Bike Noob

Because I'm Always Learning Something New

  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Partners

“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:

Like this:

Like Loading…

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.

Like this:

Like Loading…

Categories // tires Tags // flat tire

The “Big” Hill

10.02.2011 by Ray Niekamp // 6 Comments

I did a group ride recently that featured a big hill.

“It comes at the turnaround, about 15 miles into the ride,” said a friend, who had done this ride several times before. “It’s a STEEP hill.”

Many people, she said, skip the hill by turning around at the beginning of the road that leads up to it. The hill-loving “freaks” could continue on.

Hm, I thought. This could be interesting. I do a ride in my area that features a tough hill. I often have to jump off the bike halfway up and walk the rest of the way. Several times, I’ve been able to climb it to the top, where I stop and gasp for breath. I wondered how the hill on this new ride would stack up.

In the parking lot, I ran into a guy I’d ridden with a couple of times before, but whom I hadn’t seen in almost a year.

“Hey, you’ve done this ride,” I said. “What’s the deal with the hill? Is it as tough as they say it is?”

“Man, it’s been a long time,” he said. “I think it’ll be all right.”

Not much info there.

The ride started. I fell in behind a couple who, as they neared the turnaround point, started talking about the hill. The guy had apparently done it before.

“It’s cool coming down,” he told his companion. “You do about 42 miles per hour. Of course, going up you do about 7 miles per hour.”

His friend laughed, and said she would skip it.

I made the turn onto the hill road. A typical suburban arterial leading into a subdivision of recently-built homes, it had a grassy median down the middle, curbs at the sides, and smooth asphalt pavement. A few of the faster riders coming back the other way were already hitting the flat at the end of their descent. I started a gentle climb, and wondered how long it would be before the hill got steep.

We reached the built-up part of the subdivision. This was going to be a longish hill, but didn’t seem to be getting much steeper. I still considered it to be a gentle climb.

I swung out to pass some riders, downshifted and spun easily as I rode up the grade. This isn’t steep at all, I thought to myself. And looking ahead, I couldn’t see it getting much steeper.

At a cross street at what appeared to be the summit, several bikers were pulled over, drinking from their water bottles and apparently waiting for friends to catch up.

“Hey, is this it?” I asked.

“Well, if you want to do the whole thing, you keep going down to where the road ends in a cul-de-sac,” said one of them.

I looked ahead. The road did indeed go down, so you’d have to climb to get back to where I was. But that section was no different from what I’d just climbed — just an easy incline. I decided to turn around and head back down.

I pedaled and pedaled, waiting to catch a dip or something that would bring me close to the 42 mph the guy had mentioned earlier. But we had a stiff headwind, and this was not going to be a fast descent. I topped out at 26 mph on the way down.

Back at the restaurant where the ride started, I met up with the acquaintance I’d first asked about the hill at the beginning of the ride.

“How did you get here before me?” I asked. “I know I passed you out there.”

“You did,” he answered. “But we (pointing to another rider) decided to skip the hill and turned around.”

Now, I’m no hillclimber, but come on. This was nothing. The warnings of the people who posted about the ride and who spread tales about the hill were obviously exaggerations. That kind of hyperbole does bikers a disservice, I thought. It scares people away from a hill that they’d probably get some satisfaction climbing. If improving on the bike means being able to do things you weren’t able to do before, people were being robbed of a chance to improve, and to build their confidence to tackle tougher challenges.

I suppose what’s easy for some is tough for others, but given the large number of riders who classified themselves as intermediate (the largest group on the ride), most, if not all of them should have been able to reach the top of this hill with no problem. So if I learned something on this ride, it’s to take dire tales about cycling routes, whether they be hilly, or rough, or heavily trafficked, with a grain of salt.

Like this:

Like Loading…

Categories // Rides Tags // hills

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • …
  • 163
  • 164
  • 165
  • 166
  • 167
  • …
  • 374
  • 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