ago. In fact, it was at the same ride where I climbed the “big” hill. And it reminded me how important it is for bikers to acquire at least the basic minimum knowledge about bike maintenance.

I pulled into the parking lot at the restaurant where the ride would start. Although it was 8 a.m., the crowd was already pretty big, and I squeezed into a parking space between two other cars. As I got my bike out of the back and started attending to details like checking water bottles, making sure I brought my sunglasses, transferring money from my wallet to the ziploc bag I carry on rides, the woman at the car next to me started complaining.

“Augh! What is this?” she cried. “Am I going to be able to fix this?”

A guy who was with her looked on. He obviously couldn’t answer her question.

“What’s the problem?” I asked.

“It’s this,” she said. “The top of the valve came off. I’m not sure how to fix it.”

The presta valve on her rear tire had broken in two.

“No, you’ll have to put in a new tube,” I said. “Do you know how?”

“Oh, no!” she answered. “I don’t have a clue.” She looked at the guy, who apparently was her husband, or boyfriend, or something.

“I saw how to fix a flat on YouTube once,” he said. “But I don’t know if I could do it.”

Flats happen.

I took the tire. As I pulled out the old tube, I talked my way through the procedure, so they could see what I was doing. I’m not much of a bike mechanic, but I’ve fixed my share of flats.

She handed me a new tube from the trunk of her car. I blew into the valve to give some shape to the tube and fitted it inside the tire. I explained how to work around the tire to get the bead inside the wheel, while being mindful not to pinch the tube between the wheel and tire. The bead did something my tires rarely do: it popped into place easily.

I pumped about 30 pounds into the tire, then showed them how to check to make sure the tire is seated correctly, with no tube sticking through.

“I think you two can probably fill it the rest of the way,” I said, handing the tire and pump to the guy.

She thanked me profusely. I turned away to get on my shoes and helmet. The ride would start soon. The tire change had taken me about five minutes.

Changing a tire is simple, yet satisfying. If done right, you’re left with a tire that you can depend on through normal riding. If done faster than usual, you’re left with a sense of accomplishment — of improvement. So don’t be afraid to learn. It’s a necessary skill, and one all bikers should have. If you don’t know how, I did what the guy did — I looked it up on YouTube. Here you go:

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Categories // tires Tags // flat tire

‘Tis the Season For Flats

10.04.2011 by Ray Niekamp // 4 Comments

I always have figured flats can happen anytime. But for guest poster Don Blount, this is the busy season.

It is harvest season in the Lodi Appellation, which is the fancy name for the federally designated American Viticulture Area in this part of California’s Central Valley.

In 2010 that area produced some 546,000 tons of grapes. Winegrapes are the No. 2 cash crop here in San Joaquin County, trailing only milk if you were wondering. And you can find some 60 wineries in the area.

The vineyards look pretty, but flats lurk here.

So what does any of this have to do with biking?

Well, I ride my bike in that area a lot as it has roads conducive to cycling most of the time. But when grape harvest begins, so does flat tire season. I was out for a ride recently not having experienced a flat in about six months and I had two flats during the same 25-mile ride. The first flat happened about five miles into the ride and was caused by a long piece of metal that stuck in the rear tire. I was up and running again in less than 10 minutes.

The second flat was noticeable about a half mile from home. It was caused by a sticker that I picked up somewhere along the way. The tire was soft but not completely flat so I was able to nurse it home. I changed the tube later that night and patched it along with three others I had in my garage.

During the harvest all types of debris gets moved out of the fields and onto the road including goatheads, thorns, pieces of metal and all types of other crap. It was during the 2010 harvest season that during one group ride we had roughly a dozen.

I like grapes, I like wine, but I do not like flats.

The dreaded harvest equipment.

There are certain roads I will avoid if I see a lot of harvesting equipment in that area. But it is inevitable that flats will happen.

Still, I do what I can to minimize the number I get. Itry make sure my tires are in good condition, I check them after every ride, wiping them down with a wet cloth and looking for any cuts or things sticking in the tire. There have been times I have found something poking in the tire that has not reached the tube but would have eventually caused a flat if it was not removed.

And when riding, I carry along two spare tubes, three C02 cartridges and a pump. If I don’t use them, I may be able to help someone in need. I would rather carry a little extra weight and be overly cautious rather than stuck on the side of the road because of a flat.

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Categories // tires Tags // flat tire

I’m Switching to CO2

09.01.2011 by Ray Niekamp // 13 Comments

So while we’re on the subject of flats, I have to tell you about a 180-degree change in my attitude toward pumps. This is apparently a topic of never-ending interest among bike noobs, because a previous post about pumps and CO2 cartridges is the all-time most popular post ever put up on this blog.

Road Morph

As most readers know, I adopted a frame-mounted mini pump — the Topeak Road Morph — three years ago as my preferred way to get the tires up to pressure after a flat. I had just fumbled and bumbled too many times with CO2 cartridges and decided I needed something more reliable. The Road Morph proved to be the answer. At least, for the several flats I had in the next year or so, I was able to get the tire pumped back up to the low end of its range, and ride home easily on it. At home, I could use my more powerful floor pump to top it off. The pump has bailed out fellow riders in group rides more than once, as they misfired their cartridges and needed something to fill their tires or be forced to call for a ride home. The picture at the top of this blog is of me and my friend David using the Road Morph to pump up one of his tires during a ride.

But during my three flats in two weeks run last month, I had help from riding partners in two of those cases. Each time, they suggested filling the tire with CO2 to get moving faster. As skeptical as I was, I agreed.

My friend David uses the little nozzle that attaches directly to the cartridge. Get it on the valve, turn it a bit, and pfffffft! — the tire fills without incident. Two weeks before, when I had my first flat, a fellow rider lent me his CO2 inflator. It’s the plastic housing that you slide the cartridge into, then use a small trigger to shoot the CO2 into the tire. I’ve got one of those, and I had consistently misfired the thing, wasting CO2, not filling the tire, and eventually switching to the pump. Maybe I’m older and wiser (no, not wiser, says my wife) but this time I filled it with no problem at all.

The weekend between those two incidents, I flatted while on a solo ride, which prompted the previous post about fixing them faster. This time I used the pump. The Road Morph is terrific for the first 60 pounds of pressure. Then you have to work harder. It’s got a built-in pressure gauge down by the valve, so you can see how well you’re doing. By the time you get to 90 pounds, you’re pushing with all your strength and the pump is barely moving. I know I’ve gotten tires up to 100 pounds in the past with the Road Morph, but it’s a struggle. And given how easily the CO2 cartridges work when used correctly, I decided to change my ways.

Inflator and cartridge.

So now I’ve got my inflator with the trigger and two cartridges in the seat bag. But in true belt-and-suspenders style, I continue to keep the pump mounted to my frame. One way or another, I’m going to leave the scene of future flats with properly inflated tires.

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Categories // Accessories, tires Tags // CO2, pump

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